Weight Loss Diets

You probably don't need me to tell you that there are dozens of great-sounding, popular diet programs around these days and that most of them have their advocates and their detractors alike.

It seems that no matter how great a diet happens to be, there will always be those that see great weight loss success while others get mediocre or even no results worth talking about.

There is a very good reason for this and that is what this article will be looking at primarily, which is why some diets work for some people and not for others.

People who want (or indeed, need) to lose weight have several choices over how they are going to achieve that feat. Some may choose to get active and work off the excess weight through a variety of exercise or work out programs.

Others may decide to take up a sport and get their weekly activity quote fulfilled that way. But for many people, the idea of exercising or working out in a gym is not particularly agreeable. For them, dieting is a much more palatable alternative and one that millions of people around the world are actively pursuing at any given time.

So if diets are such a popular way to lose weight, and there are many highly successful dieting methods, strategies and programs available, why are the statistics of overweight and obese people in this country still rising?

The answer lies not so much on the inability of diets or exercise programs to produce favorable results, but rather in the lack of education for people who are not aware of the constituents of the food that they are eating and the soft drinks they are drinking to wash it all down with.

Why a Healthy Diet is Important

This article is not aimed at trying to solve the national obesity problem. It's main intention is rather to focus on one of the most potent forms of remedy that is available, if only more people were aware of the best ways in which to maximize their eating habits to promote better health and less weight gain.

You can still eat well as long as you choose the right foods to eat and avoid those processed, additive laden ready meals and take aways while switching unhealthy soda for healthy plain water.

Most people like to treat themselves to a tasty snack every once in a while. And so you should!

As long as you follow a naturally healthy diet and manage to get enough daily activity to ensure that your body is processing the food you eat as efficiently as it can while maintaining a balance of burning the calories that are coming in through the diet, then you will not typically need to worry about gaining weight. An occasional "bad" food will not make much difference to you.

But if you are habitually eating a predominance of processed, store bought ready meals, fast food restaurant meals, takeaway junk food and drinking several cans of soda each day without getting any appreciable activity, then you are going to be in danger of gaining weight on top of all that you have probably already gained over the years. The solution is to sit down and assess what you are eating and take a long hard and honest look at how you can change it for a healthier alternative.

Eating right doesn't necessarily mean you will have to give up all the foods you like. It does mean you will have to stop eating all the garbage that the fast food industry is throwing at you and tricking you into believing that it's good food. It's not!

You can eat good home cooked meals that are made from fresh ingredients, which means you can still enjoy those great lean steaks, chicken or whatever meat you like, or fish. And you can enjoy them with your favorite vegetables prepared and cooked at home, rather than eating the limp, insipid excuse for food that comes in packages!

Why is Soda So Bad?

One of the major determining factors in our obesity statistics doesn't even come from food, but from something that we drink in unbelievably huge quantities every day. Soda! While there are "diet" or "low calorie" alternatives to the favorite soda drinks, these contain an artificial sweetener (aspartame) which is considered by many nutritional experts as more dangerous than the sugar it replaces.

It would take a separate article all to itself to explain the dangers of consuming high levels of aspartame, so we suggest that if you have any concerns about this artificial sweetener in your drinks or in your food, then you should "google" the phrase: "the dangers of aspartame" and read what others (including official websites) are saying about it.

As for the regular soda drinks, these contain high levels of sugar (sucrose and fructose) along with a load of empty calories. The rush of sugar into your blood stream every time you drink a can of soda causes an insulin response that floods your blood stream to carry the excess sugars away and store them as visceral fat (belly fat).

The same thing happens when you eat any high Glycemic carbohydrate, such as white bread, pasta, cake, cookies, pie, pastries etc.

While your favorite soda may taste great, it is slowly making you heavier and fatter. If you are drinking on average two cans of soda a day, with around 400 calories in a regular can of soda, you can see that by cutting this out you will save an incredible 5600 calorie a week

Over time that can account for several pounds in weight that you DO NOT have to gain! Switch to plain water and feel healthy, free and lighter!

Eating and drinking the right foods can make the difference from being an overweight, unhealthy person with the potential to suffer a whole range of related illnesses to being a healthy person at the correct weight and size for your height and build.

You will have more energy and feel better for not eating all that junk and instead enjoying good food, mostly cooked at home where you can control what does and does not go into your meals.

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