©
2003 Julie S. Rayburn
As
I write this article, 65% of American men
and 62% of American women are overweight.
22% of our children are overweight and 10%
of them are obese. All of this despite the
fact that Americans spend an average $40 billion
a year on diet and weight loss related products!
For $40 billion a year, you would think that
we would be getting better results than we
obviously are.
I
believe that the average American is confused
about how to lose weight, get themselves in
good shape and protect themselves from disease.
It is easy to get confused considering all
of the conflicting information out there.
In this article, I am going to tell you how
to stop giving away your health for a doughnut.
I am going to explain to you why regular dieting
is doomed to fail.
In
an effort to make my point, let's look at
one way that dieter's have been told to lose
weight.
All
diet veterans know that it takes a deficit
of 3500 calories to lose one pound of weight.
So they go about this a couple of different
ways.
First,
they start limiting their calorie intake.
They begin eating with an "everything
in moderation" attitude. They trim their
portion sizes and turn down some things that
they previously would have eaten, but not
anymore, they started a "new diet"!
Who hasn't used that phrase before?
Then
they increase their exercise using the charts
that tell you how many calories you can burn
if you do a certain amount of exercise. So
now they are counting the amount of calories
they are burning with exercise and also counting
the amount of calories they are saving with
their new portion controlled way of eating.
I see two immediate problems with this.
Problem
#1: No one can continue to count calorie deficits
all their life. We are too busy living, and
plus, it is boring and time intensive!
Problem
#2: Eating smaller portion sizes will only
last until the dieter gets on the scale and
does not see a change, or else they feel so
hungry that they just have to have more food!
Now
the dieter feels guilty and eventually gives
up. This is not the way to diet anymore! Following
this common diet routine will only end in
frustration, hunger and eventually failure.
You do not have to starve yourself to lose
weight! You can lose weight quickly, effortlessly,
and without ever being hungry! You don't have
to give away your health for a doughnut!
Did
you know that there is a very simple way to
lose weight? A way that will work for anyone?
A way that will get results where other diets
have failed? The philosophy is very simple,
and here it is:
To
achieve perfect health and a perfect (for
you) physique, you have to respect your body,
and treat it like the earthen vessel that
it is! You cannot abuse your body every day
of your life and expect that someday you will
not have to pay for your crimes. And when
we pay, we pay big! We pay in the form of
heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis,
osteoporosis. We pay because that doughnut
is just too important to us.
We
teach our children early how to pay, and it
has cost us our children's health. The upcoming
generation is predicted to be the first in
history not to outlive the previous generation.
Are we happy with what we have created? We
are the reason that they will not outlive
even us.
Well,
I promised to tell you how to stop giving
away your health for a doughnut.
You
just have to come to an understanding deep
inside you that you are the creator of all
the havoc you wreak on your body. You can
choose that doughnut, but know what you are
also choosing along with it. It does not come
alone. It brings with it the possibility of
lifestyle related diseases.
Everyone
is aware that if you smoke, you will probably
die from lung cancer, emphysema, or other
bronchial diseases from inhaling poisons into
your body everyday for an extended period
of time. This has become well known and accepted.
So
why do people have such a hard time accepting
that colon cancer is the direct result of
taking poisons into your body daily for a
long period of time? Are we that attached
to that doughnut? How many loved ones do we
have to lose to various cancers before we
get the fact that there is no magic pill!
You can't abuse your body for years and then
when you are diagnosed with cancer or diabetes
or heart disease, expect that a pill given
to you by your doctor will save you.
Prevention
is the cure! Forget that doughnut, that pizza,
that cheesecake, until you understand that
the choice of whether you live healthy or
die early is in your hands, and in your mouth!
Julie
Rayburn is a Lifestyle Coach for Vitality
Health and Fitness. She has developed a program
to enable people to lose weight and take back
their health. You can go to http://www.takebackyourhealth.org
for more information on weight loss, exercise,
and health. Sign up for a free newsletter
that is always chock full of great information!
Or mailto: julie@takebackyourhealth.org.
