This article is about weight loss and how to live a more healthy life, I hope you find it interesting to read and beneficial. I have had a lot of problems with my weight over the years and by the age of twenty-two had had enough of being obese. In the article I write about how I eventually lost my excess pounds.

I have always struggled to keep my weight under control. Being over-weight affected my whole life, I was unable to wear the clothes I wanted to and I often felt guilty after eating certain foods. I was adamant that if only I could lose a couple of stones my confidence would increase and that I would ultimately be a lot happier.

I read many books and attempted to follow a range of diets. For whatever reason this did not seem to help me, mainly because I could not stick to their weight loss programs due to my love of fatty foods.

One day I was talking to a neighbour who was not only very nice but also quite thin. She looked very fit and healthy and I enquired as to how she kept so trim.

This neighbour who is called Gillian seemed quite taken aback and even flattered by my question and went quite coy. She stated that at one point in her life, she had also had a weight problem and had not been happy about it. What she was about to say was quite a shock to me, however would eventually change my life.

She went on to say that wherever she went to at this stage of her life, she would travel to by car. Gillian had realised that in an average week, she did very little exercise and at times did none at all. She then went out and bought a dog and would take this pet for a walk at least twice a day. This was not a choir for Gillian and over the next few years even resulted in her meeting a number of new friends. Previously, Gillian had seen exercise as a hassle and very time consuming but on various days she would take her dog on four walks, she enjoyed it that much.

Gillian quickly noticed that not only was she losing weight but that she also felt a lot healthier. It was not long before she was at a weight she was happy with.

After listening to Gillian’s story I decided to follow her weight loss program. Yes I went and bought a dog and am happy to report that it has also worked for me.

If you are trying to lose weight, aren’t getting the results you want and want to give up… stop! Take stock and see if you have fallen foul of these ‘diet traps’.

1. If no one sees you eat it, it has no calories

This might sound ridiculous, but you might be surprised to find that many people act as though this were true! It is easy to turn a blind eye to what we actually eat and drink during the day. Being true to yourself with a daily food diary can do wonders for breaking through a diet plateau. Keep a small notebook in you at all times and make a quick reminder of everything, and I mean everything you eat and drink during the day. It’s just too easy to forget what you eat, especially if you are used to eating on the run. Mothers with small children at home are especially at risk. There are hundreds of unwanted calories lurking in toddler leftovers. Corners of vegemite and toast, half chewed milk arrowroots and the last sips of chocolate milk can wreck havoc.

2. You aren’t diligent about planning your meals and healthy snacks

As a weight loss coach I’ve yet to meet the person who consciously decides it’s their lifetime goal to put on weight until they are obese and desperately unhappy about how they look. Usually it’s a result of one or two decades of no-so-good food choices and not finding time to exercise that leads to packing on the pounds. Once you have five or more kilos to lose, it is going to take a deliberate change in habits over several months to get rid of the weight. This is where many folk run aground in their weight loss journey. They fail to plan. It takes conscious planning to do something different for the length of time that is required to get the results you want.

If you are not the type of personality that plans, ask yourself this. How many times do find yourself looking for something to eat and resort to quick takeaways, vending machines or skipping meals instead? Start planning ahead by keeping a bowl of fresh fruit at home and at work at all times. Fruit is great for a healthy snack. Prepare your lunch to take to work so you won’t be a victim of vending machines. Get up early so that you have time to start the day with a healthy breakfast, instead of grabbing a skinny decaf on the way to work and a diet coke for morning tea.

3. You’ve fallen subject to fad diet ideas

Keeping a balanced view of all the food groups will help you have a big enough repertoire of healthy food choices to keep you motivated and interested longer.

“You can’t look at foods individually,” says Dayle Hayes, M.S., R.D., a nutrition consultant in Billings, Mont., and member of the Council for Women’s Nutrition Solutions. “Any time you eliminate whole food groups or foods that are a major part of your diet, you wipe out important nutrients.” For instance, if you dis dairy, you zap a great source of protein. If you turn your nose up at high-fat fish like salmon, sardines and herring, you eliminate a top source of omega-3 fatty acids.

