Why Diets Don’t Work

Dieting is a major preoccupation of many Americans. Many waking hours are spent with thoughts about losing weight. Looking at the ‘diet’ foods while shopping, though, we know they are not appetizing. We read the hundreds of diets in magazines and books. They feature pictures of fat people who miraculously lost a lot of weight and now look great, and even tanned, in a sexy swim suit.

Unfortunately, it really doesn’t happen with just a ‘diet.’ It really takes a lifestyle change, a commitment to live in a way which improves the future. It involves looking past the one minute of ‘pleasure’ towards decades of ‘pleasurable living.’

Why Don’t Diets Work? Some Basics

  1. There’s a psychological problem with losing weight. Most of us really do not want to lose anything - even a part of us we are not happy with. Instead, it’s best to focus on the goals we are going to attain, a healthy weight and a healthy life. Looking good and feeling good.
  2. Diets depend on losing some weight fast to keep us motivated. The problem is this normally includes water and muscle weight, and this loss only decreases our chance for success. Healthy weight loss should average 2 pounds per week. More than this means it is most likely all going to be gained back.
  3. Most diets do not have enough focus on stress reduction and exercise. Without these, a substantial part of the weight loss is muscle. But it is muscle that keeps the metabolism high. So the more muscle you lose, the less calories you will be able to ingest to maintain your new weight, and you can never leave the low-calorie diet lifestyle.
  4. Diets that do not involve eating a wide variety of foods are inherently unhealthy. This creates a dis-ease which makes it difficult to maintain the diet. The diets do not teach us to eat as part of a healthy lifestyle that can be maintained.
  5. Of course, anyone can lose some weight on a diet. But when the diet ends, the weight comes back on, and on, and on. Only a change in lifestyle allows us to lose weight healthily and keep it off. Choose to live a healthy life, and you will attain a healthier weight.

Published by on June 21st, 2008 tagged Diets and Weight Loss

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