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How
to lose weight?
Dieting,
exercising, and discipline are key to losing weight and keeping it off
We
have been discussing the weight problem in America and how
we all need to be very careful
about our diets if we want to lose weight, since even
American children are either obese or overweight (Weight
loss surgery for children). In
this part we will discuss the
reasons for obesity and the
role of diets in weight
loss.
So why am I fat?
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Have you ever asked that question? Let me tell you that this is not an easy question to answer since many of us are unwilling to admit to ourselves that we are worse than most animals.
We are also probably the only nation in the world that eats at all hours. No matter what hour of the day,
some eatery is always open so you can definitely find some junk to eat there. We eat when we walk, drive, work, and even when we are relaxing. People go the beach or a lake or a park to enjoy Nature; we go to eat. No meeting is complete without food. In our offices - jelly beans or cakes baked at home or bagels picked up fresh in the morning or leftovers from a meeting - there is always food around to eat.
But that is only part of the problem. We are not fat because there is food all around. We are fat because we can not
stop ourselves from eating it. We simply eat because it is there. A lot of the time it is not even great food - even junk gets into our mouths. It is no
surprise that we are eating more than we need to. To make things
worse, we try our
best not to burn calories: we fight for parking spaces so that we don't have to walk,
we do no exercise at all, and we love our remotes. |
So can dieting be used to
lose weight?
 All diet plans work by controlling calories because that is essentially what we are taking from a food item. I have always wondered if simply eating less is not enough. The answer is yes and no. Of course, if you are simply trying to lose some weight and are otherwise in good shape, portion control will show results. But the body is more
complex than that. When it realizes that food intake is going down, it goes into panic mode and starts to preserve the food in form of fat. And
then nothing happens: no more weight loss even though you are
eating less. Thus, losing weight has to be a combination of several parallel activities.
Beachbody fitness staff's Denis Faye says, "...our position (is) that there is no miracle cure or diet, but that
sensible eating combined with exercise is the best way to change your body."
Phil Kaplan of eFitness agrees with Denis Faye. He says,
"...if you get on a supportive program of eating and exercising,
your body can burn fat virtually all day long. No supplement is going to
prove to be the "fat loss solution." If you eat healthfully,
and maintain a well structured exercise program, you can lose fat while
you sleep, while you think, while you drive, and of course, while you
exercise." (Related article: Discipline
is the key to weight loss)
We at MYNIPPON receive dozens of emails a day from (mostly) women saying something like, "I need to go to a wedding next week and I want to lose ten pounds. What diet can I take?" Yes, eating a balanced meal with an accurate estimate of its calorie contents will help you eat calories you need to live, but there is no diet that will work
miracles within days. Yes, you can lose small amounts through a
well-organized plan. Answering a question on "emergency
downsizing" or losing weight rapidly before a
tropical vacation,
Michael Carrerra and Reggie Reyes, both experts at Truestar Health point out,
"Our belief is that anything is possible — within reason, of
course. Any program that includes the proper ratio of cardiovascular and
strength training can be put together to guarantee results over a three
to six month period."
Recommended links: Which
diet and weight loss program is best for you?
How
to stop the cravings? Lose
weight within days
Frequently
asked questions about weight loss and diet How
to get your body ready for the beach? Losing
weight without diets
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