“The ‘bad food list’ is one of the oldest gimmicks in the world of fad dieting,” adds Robyn Flipse, RD., a nutrition consultant in Ocean, N.J. “As long as people can blame certain foods or food combinations for their excess weight, they don’t have to tackle the bigger issues, like planning, shopping and preparing meals for themselves and doing some form of physical activity on a regular basis,” she says.

c Kim Beardsmore

Experts tell us we are what we eat. A disturbing thought when we consider how much sugar, fat and white flour is consumed daily, hidden in ready meals and fast foods. Its time to change the bad habits we have developed over the last three decades and start eating to improve health, not destroy it!

A vital area of life that requires our attention is this.learning to answer hunger pains appropriately. If we neglect this, weight can increase and well-being may suffer.

Whether you need to lose weight, maintain weight or tone up your body; inappropriate eating habits can jeopardize your best efforts. This articles will help you start to understand how to manage hunger in a busy lifestyle.

If its sticky and sweet, made with sugar and saturated fat, then you must only eat it as a rare treat. Can the same be said for a delicious bowl of strawberries, or a juicy sweet orange? That is the problem here? Why do we choose cakes and chocolate over natures best offering?

If you do not have a genuine glucose imbalance, one cause perhaps is that sweet treats are deeply connected to our childhood, where frequently, sweeteners were given as a reward for good behaviour, or to placate or console the unhappy child. Our memory will automatically associate sweet foods as a reward or a comfort. That bar of chocolate or sticky bun you devour mid-way through a stressful afternoon could be you rewarding yourself for hard work!

If you think you may be using sweet treats as a reward or comfort and want to kick the habit, simply remember that putting on weight is NOT a reward. Then think of a reward that doesnt involve food!

Guard yourself from the sweet snack attacks by being prepared and planning your day’s food patterns.

1. Incorporate protein in to your breakfast AND lunch. Protein is key to controlling carbohydrate cravings. The RDA of protein for women is 60 grams a day. For women wanting to lose weight, health professionals recommend approximately 100 grams of protein daily. Why? One of the principle advantages of protein is that it creates a feeling of fullness and satisfaction in the body that makes overeating much less likely. Source your protein from ultra lean sources so you don’t pick up unwanted calories and saturated fats.

Even better, than providing a sense of sustained fullness, protein can block the triggering effect that carbohydrates can have on the brain. If you eat protein with a carbohydrate it will reduce the cravings caused by eating the carbohydrate.

2. Never skip meals. Research has shown that people who skip meals are more prone to obesity than those who regularly eat 3 meals a day. In fact, people who space their daily food requirements by making appropriate use of healthy snacks do even better. Why is this? When you skip meals you are more likely to get hungry and fill up on easily obtained fast foods which are often trigger foods.

3. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water throughout the day. For some people sugar laden soft drinks are a trigger food. Make sure you don’t get thirsty in the first place. Water creates a sense of fullness and has a host of other health benefits.

4. Plan the timing of your meals so that you don’t get hungry. Despite having three healthy meals a day, sometimes your work schedule can mean the spacing of those meals still does not guard against the carbohydrate cravings. If you have a long gap between meals, make sure you carry healthy snacks to cover the distance, otherwise hunger will set in

5. Plan your snacks. Plan out your weekly snack schedule with some delicious, healthy snacks. Purchase these with your weekly shopping so that you are fully prepared. If you need to, get up a few minutes earlier in the morning so you have time to prepare and take your snacks to work. Remember, healthy snacks don’t live in a vending machine! You are less likely to get hungry when you have a ready supply of healthy snacks.

6. Carry emergency supplies of nutritional protein bars in your handbag or brief case. When you feel a carbohydrate craving, eat the protein bar instead and wait 30 minutes before acting on the craving. More often than not the craving will pass and you will be in control again. This truly works.

If only we could solve this question, the world for many would be a better place! Well, the reality is that there are real answers to this question that will apply to many people. It will take a good dose of reality and a brave heart to stop denying what really happens. Read on to discover some answers that may change your life forever and give you the impetus to lose weight and keep it off!

Justification?

Being overweight can be used as an excuse for being unhappy, especially when you do not do anything to help yourself. Subconsciously, over-eating is a comfort for many people and this then allows them to hide behind their weight problem and helps them to justify rejection and avoid being hurt. They can then shift the blame of rejection on their weight-problem, without addressing other aspects of their fears. Sometimes it seems easier to hide behind your weight problem, than address other matters where you may have a greater fear of failure.

Eating Without Thinking?

If you are concentrating on another activity while you are eating you are more likely to overeat because you are not fully aware of how full you are feeling. This factor can be difficult to change because it is not a conscious action. Try to only eat when you dont have a lot of other distractions. Sit down, eat slowly and enjoy the food you are eating, and remember that it is not always necessary to go back for seconds. It takes 20 minutes for food to reach your stomach and for your brain to register that you are full.

Cravings?

The famous Pavlovs dogs were conditioned to eat at the sound of a bell, and we human are much the same when it comes to habitual cravings. If you wonder why you always feel like a chocolate when you sit down to watch a movie, or you have to have a box of popcorn.think again. You are not necessarily craving these foods because you are hungry, but rather consider force of habit. During the time when you have a craving, try to ask yourself whether you are really hungry or not. If you are hungry, reach for a low fat snack rather than a chocolate bar or bag of crisps.

Indulging?

Eating or thinking about food can be a distraction from your troubles and you may therefore be unnecessarily over-eating. Emotions and hormones can trigger certain cravings, for example, if you are feeling low, chocolate and carbohydrates assist the production of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin helps you feel happier. This is why we might crave sweet or starchy foods during times of sadness or stress.

If you identify with any of the above factors, you could be on your way towards discovering what is triggering you to overeat.

Toronto, ON May 27, 2007 – How does steak with eggs and bacon or cheddar cheese omelet sound to you? Or what about avocado cream soup made with real cream? These rich foods are allowed as part of the Atkins diet, which was developed by Dr. Atkins some years ago.

The Atkins diet allows you to lose weight with a low-carbohydrate food intake. Youll not only be on the road to better heart health and memory function, but youll also feel satisfied and full. You dont have to starve or be hungry on the Atkins diet.

The Atkins Diets is just one of the Diet Fads discussed at the social networking site

The Atkins diet is based on the notion that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates. Our bodies burn both carbohydrates and fat for energy. Carbohydrates are used first. By reducing the carbohydrate intake and eating more protein and fat, our bodies are forced to lose weight by burning stored fat more efficiently.

The Atkins diet is also known as the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It is the most marketed and well-known low-carbohydrate diet. It was developed by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960s from a diet he read about in the Journal of The American Medical Association. He then went on to resolve his own weight problem shortly after graduating from medical school. After successfully treating over ten thousand patients, he began to popularize the Atkins diet in a series of books. The first of these was the Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution in 1972. He then revised this book, called Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.

There was also a business formed to provide diet products for people on the Atkins diet. This was known as the Atkins franchise. This franchise has been highly successful due to the marketing of the diet. It is considered the iconic and driving entity of the larger low-carb craze. The Atkins logo is still highly visible through licensed-proprietary branding for all types of food products that can be found in your local grocery store.

Dr. Atkins claimed that there are two main unrecognized factors when it comes to Western eating habits. The first main cause of obesity is eating too many refined carbohydrates. This includes flour, sugar, corn syrups, high-fructose, and saturated fats. He stated that only trans fats, which come from hydrogenated oils need to be avoided.

Dr. Atkins rejected the advice from the food pyramids, asserting that the increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in disorders of the metabolism in the 20th century. Supposedly, the focus on the detrimental effects of dietary fat has actually added to the obesity problem, instead of lessening it.

Although, a large part of the emphasis is on the Atkins diet, proper nutritional supplements such as multi-vitamins and regular exercise are considered equally as important.

The Atkins diet involves a restriction of carbohydrates so that it will switch the bodys metabolism from burning glucose to burning protein and fat. This process is known as lipolysis. This begins when the body enters a state of ketosis, due to running out of excess carbohydrates to burn. According to the Atkins diet, low-carb diets have a metabolic advantage because the body burns more calories than on other diets.

By using the Atkins diet, you can actually burn more calories, without always exercising more, and turn your body into a fat burning machine. Best of all, you dont have to feel hungry or starve, and still burn unwanted fat.

Weight loss is a common problem millions of Americans today struggle with. Very few Americans have been successful at losing a desired amount of weight.

The main problem is that most cannot stick to the designated program. For instance, a general weight loss program includes both diet as well as exercise. Most of the time an individual trying to lose weight will at least attempt one of these. Often times what happens is that the exercise may be too strenuous for that person since they must have lacked exercise for so long going back to why they are in such shape.

Another perspective is the diet. Most people looking to lose weight are usually in this pandemic because of eating not only food with high amounts of sugars and fats, but also food in high quantities of these fats ans sugars. This becomes a significant problem because changing old habits for anyone is such a difficult process especially in America since you cant walk two feet out your door without seeing a McDonalds.

So in the end dieting or weight loss in general is such a difficult process because of the extreme new way of life you would have to adapt to. A recent statistic said that of those who fail to reach an ideal weight goal in a diet actually gain more weight trying the diet rather then losing.

The reason for this is once you give in, you start binge eating meaning you eats almost everything in site with no restrictions. This is a one negative impact of dieting viewed by many. Of course most researchersdoctors say diet and exercise are essential for a healthy life, whether losing weight or not.

The first thing that people, who wish to lose weight, think about is reducing their belly fat. It does not matter if you need to lose those extra 15 pounds or a whole lot more. And it is exactly where they all go wrong. This article will explain what the biggest mistake of flat belly seekers is, how to avoid it, and achieve your desirable flat belly.

Belly muscles are designed to give balance and coordination for the body’s movements. Constant movement keeps it in shape. People used to walk and move a lot just a few centuries ago. These days most of the people sit all day long at the office and as a result their muscles weaken. At this point they can’t support the internal oranges, allowing the abdomen to bulge.

The swelling causes people to seek some drastic action, in order to regain that nice flat belly they start to exercise. This is where people make the biggest mistake in flatting their stomach they start to workout very hard on their belly muscles and develop nice firm muscles but no one can see them. They are all sunken under a layer of fat. People are walking around with nice strong belly muscles that are actually invisible.

These people can not stop complaining about how hard they work, every day shaping their muscles but no visible results are shown. This is their mistake, their muscles are just fine. The problem is the layer of fat which covers them.

The solution is working on both things at the same time on one hand work on your belly muscles, in addition you must reduce your fat percentage, Lowering your fat percentage will eventually give you the affect you were looking for the “six-pack” look. It is very important to realize that lowering only belly fat is impossible. You must burn fat with by working and developing a higher muscles mass which will burn more calories even when you rest. Another important aspect is to reduce fattening food consumption.

There is an argument regarding how much and how often should one work on his belly muscles. It depends on you, your time, and how quickly do you want to start shaping your belly. It is recommended to work once in two days for 15 minutes, work real hard the n rest the next day. It is possible to work every day on the belly muscles, contrary to other muscles, but its best to start in this moderate manner and move from there.

This is it the big secret do not expect to find specific exercises, it is not the most important thing the key to win your fight for a flat belly is in the combination of low fat diet and exercises which will end up in a flat belly.

As our country gains weight at an alarming rate, we are spending more each year on products that promise us easy, effortless weight loss. Each year in the United States, an estimated 35 billion dollars is spent each year on weight loss products. The problem is that in spite of headlines that feed our hopes that a new, secret, better weight loss formula has been discovered, the truth is there are no easy solutions to losing weight.

Simply put, weight loss is a combination of lifestyle choices, and is the result of a firm commitment to making and maintaining them over a period of time. Any products that offer weight loss without reduced caloric intake and increasing activity levels are fraudulent- and a waste of money.

Why Do People Buy Products That Are Scams?

Denise Bruner, MD, MPH, FASBP is a specialist in weight loss, and a fellow in the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. She shares one of the major reasons that weight loss scams flourish today We live in a society today that wants immediate gratification. This is reflected in our willingness to buy from those that promise instant results.

The increasing obesity in our society, and hopes that weight loss can be achieved without lifestyle changes fuels the growth of frauds. Bruner states, In the U.S., currently 61 of the population is overweight, and the numbers are going up. Theres a huge market out there for weight loss products. After all, it appeals to us to find out that you can Lose 30 pounds in 30 days. We dont want to have to deprive ourselves of our favorite foods, and want something that will magically absorb the calories.

Jeannette Kopko, Senior Vice President of the Better Business Bureau for Dallas and Northeast Texas, agrees that illegitimate weight loss products feed on false promises People are fooled by these scams because they hope that they arent scams. They hope that theyre real, and are an easier, faster, painless way to lose weight.

With the huge demand for weight loss products and their revenues, companies are more than willing to become suppliers-whether or not their products work. Kopko states, The number of companies hawking bogus supplements and weight loss products is increasing rapidly in recent years.

How can you spot a weight loss scam?

Typically, weight loss scams make promises that arent realistic. Headlines that promise weight loss without dieting are always scams, since calorie reduction is the basis of any true weight loss program. There are no legitimate weight loss programs that allow you to eat whatever you want without limit. As Monica Revelle, public relations specialist at the FDA notes If it sounds too good to be true-it is!

Other tips offs that the weight loss product is a scam include

Claims to be a secret formula Products that claim to have secret formulas are scams. Dr. Bruner feels strongly on this issue, and states, There are no secrets to weight loss being held away from the public. In America alone, an estimated 100 people a day die from obesity; we could prevent 300,000 deaths annually if there was a real product that made weight loss simple and safe, and physicians would be the first to prescribe them.

Theres no physical address for the business. Legitimate products and services will have a physical address and phone number. Be wary of those that only offer a mailbox, or a toll-free number to call manned by help center personnel. Kopko shares, While not all companies that have P.O. or private mail boxes PMBs are illegitimate, plenty are. Check to see if there are the letters PMB after a physical address; this indicates that its really a private mail box, that can forward mail to anywhere in the world. She adds that the Internet is also being used to promote frauds, and adds, You cant judge how good or legitimate a product is by how professional the web site looks. This only reflects how good their web designer was.

They promise rapid weight loss. Weight loss that is too rapid is not only unhealthy, but is normally quickly regained. The best plans advocate moderate goals, with slow, steady weight loss of about 6-8 pounds a month over a long period. Dr. Bruner states, Any product that offer overnight or rapid changes is a fraud.

They state that they can help a person lose fat or cellulite in a specific part of the body. Body fat is lost overall, not in a spot, and ads that claim otherwise are frauds.

They promise permanent weight loss. No product can do this, since permanent weight loss is maintained by lifestyle changes.

By avoiding products with the above red flags in their advertising, you can protect yourself from illegitimate products-and save money.

Types of Weight Loss Scams

Weight loss scams can range from the highly illegal and even dangerous to the mildly unethical. Kopko states, There are degrees of fraud and misleading consumers. Some are scams where the person doesnt receive anything at all when they send in their money. Another form of scam is when the customer sends in money, and they get a product that has no benefit, such as a sugar pill.

Other weight loss scams use questionable practices, such as making claims for an ingredient-but without scientific studies to back them up. Kopko adds, In yet other scams, the product has very low levels of active ingredients, so the person doesnt get the desired result.

Some products sell because their names are similar to real products-even though they dont contain the same ingredients or quality. Dr. Bruner warns that these knockoffs are frauds The person thinks, Oh, I can get this a lot cheaper here but be careful, and check it out thoroughly first.

Kopko has seen all types of weight loss scams during her years with the Better Business Bureau. She remembers, Years ago, in our area, there was a business that sold weight loss glasses; one lens was blue, the other brown. Supposedly, the two colors confused the brain and the person didnt get hungry. She adds, Another fraud was weight loss bath powder that a person pours into the tub, that promised weight loss.

Today, popular scams are pills, powders, patches, and herbal teas that supposedly promote weight loss.

One recent scam was a powder taken a few hours before sleep. Kopko states, It promised that the fat would melt away while you slept. The only benefit was that the person gave up their bedtime snack when they took it; there was nothing in the powder to help. And the person who bought the powder was then deluged with other products from the company that would make the product work better. It was all a huge fraud.

Dr. Bruner has also seen a variety of weight loss scams over the years. She states, Ive seen people wearing inserts in their shoes; the manufacturers claim that they hit pressure points to relieve hunger it doesnt work. Another scam is a chocolate patch designed to reduce cravings for chocolate, or wearing special clothing to spot reduce areas. She notes that in Europe, another popular weight loss fad is getting attention In Europe, right now mesotherapy, injecting a drug into the muscle, is a very popular fraud.

