The Secret To Successful Dieting at He's Fit

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The Secret To Successful Dieting

Posted January 7, 2008 at 05:00 PM by Denise Musumeci

Section: In The News, His Health, Physical Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Diets

man dieting “How to lose 10 pounds in just 7 days!” “Your personal guide to losing your holiday weight.” “The all-new breakthrough diet that requires no exercise and let’s you eat what you want!” It’s about that time of the year where headlines similar to these bombard the shelves at the checkout line next to the chocolate bars.

Every year, there seems to be some new diet craze that drives consumers to buy into the vain hope that they can be thin and healthy in little time without changing their habits. However, there is one dieting technique that deserves attention that has stayed true since the beginning of time and has yet gone unchanged. It is simple: eat less and exercise more.

As hard as it may be to not reach for that pint of ice cream while watching all-new episodes of your favorite TV drama, no diet will ever be able to overpower the effectiveness on cutting back calories and getting off the couch for at least an hour a day. Publishers assume correctly, especially after the holidays, that after weeks of overindulgence, people will crowd the bookstores to scope out books on dieting in a desperate attempt to regain their pre-holiday figure.

But many say that it doesn’t matter how you diet (whether you choose to cut down on carbs or fats). Many professionals think that the most important components to a successful diet are cutting down on calories and increasing your diet. If you eat fewer calories than you need to maintain weight, you will slowly but surely lose the extra weight, especially if you burn calories by exercising.

Now, this doesn’t mean that people should eat nothing but potato chips and dip in small proportions or should eat one piece of steak or just one burger everyday. These things are unhealthy for more reasons other than making you fat. A well-balanced diet is essential to help your arteries, heart, brain, and other organs stay healthy and prevent medical conditions, such as cancer or diabetes.

abs Good nutrition has not changed and should be maintained, but proportions of the foods you consume should change. Saturated fat should be minimized and fiber should be consumed in considerable amounts. Taking vitamins is also essential for your body to remain healthy.

A recently completed 10-year study in England found an increased risk of cognitive decline in people with low levels of vitamin B12. This can be found in fish and poultry, which should be consumed in reasonable amounts of only three or four ounces. Fatty acids, which are found in fish and fish oils, can ultimately protect the brain from deterioration.

Dieting right can also lead to a decreased risk of cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund concluded based on 7,000 studies on 17 kinds of cancer that obesity ranks only second to smoking as a preventable cause of cancer. Excessive weight has been linked to cancers of the heart, breasts, colon, pancreas, endometrium, rectum, and esophagus. Eating more dietary fiber and less starch may help prevent cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight will decrease the risk of developing many different kinds of cancer and lowers risk of heart attack and diabetes.

So this year, when you are scanning the bookstores for some help with weight management, skip the section with the latest fad diets. Instead, pick up a book about how to perform exercises such as yoga or Pilates. Don’t waste time searching for the newest diet to slim your waist. The key is to consume fewer calories, eat a well balanced diet, and exercise. It is the foolproof diet that will work year after year.

Research sources and for more information: [NY Times]; [picture1]