Why Diets go wrong?
Decades of research have shown that diets, both self-initiated and
professionally-led, are ineffective at producing long-term health and weight
loss (or weight control).
When your diet fails to keep the weight off, you may
say to yourself, "If only I didn't love food so much . . . If I could just
exercise more often . . . If I just had more will power." The problem is
not personal weakness or lack of will power. Only 5 percent of people who go on
diets are successful. Please understand that we are not failing diets; diets
are failing us.
The reason 95 percent of all traditional diets fail is simple. When you go on a
low-calorie diet, your body thinks you are starving; it actually becomes more
efficient at storing fat by slowing down your metabolism.
When you stop this
unrealistic eating plan, your metabolism is still slow and inefficient that you
gain the weight back even faster, even though you may still be eating less than
you were before you went on the diet.
In addition, low-calorie diets cause you to lose both muscle and fat in equal
amounts. However, when you eventually gain back the weight, it is all fat and
not muscle, causing your metabolism to slow down even more. Now you have extra
weight, a less healthy body composition, and a less attractive physique.
Diets require you to sacrifice by being hungry; they don't allow you to enjoy
the foods you love. This does not teach you habits which you can maintain after
the diet is over.
Most diet programs force you to lower your caloric intake to
dangerously low levels. The common theory is that if you eat fewer calories
than you burn, you will lose weight. But when you eat fewer calories than your
body needs to maintain its life-sustaining activities, you're actually losing
muscle in addition to fat. Your body breaks down its own muscles to provide the
needed energy for survival.
Traditional diets which use calorie restriction to produce weight loss are no
longer appropriate.
Most weight-loss programs measure success solely in terms
of the number of pounds lost per weight loss attempt.
Diets don't take into
account the quality of the process used to achieve that weight loss or the very
small likelihood of sustained weight loss. For long-term good health, you need
to move away from low-calorie diets and focus on enjoyable physical activity
and good nutrition.
Exercising regularly and eating lean-supporting calories,
protein and carbohydrates, and reducing fat-supporting calories will not only
help you look and feel better, it will also significantly reduce your risk of
disease.
America
spends billions of dollars on different ways to fix people. If we focused more
on prevention and on improving our day-to-day behaviors, we could cut health
care costs in half.
Contrary to popular belief, leading a healthy lifestyle
doesn't have to be difficult; it doesn't have to painful or time-consuming.
Making gradual, simple changes in your diet and physical activity will make
great improvements in your health and well-being, and they can drastically
reduce your risk of disease.
If your weight management program is to be a success, everything you eat and
every exercise you do must be a pleasurable experience. If you're not enjoying
yourself, it is unlikely that you'll continue your program. It's that simple.
These small, gradual changes are not painful or overwhelming but rather the
core of an exciting lifestyle that you will look forward to.
Take the frustration, guilt, and deprivation out of weight management, and
allow yourself to adopt gradual, realistic changes into your life that will
make healthy eating and physical activity a permanent pleasure. You will soon
discover what your body is capable of and begin to look, act, and feel your
very best. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active
lifestyle.
Chad Tackett.
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