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by: Tracie Johanson
If you’re one of the approximately 67% of Americans that are wired
into the internet, there’s a good chance that sometime in the last
24 hours you’ve received at least one spam email promoting the
latest and greatest diet pill or weight loss program. These diet
products promise fast weight loss results, often without any effort
or exercise. The never-ending promise of a weight loss pill that
actually works keeps us hoping for eventual success.
At the same time, we’re continually inundated with news of the most
recent diet and how this time it’s really going to work for us. The
South Beach Diet, the Zone Diet, the Atkins Diet, the Low Carb Diet,
the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Mediterranean Diet, the LA Weight Loss
Diet, the Weight Watchers Diet, the Diabetic Diet, the Low
Cholesterol Diet, the Prescription Pill Diet, the 3 Day Diet, the
Low Fat Diet, the High Protein Diet, the Maker Diet, the Liquid
Diet, the Grapefruit Diet, the Fad Diet, the Blood Type Diet, the GI
Diet, the Vegetarian Diet, the Vegan Diet, the Detox Diet, the Dash
Diet, the Candida Diet, the Gluten Free Diet, the Hollywood Diet,
the Negative Calorie Diet, the 1200 Calorie Diet, the Raw Food Diet,
the Phentermine Diet, the High Fiber Diet, the Macrobiotic Diet, the
Science Diet, the Lemonade Diet, the Scarsdale Diet, the
Diverticulitis Diet and the Fat Flush Diet are all examples of diet
plans that promise to help us achieve quick weight loss.
Crash diets, weight loss pills and get-thin-quick gimmicks are more
prevalent than ever, yet two-thirds of our population is still
overweight. Even more startling is the fact that approximately
one-third of the people in our country are clinically obese.
With all of these ‘solutions’ available to us, why is it that
obesity trends have been alarming enough to prompt the Centers For
Disease Control (CDC) to label obesity a national epidemic? Why are
we still, as a nation, getting fatter? It’s certainly not because
we’re not trying.
On the contrary, as a nation we’re trying harder than ever to lose
fat through diet and other weight loss products. As reported by CNN
on 1-14-05 “Americans were expected to spend more than $40 billion
in 2004 on weight control pills, gym memberships, diet plans and
related foods, estimates Marketdata Enterprises, which studies the
weight loss industry.” Furthermore, statistics from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that 80 percent of
overweight individuals and almost 87 percent of obese individuals
are trying to lose or maintain their weight.
As reported by mygoals.com, 80 percent of Americans made a New
Year’s resolution in 2005. A whopping 26 percent of those
resolutions were to improve overall health and fitness, making this
the top category for self-improvement. This year was no anomaly,
either, according to Amy O'Connor, deputy editor of Prevention
magazine: "Fifty-nine million people every year resolve to lose
weight."
So, is there a healthy diet product out there that will actually
work? More than likely, the answer is yes. Although there is quite a
bit of fraudulent weight loss merchandise on the market today, there
is also (somewhere out there) a diet program and weight loss plan
that will work for us. The challenge is to find that diet product or
diet plan.
-> Repeat Business:
The diet and weight loss industry is a huge money making machine.
According to Marketdata Enterprises, the annual revenue for the diet
industry was over $30 billion dollars in 1990. A 2005 report by
Stanford University documents that the consumer diet industry is now
approximately $44 billion and growing. With all this money flowing
around, haven’t we as a country spent enough to fix the obesity
problem once and for all?
How can the diet industry keep making more and more money, year
after year? After all, $44 billion dollars is a lot of cash! The
answer to that question is simple: repeat business. “98% of today’s
dieters gain the weight back in 5 years. 90% of those individuals
end up gaining back more than they lost originally, due to the
body’s panic and efforts to stabilize metabolic rates over the long
term” (Source: Stanford University; stanford.edu).
How do the diet-promoters get all that repeat business? The diet
industry is a very unique enterprise in that, when it fails someone,
they rarely blame the product. We are hard-pressed to find another
business where, if the product doesn’t work, we blame ourselves. All
too often, after giving up on yet another diet program, we find
ourselves thinking “Well, I guess I’m just not a good enough
dieter.” The tendency is for us to believe that we failed the diet
rather than the other way around.
Apply this same logic to the automotive industry, and it soon
becomes clear just how faulty this line of reasoning really is. What
would happen if we take our car in to the mechanic for repairs and
when we returned to pick it up he told us that although we still had
to pay the bill, he was unable to fix the problem? Would we willing
pay the bill anyway and just say “Oh well, I guess it’s just a bad
car?” Of course not! That would be ridiculous! But that’s exactly
what we do when it comes to diets.
-> One Size Does Not Fit All:
What we need to realize is that there is probably a weight loss
product or weight loss plan out there that will work for us, but it
may not be the same one our friends or co-workers used. To find the
best weight loss program for us, we absolutely must realize that one
size does not fit all. What worked for our sibling or spouse may not
work for us, and what works for us may not work for them.
