Low Carb? Low Fat? Low Calorie? Heeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!

I got this today from Total Health Breakthoughs. It's definitely worth a read and I recommend that you consider signing up for their newsletter.


Myth #1: Dieting Will Help You Lose Weight and Make You Healthy
By Tim Reynolds, MD

Every day we are bombarded with medical garbage. It comes from all sources — maybe even your doctor. There are also medical myths that have been passed on from one generation to the next — unfortunately, no one has looked carefully at where the information started and whether it is in fact valid or not.

In the following weeks, I would like to explore five of those myths and raise some questions. Hopefully, you will begin to think about them (and others) more critically…

I hate budgets and I hate diets. I think I hate them for the same reason — they make me want all the things I can’t have even more. Have you ever noticed that the word DIET is a four letter word and that the first three letters are DIE?! That’s how I feel about dieting. So many times we go to the doctor and he/she says “Well you are overweight and you need to start on a diet”. Unfortunately, many health professionals do not know exactly what this means — it is also the wrong approach to take to lose weight.

Instead of going on a diet, why not change the way you look at food and the way you approach your health? Why not change your reality and realize that food is nutrition that is good for the body as long as it’s the right kind and eaten in moderation? Food is not the enemy — choosing the wrong foods and overeating is the enemy.

A major problem started with flawed research that was then capitalized upon by food manufacturers. In the 1970s and 80s, it was erroneously determined that our high fat diet was making us all fat.1 Food manufacturers quickly caught on and soon every product had a label that said “low fat”. Unfortunately, we replaced the fat with sugar. As we all ate our low fat diets, the entire country got fatter.

A variation on the theme is being seen now with carbs. Everyone wants to be on a low carb diet. So now everything at the grocery store is advertised as “low carb”. Once again, most people have no idea what this means. There is more than one type of carbohydrate and not all carbs are bad.

Natural plant fiber is made from carbohydrates. Fruits are carbohydrates but should not be considered the same as carbohydrates from a doughnut. If we only look at the carb count, once again we will be led down the wrong path due to creative advertising.

So what are we to do? How can we figure all this out? I have two simple recommendations that will help. First get back to nature. I do not mean move to the mountains (although that does sound nice) — but start eating natural foods. Think of it this way — if you can’t catch it or pick it, don’t eat it. If you follow this rule, you can have all the fish, fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits you want.

In fact, if your diet consisted of just these foods, you would never be fat. As I write this, I am at a scuba diving resort in Borneo, Malaysia. This island does not have an overweight person on it. Why? Because they only eat what they can catch or pick. They have a natural high protein, low carb diet.

Second, if you are going to eat processed foods, always check the label. You will find protein content in grams, fat in grams, and carbohydrates in grams. Under carbohydrates it will list sugar in grams. If the grams of sugar are higher than 10 (8 if you want to be strict), put it back and choose something else.

You will be amazed at what does and does not have sugar once you start looking. Remember, it is not simply the fat or carbohydrates — as it turns out, the problem is the amount of sugar it contains.

Finally, I have an 85/15 rule. If you eat like I just showed you 85% of the time, you can eat what you like the other 15%. Food is energy — it is good for you. Choose the right foods and they will keep you healthy. Choose the wrong foods and they will make you ill. You are in fact what you eat.

Reference:

Fat Free Fallacy

About the Author:

Tim Reynolds, M.D., is a practicing physician and a health and lifestyle expert.

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com

Are You Ready to Step Off the Weight Loss Merry-Go-Round?, Part 1

The sad fact is that if I set up a website and promised people they would lose 30 pounds in 30 days by doing nothing other than taking my special fat burning pill, I'd have tons of orders. In fact, I could probably charge $100 for a month's supply and still be drowning in customers.

Everyone wants effortless. Effortless riches, effortless weight loss, effortless nutrition, effortless fitness. Well, it's time for a reality check.

Fitness, good nutrition and fat loss take effort. I'm not talking about revolving your entire life around working out and eating right. However, a healthy, fit body will not come in a magic pill.

If you really want to drop fat and keep it off there are certain things you need to do. Some, if not all, you've probably heard before but never really committed to them (or you wouldn't be reading this). So, hang in there with me for the next few days.


Dump the diets and quick fixes.

In people's minds, diets are finite. They have a beginning and end; you don't follow them forever.

What you need is a lifestyle makeover. Good nutrition and regular exercise are not just things you do until you look good for your wedding or class reunion or until you fit back into your smaller clothes. At least not if you have any interest in maintaining your svelter self.

If you're unwilling to make some long term changes than stop reading right now. You're either not ready at this time in your life (which is OK but you should acknowledge that to yourself and quit beating yourself up and wasting money on scams) or you're looking for a quick fix and I ain't got one.

The short-term mindset is what often derails people. They make sweeping changes that are overwhelming and which, sooner or later, lead to a poor choice or a binge. Then they figure they blew it and just give up.

If you overslept and woke up late for work one day would you just throw in the towel and never go back? If you made a parenting mistake, would you decide you're a total failure and put your kid up for adoption?

No one is perfect. Some times we make poor choices. Trying to massively overhaul your life in one fell swoop is a recipe for failure with most people.

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." - Henry Ford

If you are a "failed" serial dieter or someone who has "succeeded", only to regain the weight, start again more intelligently.

If you currently eat fast food almost every day, don't try to eliminate it totally starting tomorrow. Decide to limit yourself to x number of times a week; something that is a challenge but that is also doable for where you are right now.

If you are a second helping guy or gal, cut back to one or at least wait 20 minutes to see if you are truly still hungry before eating more.

If you're a total couch potato, don't start spending hours exercising (you shouldn't spend hours working out anyway but that's a topic for another day) but do commit to exercising for x number of minutes for x number of days a week.

If your regular routine is coming home and downing a few beers or cocktails, limit yourself to a specific number.

Small changes will make a difference, mentally, physically and emotionally. You won't lose 30 pounds in 30 days but you will be forming better nutrition and exercise habits and creating a healthier lifestyle.

Let me be clear. As you progress on your journey, you will need to continually improve your nutrition and to challenge yourself physically but making it a process rather than a one day makeover will be far less overwhelming.

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Eat All You Want and Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days While You Sleep

O.K., I admit it, that title is a scam just like the pills, potions and gadgets hawked by unscrupulous hucksters promising you the perfect body if you just plunk down $59.99 for their product.

It's estimated that Americans spend $30-40 billion (that's billion with a b) per year on weight loss products, gadgets, diet programs, prepackaged foods, etc. Sadly, in my opinion, most of that money is wasted on what people hope will be an easy, quick fix.

Here's a good article from www.SparkPeople.com about too-good-to-be-true weight loss plans:

12 Ways to Spot a Fad Diet

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