Diets don't work. If they did the U.S. of A. would be the thinnest, trimmest nation in the world, with over 40 million Americans spending billions each year on weight loss products. In fact, the opposite is true. The Center for Disease Control claims that at least 65% of adults are overweight or obese. With the growing list of woes associated with obesity, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, the weight problem in America has become a serious concern. Yet we continue to look to fad diets as the answer to this serious problem - as if living on bacon and eggs, cabbage soup, or low-calorie meal replacement drinks could ever be construed as a healthy solution.
A review of popular diet programs conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, stated that most weight loss programs offered little or no proof that participants were successful in loosing weight or keeping weight off in the long run. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has stated that of the millions of people that diet, less than 5% of those who actually loose weight will be able to keep it off in the years to come. It has been surmised that a dieter may shed approximately 100 pounds in the course of a lifetime, but gain back 120 lbs. One benefit of weight loss organizations, however, was group support. Dieters who joined support groups appeared to loose more weight than those who decided to go it alone.
Fad diets themselves bring with them a plethora of health concerns. Restrictive low calorie diets can be self-defeating. The body's metabolism slows moving the system into energy conservation mode and holding on to every calorie for future use instead of burning it. Precious muscle mass is broken down, and low lethargy occurs. Low carbohydrate diets can result in dehydration and constipation. The risk of heart disease is escalated due to the increase of bad cholesterol found in animal fats. When nutritional integrity of the body is threatened due to the elimination of a particular food group, the dieter is at risk for many health problems including osteoporosis, certain types of cancers, immune system issues, electrolyte imbalances, and eating disorders. And with diets, as opposed to permanent lifestyle changes, the probability of gaining back what you have lost, and then some, is high.
In a culture obsessed with physical perfection perhaps we must evaluate how we think about weight in general. Are we dieting to be healthy, or just thin? If the later is the objective, then further investigation into dieting motivation may be necessary, but if health is the ultimate goal, then looking at lifestyle changes may the place to start. Are you an emotional eater, have a compulsive sweet tooth, or someone who eats out of boredom? Do you eat fresh foods or only things that come in a box, bag, or through a drive-up window? What is the overall condition of your health? Is your lifestyle sedentary or active? What type of physical activities do you enjoy? Questions like these help you build the foundation for creating a customized Non-Diet Diet - a common sense plan for living that will result weight loss, elevated energy levels, and improved health and well-being.
Quick fixes usually result in long term failures, and while the answer to America's weight problem may not come in the form of a magic diet, it need not be extremely complicated either. Maintaining a sensible meal plan, including complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, good fats, fruit and vegetables, and sweets in moderation, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy attitude regarding the weight/health connection may be the simple answer you've been looking for.
Deborah Martin is a writer, life coach, and co-founder of The Woman Project. For more information regarding her Non-Diet Diet and other programs visit her website at http://www.dreamlearncreate.com .
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..Please feel free to comment, so that the article may... Read More
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in... Read More
Carbohydrates have gotten a lot of bad press in the... Read More
Food in general has the distinction of being probably the... Read More
Finding simple ways to reduce my waistline is always a... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
Recently I found the book : "Eating and health according... Read More
Arthritis - if you suffer from this illness, I don't... Read More
Acid reflux disease, or GERD, is a common compliant of... Read More
The Omega Zone Diet and specialists' opinion"Omega RX Zone -... Read More
The key to better health is learning the difference between... Read More
The importance of protein in a healthy diet is well... Read More
The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More
Copyright ? 2004 priya shah Glutathione, the body's... Read More
When it comes to planning a healthy diet, fat is... Read More
Toxic metals exist in our environment as pollutants in our... Read More
For those of us that understand nutrition and it's importance... Read More
"To eat an apple before going to bed will make... Read More
With all the news about Splenda of late and the... Read More
The topic of food additives is not quickly addressed in... Read More
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More
They're not only good for you, but they taste good,... Read More
Most red and white meats are very fatty and are... Read More
Weight loss plans are almost always trying to get you... Read More
Initially discovered as a new element in 1811 by Barnard... Read More
cleaning help near Bannockburn ..Soy, and most soy-based products, are nutritional powerhouses. Soybeans are... Read More
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or... Read More
Many people experience unpleasant reactions to foods they have eaten... Read More
Because all of us have been brought up eating junk... Read More
Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than... Read More
Some of the things you think you know that just... Read More
Health is the thing. And no matter how many ways... Read More
You say you don't know what glyconutrients are? You are... Read More
Diets don't work. If they did the U.S. of A.... Read More
I'll preface this article by saying that it will help... Read More
It is amazing to be able to say I am... Read More
I am sure you have heard you have to build... Read More
You can spot a juicer a mile off at the... Read More
With today's time constraints, stressful jobs, and "thin is in"... Read More
Healthy eating is important for everyone, from babies to the... Read More
Meal replacements have been part of the diet landscape for... Read More
If you drop a bomb, you kill not only your... Read More
It is believed that cane sugar was discovered before the... Read More
Are You Half The Man Your Father Was?It is a... Read More
I would like to dispel some of the myths and... Read More
Having a large amount of such "visceral fat" is associated... Read More
Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.And... Read More
Understanding ocular nutrition and eye health can be one of... Read More
In the brain, a typical protein can live for approximately... Read More
I'd like to explain an important concept that most online... Read More
Nutrition |