It’s probably safe to say that any diet supplement has helped
somebody, but it’s also true that no weight loss drug or plan has
helped everybody. Each person has a unique metabolism and very
individual nutritional needs, so no single plan will work for
everyone.
-> How To Find The Right Weight Loss Diet:
Some fat burner products on the market today do indeed work. Others
are a complete rip-off. How do you tell the difference? Where do you
go for accurate and reliable weight loss information?
First and foremost, talk with your doctor. Your own personal
physician is likely to be honest with you and provide you with the
facts. In addition, he or she can help you decide which weight loss
supplement may be right for your personal situation.
There are also quite a few reputable organizations that provide
accurate information on fat loss. Some of the better resources
include:
* American Cancer Society - www.cancer.org
* Centers For Disease Control - www.cdc.gov
* Diet Scam Watch - www.dietscam.org
* Calories Per Hour - www.caloriesperhour.com
* Harvard Medical School - www.health.harvard.edu
* Mayo Clinic - www.mayoclinic.org
* Shape Up America - www.shapeup.org
* Calorie Control Council - www.caloriecontrol.org
* President’s Council On Physical Fitness - www.fitness.gov
When seeking a healthy weight loss plan, it’s important that no food
be strictly forbidden. There should not be any (or many) foods that
we avoid completely 100% of the time. Why? Because that sets us up
for failure! For example, if fudge is one of our favorites and we
force ourselves to NOT eat fudge at the holiday party, then for many
of us what we've done is set ourselves up for a binge
fudge-festival.
Avoiding our favorite foods entirely is a too much self-deprivation
for most people, and this sets us up for binge-eating. That's a
recipe for disaster!
A much better approach is to enjoy foods in moderation. Watch those
serving sizes! Enjoy and savor one piece of fudge! It's better to
enjoy one piece of fudge and then stop than attempt to deprive
ourselves entirely, only to end up eating the whole pan.
A good diet and nutrition program will also help us keep in mind the
cost of the foods we eat. We're not talking about dollars and cents
here, but the FITNESS cost of the food. When picking up that fudge,
keep in mind what it will cost to enjoy it. When picking up a plate
at the buffet table, let's take a moment to pause and think to
ourselves: "The cost of this fudge will be an extra _____ minutes of
exercise.....is that worth it to me?" Maybe. Maybe not. That's for
each of us to decide on our own.
The point is that we should be conscious of our food decisions. No
foods are forbidden entirely, but we do need to watch our portion
sizes and carefully consider the cost of each food. Any good weight
management program will incorporate these concepts and also will be
approved by your doctor.
-> How To Find The Right Weight Loss Supplement:
Perhaps even more so than with weight loss diets, when searching for
weight loss supplements it is critical to rely on the advice of your
physician. The careful and supervised use of weight loss diet pills,
combined with a sensible diet and regular exercise, can lead to
quick weight loss and even easy weight loss (or at least easier than
you expected).
Beware, however, the supplement scams on the market. It seems that
every time we turn around we are blasted and bombarded with the
latest, greatest, new and improved treatment for obesity. The
gimmicks just keep coming. The sad truth is that few of these
products work. Even fewer will result in real, permanent and lasting
fat loss. A very few of the weight loss gimmicks on the market today
are not only a consumer rip-off, but they are also quite
dangerous.....even deadly.
As an example, consider the prescription diet drug Meridia. Does it
help you lose weight? For some people, the answer is yes. For
others, the answer is no. Can it kill you? The answer to this
question seems to be a nervous 'maybe'. "The consumer group Public
Citizen had petitioned the Food and Drug Administration for a ban,
citing Meridia users who died of heart problems as young as their
20s and 30s. Even before Meridia was approved for sale, the FDA knew
it could increase users' blood pressure, the group contended."
(Source: cnn.com)
This week the FDA again refused to ban Meridia, even though
whistleblower David Graham (an FDA drug safety officer) testified to
Congress last fall that his agency was allowing five unsafe
medicines to stay on the market, including Meridia.
Another example of a dangerous weight loss drug is ephedra. Ephedra
was banned in the United States last year, in part due to numerous
deaths attributed to this popular weight loss supplement. On April
14 2005, a federal Judge in Utah reversed the short-lived ban on
ephedra. Within minutes, spammers were filling our email boxes with
messages to BUY BUY BUY before ephedra was banned again.
Yes, ephedra will help some people lose weight. Yes, ephedra is safe
for some people in low doses. But there is that little nagging fact
that people have DIED and that their deaths have been attributed to
ephedra use.....
