|
Fad
Diets
Diets
help inventors more than dieters
While
dieters may see quick results, the effects of fad diets
are not lasting.
By
Anna Camp
Skiff Staff
Holidays take a bite out of your budget? Shirt won’t
button? Jeans too tight?
Write your own diet book.
Close to two-thirds of adults in America are too heavy.
In addition to that, thousands of perfectly healthy-weighted
Americans obsess with being thinner. Capitalize on these
problems. It worked for Atkins.
Many popular plans instruct dieters to do things like
cut out the carbs, follow recipes, eat foods that correspond
to their blood type or consume grapefruit for every
meal.
I heard a man ask the cashier at Burger King to “hold
the bun.” I saw a woman shopping with “Mastering
the Zone,” by Barry Sears, in the grocery store.
Everyone I know seems to have tried or been on some
sort of diet.
“My
motivation for starting a diet? Seeing myself in those
multiple mirrored dressing rooms or when I’d been
wearing sweats all winter and decided to put on a pair
of jeans one day and they didn’t go over that bump
I assumed used to be my butt,” said Fathina Abdulla,
a 23-year-old former fad diet fanatic.
We
all have our reasons.
Just in case you haven’t heard, nutritionists caution
the public in their diet endeavors. They doubt the long-term
advisability of following many fashionable diets.
Most nutritionists agree that small changes can make
a difference.
Anne VanBeber, a TCU nutritionist, advises that the
best way to improve your eating habits is to “think
of the easiest change and then make that change. Get
used to that for a couple of weeks and then make another
change. I don’t mention any kind of diet because
I don’t think that’s the key.”
The best ways to lose weight and remain healthy aren’t
microwave-quick, and diet-seekers should always be cautious
in taking health advice from anyone who promises overnight
results.
“I’ve tried every fad diet you can think of.
They all worked as long as I was terribly vigilant about
the rules. Unfortunately, as soon as I retreated to
old habits, I gained almost everything back,” said
Carolyn Pandol, 45.
We’ve heard it a million times, but it’s true:
Exercise is crucial for staying healthy and keeping
the weight off.
“I lost 30 pounds trying different diets like Atkins’,
but the secret to keeping it off has really been that
I eat well-balanced meals regularly and exercise five
days a week,” Abdulla said.
You need only a small amount of exercise, the equivalent
of a half-hour of brisk walking per day, to prevent
further weight gain, according to a new study.
So, slowly start eating healthier, well-rounded meals,
put those tennis shoes to work and don’t read diet
books like they’re the Bible.
Cutting anything completely out of your diet can’t
be good. Eat colorful foods and keep the fat and carbs
to a minimum. If you’re unsure of a diet or have
health problems, please see a doctor before beginning
any weight-loss program.
Unless you want to roll in the dough writing your own
diet book, forget about the craze.
|
