Where Diets Go Wrong
by Jay Harris
zone3
When we discover that we are heavier than we want to be, we have a
natural invlination to eat less food. We may skip lunch or eat only a tiny
amount of our dinner in the hope that if we eat less our body will burn
off some of its fat. But that is not necessarily true. Eating less
actually makes it more difficult to lose weight.
Keep in mind that the human body took shape millions of years ago, and
at that time there were diets. The only low-calorie event in people's
lives was starvation. Those who could cope with a temporary lack of food
were the ones who survived. Our bodies, therefore, ahve developed this
built-in mechanism to help us survive in the face of low food intake.
When researchers compare overweight and thin people, they find that
they ear roughly the same number of calories. What makes overweight people
different is the amount of fat that they eat. Thin people tend to eat less
fat and more complex carbohydrates.
Losing weight is not something one can do overnight. A carefully
planned weight loss program requires common sense and certain guidelines.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformantion floating around and lots
of desperate people are easily duped and ripped off.
Every day one can open a magazine or newspaper and see advertisements
touting some new product, pill or patch that will take excess weight off
quickly. Everyone seems to be looking for that "magic" weight loss pill.
Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight, spending billions of
dollars every year on diet programs and products. Often they do lose some
weight. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will
find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost.
A survey was done recently to try and determine if any commercial diet
program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so.
So rampant has the so-called diet industry become with new products and
false claims that the FDA has now stepped in and started clamping
down.
Being seriously overweight and particularly obesity can develop into a
number of diseases and serious health problems, and it is now a known fact
that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is
saturated fat.
The myth is that people get heavy by eating too many calories. Calories
are a consideration it's true, but overall they are not the cause of
obesity in America today. Americans actually take in fewer calories each
day than they did at the beginning of the century. If calories alone were
the reason we become overweight, we should all be thin. But we are not.
Collectively, we are heavier than ever. Partly, it is because we are more
sedentary now. But equally, as important is the fact that the fat content
of the American diet has changed dramatically.
People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although
your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss consists
mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat.
To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising
regularly.
Select an exercise routine that you are comfortable with and remember
that walking is one of the best and easiest exercises for strengthening
your bones, controlling your weight and toning your muscles.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Weigth Loss Related Articles:
 Tips on successful weight loss
Where Diets Go Wrong
How To Lose Weight and Stay Thin
The Greatest Diet Discovery
Vinegar and Weight Loss
The Cabbage Soup Diet Explained
Say Goodbye To Dieting
Natural Weight Loss is Not a Diet Pill
Discover the best weight loss exercise!
Help! My Kids are Overweight!
|
Go to Page: 