Saturday, April 9, 2016

Why Didn't Your Diet Work?

Now we are in the 4th week of the 12-Week Challenge for Daytime Oxford County on Rogers TV, I think it's time to address a common question: why don't diets work?

Looking back to some of the popular diets, from the cabbage soup diet to the Atkin's Diet, there is one thing in common: they are designed for short-term weight loss. Most people who went on those diets have gained back the weight they lost, some would gain more. You can't blame the diets, because they did work. So what went wrong?

Let's look at the structure of a "diet" for a minute. You have to eat smaller portions,  You have to eat foods you don't usually enjoy. You have to cut out beer or wine. You have to give up snacking on your favorite potato chips or chocolate bars. You can only have a couple of peas for dinner. The idea of a diet is to give up all the treats that you feel so much comfort when eating them. Human beings are pleasure seekers. We are designed to avoid pain. Dieting is painful, at least for some people. No wonder those diets don't work, because nobody can live with it long enough.

According to the 2015 Food and Health Survey by International Food Information Council Foundation, over half of Americans who see themselves as in excellent or very good health are overweight or obese.  This tells me that a lot of people are not aware of their own health status or the food they are eating. I am guessing this is probably the main reason most "dieters" can't lose weight or sustain the weight loss because they have no idea that what they are doing is not helping them at all. This is not their fault. They just don't have the knowledge or tool to 'get 'er done'.

What about this 12-Week Challenge? The program is designed to help the two participants lose a lot of weight, but they are also educated in healthy eating to sustain their goal weight. (Kirby Zylstra from In the Kitchen is doing a wonderful job helping them. Check her out here www.inthekitchenwithkirby.com) This is not all. They are also being closely monitored for any discomfort or adverse effects. If a diet is not done properly, it may do more harm than good. Our job as a weight-loss clinic is to help individuals achieve the weight loss goal safely.  One day I got a text message from one of the participants telling me he was feeling dizzy with a headache. I went through a few questions with him and thought of a few possibilities. A few days later I put him on a few supplements to keep his nutrient balance. If you don't have the knowledge or support, a diet go wrong can potentially put you in the hospital.

If you are thinking of losing a few pounds, please contact All About Health Remedy'sRx and talk to one of our Weight-Loss coaches. You will get the knowledge and support, with a piece of mind that you are doing the diet correctly and safely. You will lose the weight, and keep it off.