Let''s Analyze the Figures and Information About Most Diets

So, its a new year, resolutions have been made and the most common one usually is: Im going to go on a diet to lose all this weight this year!

Well, I do not want to be the bearer of any bad news but folks the figures and information about most diets are well known and discouraging!

Heres one.

ONLY one-third of the patients who lose weight through the program at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center manage to keep at least half of it off for more than one yearand those figures reflect what is considered to be a relatively successful outcome in the weight-management field.

One third

So, why is it that only 33.33% of these people- who must have paid good money and invested a lot of time-came out successful with the program or diet?

Well, when one really analyzes the figures and information about most diets out there, it becomes obvious that perhaps the reason for the common failures with diets for weight loss might be that

-Most people do not give an adequate analysis and research on claims of so-called' diet before signing on to do it.

-Most people give in to cravings on the diets due to inadequate preparation and support.

-The use of adequate exercise is not sufficiently involved to complement the effects of most diets.

Friends, lets try to stay real when setting goals and assessing your current state.

Every attempt should be made to avoid obsession with dieting and losing weight which may add to unnecessary pressure to stay slim or thineven at the expense of logic and health.

Heres why, take a look at this sample of figures and information about most diets

# 91% of women recently surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting, 91% dieted "often" or "always." (Kurth et al., 1995)

# 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight in 1-5 years. (Grodstein, 1996)

# 35% of "normal dieters" progress to pathological dieting.

# Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year. (Smolak, 1996)

By this point, it is my hope that one would have gathered the gist of avoiding a compulsive action to lose weight by jumping on the newest band-wagon about dieting.

As good an idea as dieting to lose weight might be, healing and cleansing should be the focal point of any diet, not necessarily starving and harming the body.

Heres improving and improved health.

Research In Childhood Obesity In Children Highlights Physical Activity Levels
A British study, involving 5,500 children and published in the latest issue of PLoS Medicine, used accurate methods to measure the 'fat mass' of the children and the amount of physical activity they were taking. The researchers, based at the University of Bristol, concluded that low levels of activity, particularly moderate and vigorous activity, play an important role in the development of obesity. [click link for full article]

Be Inspired: Shannan's Story
Some people have it tough, and others have it very tough. Shannan Hutchinson is one of the latter. Shannan has Multiple Sclerosis - yet despite the phenomenal challenges posed by her illness, Shannan was able to lose over 90 pounds - by eating right and exercising. Here is her story....

Philips 598: The Phone For Weight-Conscious Women
Philips are releasing a cell phone targeted towards women. What's intriguing about the phone is the feature set. The features include both a Body Mass Index calculator and a Basal Metabolic Rate feature. Apparently women need to be able to calculate their BMI anywhere anytime....

Americans Still Not Eating Enough Fruits And Vegetables, According To Two Recent Studies
"Eat your vegetables" has been heard at the dinner tables of America for a long time. Has the message gotten through? Since 1990 the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has recommended consuming at least two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables daily. However, two studies published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine clearly show that Americans are not meeting the mark. [click link for full article]

Red Pepper: Hot Stuff For Fighting Fat?
Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin - the natural compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick - can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. [click link for full article]

First UK Study To Determine How General Practice Professionals Can Tackle Adolescent Obesity
Academics at the University of Hertfordshire are conducting the first UK study to investigate how health professionals based in general practice can help adolescents who are obese to lose weight. [click link for full article]

Obesity's Connection To Cardiovascular Disease Remains Poorly Understood
Obesity rates have escalated dramatically in the last several decades and the condition negatively affects health, but its connection to conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) is complex and not fully understood. In the March issue of the Journal of Investigative Medicine experts say more research is needed to discover the links between obesity and CVD, with particular attention to biological differences between women and men. [click link for full article]

The Nutritional Accuracy of Popular Magazines
The ACSH (American Council on Science and Health) have completed a large review of many popular magazines. Their goal was to evaluate the quality of nutritional information presented. Apparently 42% of US consumers make diet-related changes on the basis of information from health and fitness magazines. So - who do you trust?...

High BMI Associated With Lower Likelihood Of Being Discharged Home After Hospitalization For Stroke
Individuals with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend are less likely to be discharged directly home after hospitalization for an ischemic stroke, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. An ischemic stroke occurs when the flow of blood to a part of the brain is blocked or reduced and sufficient amounts of oxygen cannot be delivered to brain tissue. [click link for full article]