To the girls in the gym locker room strapping on the waist trainers, you're buckling yourselves up for a one-way trip to discomfort and disappointment. But I understand your pain. It's that time of year when the diet fads start to flood the TVs, Target has officially exploded its aisles with bathing suits, and your spring break Miami trip is creeping up. None of us want to look like some washed up whales on the beach, but you're too busy to get to the gym and Livingston's pasta bar is just too tempting. But, and trust me on this, you need to put the waist trainer down, and pick up the discipline.

This means picking up your fork with the right foods

Unfortunately, and surprisingly to most, food is the key to weight loss, specifically the right foods. It takes further research on your end to find the foods you can eat without wanting to bang your head against a wall. If you put a garden, a fad pill or a "fat burning" tea on your plate every day, you will lose more sanity than weight. There's a healthy alternative to every tempting treat. Discipline yourself without having to torture yourself.

And picking up a dumbbell

Diet comes first, dumbbells come second, and the "dreadmill" comes last. Lift weights to turn your body into a lean, mean, calorie-burning machine. With muscle mass, you can burn calories while watching Madison walk away from Pete on The Bachelor. With a waist trainer, you can itch your irritated skin and rub your throbbing abdomen!

Waist trainers are not trimming your fat. They're tricking you mentally, and hurting you physically. There are actually more risks than benefits of wearing them.

There is no shortcut. Good things come to those who work hard, trust and enjoy the process. Not to those who suffocate their internal organs with a 21st century, diet culture contraption.