Saturday, November 1, 2008

Lose your Tummy - Putting the Trendy Diets on Ice

By Teresa Brown

One of the contributing causes to the rising obesity epidemic in the western world is that technology has given rise to a culture of convenience and inactive lifestyles. This has a strong influence on what we eat and live and by what means we will take to lose the tummy. It makes sense then why we eat fast food and lose the weight with fad diets, because it's the quick and easy.

For everyone who has been on a diet to lose their tummy, it's clear that they don't work because you end up going on another diet in the near future. It's no wonder that in the US the diet industry is a booming multi billion-dollar industry. The reality is that managing a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight is an on-going activity that requires patience, unwavering dedication, training and self-awareness. The sad reality is that most of us don't take the long and steady road to wellness and opt for the short road to nowhere.

Unlike a healthy diet that consists of a balanced nutrition with a variety of foods, the typical diet is grossly skewed nutritionally because it either restricts or over emphasizes a particular food or mixture of foods. The following diets only undermine your ability to lose your tummy because you usually end up with fleeting results at a cost to your health.

Low-Carb Diets

Diets with the "carb is bad" philosophy, such as Sugar Busters, can make you lose your tummy but it is usually too rigid and difficult to maintain for the long term. Carbohydrates are the first source of fuel for your body and keeping this fuel scarce will only make you tired and cranky.

The body needs carbohydrates to function properly. The carbs we should eat more of are the whole grains, fruits and vegetables variety and less of the refined starches such a potatoes, processed breads, pasta and rice. Diets with the "carb is bad" philosophy can make you lose your tummy but once you're off the diet, the weight will come back faster than you lost it.

Non Fat Diets

Eating a low-fat diet to lose your tummy requires that need to add something else to your diet and in this case it's carbohydrates. Be wary of foods in the supermarket that claim to be "low-fat" as they are packed with calories in the form of sugars and will instead make you gain more weight.

Fat is an essential nutrient and needs to be an integral part of your daily diet to help you lose your tummy and stay healthy. One of the benefits of having unsaturated fats as the bulk of your dietary fat is that it improves your good (HDL) cholesterol and prevents heart disease. As for saturated and trans fats less is more for better health and weight management.

If you want to lose your tummy for good, then going on a diet is the wrong way to go about it. Not only will you gain back the weight you lost but it will also put your health at risk and your self-esteem, motivation and desire to succeed in jeopardy. Be responsible for your health. It means making food choices that are not detrimental to your health, and getting more physically active. Make the right choice and never look back at weight again.

About the Author:

No comments: