Of which I'm clearly one. Like most of us, I know what I need to do, I just find reasons not to do it.
I've been arguing the (apparently) losing side against fad diets (including the Atkins Diet) for years. I have been telling anyone who would listen to me (and many who wouldn't) that wierd diets aren't necessary for most people to lose weight. You do not have to jettison entire food groups from your diet, whether it's fats or carbs.
It's really very simple: to lose weight, burn more calories than you eat. This translates into an overall weight loss strategy of eat less and exercise more.
Yes, yes... carbohydrate metabolism is different from fat metabolism which is different from protein metabolism. The body is very complicated and all that. Yada, yada, blah blah. I am not saying fad diets don't work, that the Adkins diet won't result in weight loss. What I'm saying is that I do not believe low carb diets are the best solution for the average person who is otherwise healthy, but would like to lose 20 pounds.
If, on average, you require 2000 calories per 24 hrs to maintain body mass, then averaging 3000 calories per day over some period of time will have only one result. You will gain weight. If you average fewer than 2000 calories per day over some period of time, you will lose weight. Yes, this is an oversimplification, but it's an adequate enough axiom for most of us. Unless you are an athlete in training or a body builder, or suffer from a medical condition, keeping track of your food intake to that level of detail is simply unnecessary. Keep rough track of the calories you've eaten, and the calories you've burned, and go from there.
Obviously, if you drink 4 sodas a day, you've already consumed 1000 calories without eating a bite. This will make it much more difficult to limit your calories to 2000 per day. Beyond the oversimplification of reducing all foods to their caloric content, 1000 calories per day of mostly pure sugar has other consequences.
From the perspective of weight loss/gain, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. It is a unit of energy. Which is not to say carbs, fats and proteins are all equal in terms of calories per unit mass.
I think fad diets catch on because we are all looking for a way to lose weight without doing either of the things I recommend. People don't want to eat less, and they don't want to exercise. They want to lose weight without doing much of anything. If they can lose weight by eating nothing but hamburger patties and bacon, they'll sure as hell try. Instead, they should be eating a smaller hamburger, perhaps a salad instead of french fries, and either water or at worst a regular-size soda.
What I know about diet programs like Weight Watchers supports my position, I think. Values or points are assigned to various foods reflecting their caloric equivalents. What Weight Watchers does is provide a framework for you to keep track of what you eat, perhaps even allow you to justify a milkshake now and then (but you are accountable for the calories!), and even more importantly, a support group to help you not eat as much.
But, again, this is too hard. Nobody wants to keep track of what they eat. Nobody wants to eat peach slices with flaxseed instead of french fries. We expect to be able to eat 4000 calories of crap per day, not exercise, and still lose weight.
But, hey... it's not just my opinion...Looks like the Feds agree with me.
As of today, I'm 37.
Yay.
Turns out I'm not only getting older, I'm getting out of shape. Who would have thought that 7 years of no exercise and poor diet habits would leave me in the condition I'm in? A recent visit to my doc confirmed what I've been suspecting. I'm fat and out of shape! Well, not as fat as some, but not exactly svelte either...
37 years old. BP of 135/85 (too much caffeine, I suspect). Cholesterol of 229. Height 5'10", weight 193 lbs. So, my cheerful 30-year old doc, who looks like she weighs about 100 lbs and runs miles and miles, tells me to get in shape. Now.
I used to be able to run 7 miles and recover within minutes. I couldn't run a mile if my life depended on it. I have started lifting again, and that's been encouraging. I just don't have time for what I really need, which is aerobic/cardio type exercise. I can manage a couple hours of tennis each week, but beyond that it's too time-consuming to fit easily into the day. Get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, herd the kids for a couple hours, put them in bed, try to spend time with Linda, watch TV, whatever... go to bed. Repeat.
And we're supposed to exercise somewhere in there? Unfortunately, I have to do it. If not, with my family history, I'll be dead within 15 years (probably) and that would pretty much suck.
Anyway, it's my birthday. I'm 37. Six months away from being closer to 50 than 25...