We
don't fail Diets; They fail Us!
By Chad
Tackett (Sincere thanks to Chad for letting me reprint this
article here!)
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 2 percent of people who go on diets are
successful. Please understand that we are not failing diets;
diets are failing us.
The reason 98 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 muscle
and water in big amounts and fat in small 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
very little, 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 little amounts of 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.
MagicallySLIM
provides you with the right information, tools and resources
to lose and control your weight while eating what you want
to eat, when you want and as much as you want and most
importantly, automating your weight management task at a
subconscious level so you don't have to consciously worry
about it.
Click
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