Yet another example of a dangerous diet drug is steroids. For
whatever reason, some people have decided that anabolic steroids are
the best way to lose weight. Despite the well-documented and serious
side-effects of steroid use, the lure of easy weight loss has caused
many to throw caution to the wind. Perhaps the most concerning trend
is steroid use among our teenage population: "Teens also listed
steroids, growth hormone, amino acids and other potentially
unhealthful products among those they'd tried in the previous year."
(Source: cnn.com)
There do exist, however, some diet supplements that work and are
also quite safe. Again, it is never a good idea to begin any
supplementation program without first seeking the advice and
approval of your doctor.
Three popular and dependable fat loss products designed to help you
lose weight fast are ChromeMate, Lipotropic Plus and Super
L-Carnitine.
Chromium helps insulin metabolize fat, turn protein into muscle and
convert sugar into energy. ChromeMate, a unique form of niacin-bound
chromium, is designed to optimize energy output. It accomplishes
this by increasing the amount of glucose available for energy
production nearly twenty-fold. It also is the "master" nutrient for
controlling blood sugar, which in turn curbs sugar cravings. What’s
more, a study at Auburn University showed that ChromeMate reduced
LDL cholesterol by an average of 14%. In fact, ChromeMate has been
awarded a patent for lowering cholesterol.
The Lipotropic Plus Formula is scientifically-engineered to assist
in the breakdown, distribution and burning (oxidation) of fatty
acids. The active ingredients actually accelerate the fat-burning
process by breaking down fat cells into smaller particles
(emulsification) to be used for fuel during exercise.
Super L-Carnitine is essential for fat burning. I.B. Fritz and
K.T.N. Yue, physiologists from the University of Michigan,
discovered that Carnitine actually accelerates fat-burning. Without
it, fat is unable to penetrate the walls of the mitochondria of the
muscle cells. Carnitine is the shuttle that carries fat into your
body’s furnaces (muscles) to be burned for energy. Super L-Carnitine
increases the rate of fat utilization for fuel.
-> Weight Loss Exercise:
In this article we’ve been discussing weight loss diets and weight
loss supplements. At this point it is essential that we add the
third and most important component of overall health and fitness:
exercise.
Exercise is one weight loss method that has never been banned, has
never led to an investigation, and has never been been listed on a
'whistleblower' fraud report.
Exercise is the only path to health and fitness that virtually every
doctor in the world agrees upon. Exercise is safe, effective, and
brings many more benefits to our lives than diets or drugs ever will
alone. Exercise is fun, invigorating, motivating and the single most
powerful way to improve our life and well-being!
Yes, it’s quite possible to lose weight without participating in
regular exercise. However, diet and exercise combined will help us
burn fat faster than we thought possible! Weight loss achieved by
regular exercise and diet will be healthy weight loss because of all
the benefits we obtain from regular exercise:
1. Strengthens muscles
2. Strengthens bone
3. Strengthens ligaments
4. Strengthens tendons
5. Strengthens immune system
6. Improves muscle tone
7. Improves endurance
8. Improves strength
9. Improves self esteem
10. Improves confidence
11. Improves balance
12. Improves physical appearance
13. Improves physical performance
14. Improves glucose tolerance
15. Improves circulation
16. Improves memory
17. Lower risk of heart disease
18. Lower risk of diabetes
19. Lower risk of cancer
20. Lower blood pressure
21. Lower cholesterol
22. Lower risk of stroke
23. Lower risk of osteoporosis
24. Lower risk of osteoarthritis
25. Lower requirements for medication
26. Lower risk of injury
27. Lower bodyfat
28. Helps with sleep disorders
29. Reduces post-operative complications
30. Reduces frequency of illness
31. Prevent Alzheimer’s disease
32. Prevents muscle loss
33. Increases metabolism
34. Eases symptoms of menopause
35. Healthier pregnancy
36. Fewer problems with childbirth
37. Reduces ovulation problems
38. Prevents heartburn
Reaching your ideal weight via a healthy and active lifestyle has
been found to lower health risks and medical problems in 90 percent
of overweight patients. In addition to the exercise benefits listed
above, fit people are eight times less likely to die from cancer
than the unfit, and 53 percent less likely to die from other
diseases. Fit people are also eight times less likely to die from
heart disease.
Without a doubt, regular exercise is the most important piece of the
puzzle and the best way to achieve rapid weight loss. Exercise is
the safest way to achieve permanent fat loss, and when combined with
a sound diet and nutrition program the body is turned into a virtual
fat-burning furnace!
-> Conclusion:
Fast weight loss is possible if we, under the supervision and
approval of our doctor, combine a sensible diet with a diet pill or
weight loss pill that is safe and effective. When we combine these
three fat-burning strategies it is almost guaranteed that we will
experience quick weight loss results.
About the author:
Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute
exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition
for maximum weight loss. Please visit
http://www.letspickupthepace.com/for more information.
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