REASONS WEIGHT LOSS CAN FAIL

[Guest guest]

by Burke

eDiets.com Chief Nutritionist

Do you wonder why every time you go on a diet, you wind up regaining

the weight and sometimes even more? Then you're in " bad company, "

because most adult Americans who diet fail to keep the weight off.

Most of dieting concerns what goes on between your ears, as in what

you know and how you use that knowledge to your advantage. Read on

to see how many of these dieting dilemmas apply to you. Change that

plus to a minus -- on the scale, that is.

You give food power. Food can't " make " you eat it. The way some

people talk, you'd think a candy bar holds them down, forcing them

to chew and swallow, too! YOU have the power to say no.

You think there are " good " and " bad " foods. Wrong! Food does not

possess human characteristics. Food is food: fatty food, salty food,

low in saturated fat, or high in fiber… you choose.

You think a diet is something you go " on. " And then you go " off "

when you lose the weight. For instance, " I lost 12 pounds, so now I

can go off my diet. " This recipe for failure means you'll most

likely regain the weight, just like the 95 percent of people who

lose weight and regain it.

You think you can lose weight without exercise. It's possible to

lose weight without exercise, but most likely the weight is going to

come right back on once you stop " dieting. " Increasing activity,

even just by walking briskly, is associated with permanent weight

loss.

You eat the same fruits and vegetables every day. That's like

playing only four numbers in the Quick Pick Five. You can't win

unless you fill in the whole card. Increasing variety provides

better nutrition and more phytochemicals to defeat disease.

You think that all fats are bad. In fact, some fats are health-

enhancing, like omega-3 fatty acids in fish and those found in nuts

and seeds. But beware of trans fat in fast food and packaged foods

and limit saturated fat in whole-milk dairy and fatty meats.

You're drinking too many calories. If you think a glass of soda is

bad but juice or sports drinks are good, think again. Juice has the

same calories as soda and no fiber. Eat your fruit; don't drink it.

Sports drinks are usually full of sugar: Drink water and eat an

orange instead.