In the last 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity and related health problems. Food trends that promote eating larger portions, unhealthy foods, and limited physical activity are only part of the problem. Busy lifestyles and longer work hours are also contributing factors.
Statistics currently show that nearly two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. Studies show that the prevalence of obesity has steadily increased among both sexes, all ages, spans all racial and ethnic groups, and affects people of all educational levels. Since 1960, the number of people who are overweight has increased from 45 to 66 percent, with the largest increase occurring after 1980.
If current trends continue, obesity will soon overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death in the US Obesity can increase the risk of numerous health conditions and lead to an unhealthy lifestyle.
But, there is a solution… weight control. That means weight loss and a corresponding lifestyle change to keep it off. Losing weight is the first step, and surprisingly, it’s the easiest part of the process. We put all our energy into losing weight and spend little time planning how to keep it off. The result is the yo-yo effect: the experience of taking it off, getting it back, losing it again, only to get it all backā¦and more.
As a society, we are programmed to want things to happen faster, with less effort. We want change without changing. The desire for instant results creates the environment for the yo-yo to spin uncontrollably for years, sometimes a lifetime.
But don’t despair, there is a solution. As we move into a new decade, we have a new opportunity to do it differently this time. We can make a new start and plan for our success. We can create a new lifestyle and live the best life possible.
In the past, the explosion of fast foods and instant mixes gave us a false sense of security that we were still getting the same nutritional benefits we used to get from fresh whole foods. We now know that is not true.
We have sacrificed good nutrition for convenience. We consume tons of empty calories, leaving our bodies craving the nutrients it needs. The evidence is in the increase in obesity levels in our children and adults. Never before have so many children developed what used to be diseases of mature adults, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. All of these conditions can be traced back to poor eating and exercise habits.
Fortunately, we are waking up! More and more people are realizing that change is not only necessary, but required for our children to survive and live longer. Research shows alarming statistics that, for the first time in our history, today’s generation of children will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
The time to act is now. And thanks to new insights into how the body works, a return to more natural whole foods, and an increased focus on physical activity, we’re turning things around. We now know that rapid weight loss is not necessarily the best way. We know that losing weight is only half the battle; that if we want to maintain it and experience better health, we must learn new habits to replace the old ones.
So whether you choose a reduced-eating program like Weight Watchers or the Nutri-System, or a dietary supplement like Acai or Hoodia, you need to include a lifestyle change to maintain your weight loss for maximum long-term benefit. .
I have dieted off and on for most of my life. I yo-yo’d and ho-ho’d on just about every diet out there. It wasn’t until I learned how to make my diet work for MY lifestyle and plan for life after dieting that I finally achieved the success I had always dreamed of.
You can do it too. I offer a free report full of tips to help you get through the tough times and handle the real life situations that often sabotage our weight loss and push us off the weight loss bandwagon. I encourage you to do more than diet this time. This time, choose a weight loss program you can live with and create a plan to handle the challenges you know to come and to change your lifestyle after you reach your goal. It will greatly improve your chances of success.
Here are 5 things you can do to say it on the track:
1. Be prepared for those ‘moments of temptation’. Make your own snacks and take them with you.
2. Carry water with you at all times. You have to drink it anyway, make it easy.
3. Eat your first meal within 2 hours of waking up. You will avoid the lion of hunger!
4. Eat 4-6 small meals at 2-3 hour intervals, instead of 1-2 large meals.
5. When eating out, ask for a doggy bag when you order and put half of your food in it before eating.
It’s a new year and a new decade. Make this year the year you not only keep your resolution to lose weight, but make it the year you keep it off and keep it off…forever!