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Diets Don't WorkBy Donna S. Ginter "You can eat all of the bacon you want on this diet, but do not eat ketchup. Ketchup is really bad for you." The truth is diets don't work. If they did, the diet industry would not be the multi-billion dollar business that it is in the United States. Now, I'm not saying that if you "go on a diet" that you won't lose weight; you probably will. The question is "Will you keep it off?" Diets, by their very nature, set people up for failure. It is human nature to want what you cannot have, whether it's the guy or the cheesecake. When you tell yourself you cannot have something, you begin to obsess over it. Years ago, when I was at the height of my obsession with food, I attended a seminar on compulsive overeating. The room was packed with mostly women ranging in size from the very small to the very large. We all had the same issue, only some of us showed it and some of us didn't. I didn't know which was worse. Certainly, no one looked healthy. One of the things that the "experts" who ran the seminar told us was that if your favorite binge food was Oreos, then stock your kitchen with Oreos. If it was potato chips, then have bags upon bags of potato chips in your house. Whatever the food, allow yourself the privilege of having it and you probably won't want it. I tried it and it actually worked. (Same goes for the guy. Once you got him, you didn't really want him either). So there is some of the psychology behind the staggering failure rate amongst dieters. Now let's examine the physical ramifications. The quote above refers to a famous diet whose name we would all recognize. It is a popular diet that encourages a high protein/high fat intake, while avoiding carbohydrates. The first thing to know is that your body will always burn carbohydrates first, fats second, and proteins last. The rationale behind this diet is that if you cut out all carbohydrates, your body will have no choice but to burn fat. You will in essence, become a fat-burning machine. The first problem with this diet is that in order to avoid feeling sluggish, forgetful, or clumsy, your body needs carbohydrates. Second, and the reason this diet is destined to fail over the long term, is that you cannot cheat; not even a little. What happens when you eat carbohydrates is that your body reverts back to its natural tendency. It burns the carbohydrates for fuel and stores all of that fat you've been eating. Now you might think that there is no need to cheat if you can eat all of the fat you want. But do you know that cake and cookies are carbohydrates? So is sugar. And you can forget about pizza and fries, bread and pasta; they are all carbohydrates as well. A third problem with this diet is the long-term health effects. This particular diet is unhealthy because it advises chronic fat intake which we all know can lead to major health problems such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Hey don't get me wrong; you'll look great... dead. Before you embark on any eating program, ask yourself these questions: 1) Can I make this eating plan a realistic part of my life? 2) Can I partake in a traditional holiday feast ever again? 3) Can I go out to dinner and place an order without completely annoying the wait staff? If the answer is no, rethink your plan. Here are some simple tips to help make your food choices easier. Try to make conscious choices about what you eat before you eat it. Ask yourself, Is this what I really want or am I just too hungry to prepare something? How will I feel about myself after I eat? And, what do I want to look like in a week, a month, a year? Also, "Is there any nutritional value in what I am eating? Does what I am shoving in my mouth (even if it claims to be 'low fat or low carb') have an ingredient in it that the body can recognize? Is this sustenance; that which supports life?" Think of being healthy rather than being thin. Your body needs protein, fat and carbohydrates for overall good health. A balanced diet is needed for healthy skin and hair; it will give you more energy for aerobic training; and it will feed your muscles. And good muscular development makes it harder for your body to store fat. Remember thin is not the goal; fit and healthy is. And lastly, give yourself a cheat day. Allow yourself one day a week to eat whatever you'd like. Don't deprive yourself - it will only lead to a binge. After a few weeks, even your cheat days won't be so decadent. Once your body begins to change, the results will be your greatest motivator. Get healthy. You'll thank yourself for it. |