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Stop The Insanity!
To borrow a phrase, "STOP THE INSANITY!" Everywhere you turn you can't help but get smacked in the face with weight loss advice. Americans a
To borrow a phrase, “STOP THE INSANITY!”
Everywhere you turn you can’t help but get smacked in the face with weight loss advice. Americans are bigger than ever. Approximately 75% of Americans are overweight or obese, 42% are obese and 6.3% are extremely obese. These numbers are easily verified with a quick search through CDC and NIH data. The sad part is, these numbers are rising. As a nation and planet we are getting fatter. Weight Loss has become a $20 Billion/year industry. It seems that everyone and their brother is a weight loss expert these days.
This morning I heard a prominent doctor on the radio giving his advice. It’s simple, just give up bread, pizza, pasta and cake and you’ll lose weight. This was followed by it’s all about the total calories. Just make sure that you’re counting calories and you burn more than you consume.
While I can agree with creating a calorie deficit, the agreement ends there. Let’s face it, portions are huge and many of us are eating much more than we should be and not exercising enough. That said, there is no such thing as a one size fits all weight loss program. You wouldn’t go into the store looking for one size fits all jeans would you? So, why is it ok to get one size fits all advice when it comes to your health and weight?
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While you are on this “diet” counting calories, are you planning for the future? Are you going to count calories for the rest of your life? Will counting calories tell you if you if there is a metabolic issue hampering your weight loss? You are an individual. Why shouldn’t your advice be individualized? It should be tailored to you and your specific needs. A diet in this instance implies something that you will start and stop. What happens when you stop?
Metabolic issues aside, this is about lifestyle. Many of the serious conditions that plague us as we age can be traced back to lifestyle. Yo-Yo dieting is not a positive lifestyle choice. It places a tremendous stress on the body. There isn’t a single diet that is perfect for everyone. You need to find out what works for you and move forward from there. Don’t look at it as a “diet.” Look at it as a change in your life for the better.
