Weight Loss | Easier Said Than Done
More than two-thirds of the population of the U.S. is overweight or obese, which is surprising considering that $33 billion is spent annually on products promising to help you lose weight and at least 45 million people go on diets. America’s preoccupation with weight loss has been around for a long time, and there are documented health benefits associated with good nutrition and a sensible diet.
A Brief History Of Diet Fads
Rapid weight loss over a short time and with little effort on the part of the dieter pretty accurately describes most fad diets. The presence of a large segment of the population willing to spend money on books and products promising rapid weight loss has attracted an assortment of fad diets, including one from the 1980s that had actually been around back in the 1930s.
The Grapefruit 45 Plan, or simply the grapefruit diet, originated in the 1930s when someone got the idea to promote the fat-burning properties of grapefruit as a weight loss method. Weight loss was probably due more to the reduction in calories and carbohydrates in the diet than it was to the unproven fat-burning properties of grapefruits. Experts agreed that long-term use of the diet could cause health issues due to poor nutrition.
More recent fad diets include Paleo and Keto diets following in the footsteps of the Atkins Diet encouraging people to eschew carbohydrates in favor of a diet concentrating on proteins found in meat, poultry, and fish. Keto dieters balanced their protein intake with a high-percentage of fats.
The problem with fad diets is they are difficult to maintain as part of a normal lifestyle by focusing more on short-term results than on changing the way people think about the food they consume. Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers offer programs that focus on making healthy choices to make it possible for dieters to continue with the plans after achieving their desired weight.
Another problem with fad diets is their emphasis on diet while ignoring the importance of exercise. Experts agree that diet and exercise work better together to achieve weight loss.
How Excessive Weight Gain Attributes To Many Illnesses and Conditions
Being overweight does more than affect how you feel about yourself. It increases your risk of suffering from potentially life-threatening illnesses, including:
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Certain cancers, including colon, liver and kidney cancer
• Osteoarthritis
Losing weight helps you to feel and look better while contributing to a healthier life.
Eating Right
Good nutrition and a well-balanced diet offer a simpler and a much safer method of weight loss than fad diets. Slow, steady weight loss is healthier and easier to maintain than the quick pounds you might lose on a fad diet.
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