Forget the Diet Live the Lifestyle

By Nancy J. Miller-Ihli, PhD

Savvy Selections

. http://www.savvyselections.com/

More Pain Management & Rehabilitation Articles

Forget the Diet Live the Lifestyle

You may be wondering what qualifies me to tell Your HEALTH Magazine readers to “forget the diet and live the lifestyle.” The answer is simple. Ive been significantly overweight most of my life and Ive tried any number of diets and I know they dont work. In 2002 while serving as USDAs Acting National Program Leader for Nutrition for the U.S., I reviewed U.S. health statistics and wrote a white paper for the White House related to obesity. You may already know that 65% of adult Americans are overweight or obese. What you may not know is that 80% of type II diabetes and 70% of cardiovascular disease is related to obesity. A large number of children today have type II diabetes and that is a direct reflection of our eating habits. In addition, 26% of obese people have high blood pressure. Obesity costs overwhelm the U.S. healthcare industry, costing $63 billion dollars each year.
Clearly dietary choices and exercise habits influence our health. Americans eat too few fruits, too little fiber and too many foods high in fat and sugar. We consume highly processed foods and far too much white bread. We also “super-size” our servings, simply consuming too much food. Exercise is limited because everyone is “too busy” and much time is spent sitting at the computer or watching TV and thats a problem.
Why arent diets the answer? There are many reasons not to diet but here are four for you to consider 1. most popular diets (including organized programs) provide an average weight loss of about 10 pounds over the course of a year; 2. 95% of all people regain any weight lost within a year and 99% regain it within 2 years; 3. very low calorie diets can slow your metabolism by as much as 15-20% leading to weight gain when normal calorie intake is resumed; 4. dieting can lead to weight cycling where pounds are lost as muscle and later regained as fat leading to a higher fat-to-muscle ratio. Since muscle dictates metabolism, muscle loss should be avoided at all costs. For this reason, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute experts at NIH do not recommend the use of very-low-calorie diets.
In the past you may have committed to losing weight. Were you successful and did you keep the weight off? Do you want to know what it will take to be successful in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight for life? The answer is a lifestyle change incorporating low glycemic impact (GI) foods, stress reduction techniques, appropriate nutritional supplements, and exercise. A low GI eating plan helps with weight loss, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, and its perfect for diabetics since it helps stabilize blood sugar levels. If you enlist the help of a coach and write down your specific goals and keep a food log, your chance of success increases. Adding a combination of aerobic and strength training exercises allows you to reach your goal more quickly and ensures continued health for the future. How do I know this works? Ive lost more than 145 pounds over the last three years and helped many students lose an average of 19 pounds in twelve weeks. Forget diets and make a lifestyle change what have you got to lose but excess weight?