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Where Diets Go Wrong
When we discover that we are heavier than we want to be, we have a
natural inclination 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, have 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 misinformation 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.
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