FTCs sokesperson Shirley Rooker notes that the FTC recently stopped another popular weight loss scam-and the company was forced to pay back millions to consumers taken in by its fraudulent ads. She notes, The Enforma System claimed that its products increase the bodys capacity to burn fat and would help the body burn more calories while just standing or sitting around doing nothing, even while sleeping. And the TV ads stated that consumers could enjoy fried chicken, pizza, and other high-calorie, high-fat products and still lose weight. The FTC complaint charged that there was no proof that Fat Trapper and Exercise in a Bottle really worked.1

Why Arent They Stopped?

With the huge numbers of weight loss frauds out there it only takes opening up a magazine, or surfing the Internet to view some, the question of why they are allowed to continue is raised.

Kopko says, I get a lot of calls from people who ask, Why isnt something being done? about a scam. Basically, the answer is until we receive complaints, a fraud cant be investigated. She adds that many times, people who are scammed dont file reports. They dont want the bother, or they dont know where to turn. The complaints we get are probably only a fraction of the problem thats out there.

She warns that not being shut down is not a guarantee of reliability. Just because a business is out there, selling weight loss products doesnt mean theyre legitimate; it may just be that they havent been caught yet. This is why its so important to be an aware consumer.

Once complaints are made, law enforcement will step in and start investigating weight loss frauds. They often prosecute illegal businesses, and force them to make restitution to their victims. But Kopko shares that not every questionable weight loss product can be dealt with in this manner Some scams might not be illegal-just unethical. They market their products in a way that implies benefits, instead of stating them outright, and skirt the legal boundaries of false advertising.

In some cases, stopping a fraud takes time because of the decision over who has jurisdiction, and the time needed to gather the data to begin prosecuting a company. For instance, the FDAs Moica Revelle states that they only have jurisdiction over scams in which a product is proven to be unsafe. We monitor the quality and safety of weight loss products; but we dont have jurisdiction if theres no evidence of harm done.

In many cases of false advertising, the FTC steps in, and uses information gathered by other agencies to make their case against a company. Kopko states that the Better Business Bureau, while not having jurisdiction itself, make their task easier. We keep information about businesses on file, including complaints against them, and share this with law enforcement and government agencies.

How To Protect Yourself From Scams

One of the best methods of protecting yourself from weight loss scams is to seek medical advice from a qualified physician who specializes in weight loss bariatric medicine. At times, this means first coming to terms with a realistic view of weight loss. Dr. Bruner states, Losing weight isnt simple or easy.

Basically, it means reducing calories and exercising, but it must be individualized to the persons needs. For instance, the person with insulin resistance needs a higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet so they wont feel that theyre starving; and those with allergies such as to wheat or yeast will need a diet that avoids these items.

To protect yourself from scams, check the product out first with your physician. And if possible, try to avoid impulse buying. First investigate the product and the companys reliability with consumer organizations. This can save you needless expense and disappointment in the long run.

Another method of avoiding scams is to visit sites that investigate consumer frauds-and check out a company before buying. Kopko states, The Better Business Bureau is a participant with the Sentinel Database online at www.consumer.govsentinel which allows consumers and law enforcement to view trends and complaints against businesses. You can also go online to our national web site at www.bbb.org to check out a company nationally. Just click on the consumer info link, and look up diet fads and scams that have been reported.

Weight loss scams are on the rise, and the numbers of companies using fraudulent advertising are multiplying. By taking the time to carefully investigate a company and its products, and choosing to work with a qualified physician on your weight loss goals, you can save yourself needless expense and disappointment. Best of all, you can get started on the road to real, achievable weight loss goals while maintaining good health.

Now I am not sure about you, but I find it so hard to diet and to lose weight. The weight loss programs and diets that I have tried are just so boring. They are also very hard to implement as they are asking me to give up foods which I know that I will not be able to. What we need is a weight loss program which is actually fun to implement.

My name is Steve Hill. My own weight problems began when my parents decided to turn vegetarian. I was eleven years of age at the time and basically decided to give it a go as well. My mum cooked the meals you see.

This was twenty-one years ago, at this point there were not many different options of food for people who were vegetarians. I was not at all impressed with the food I was given and missed eating meat in a big way. I would normally be hungry after meals and would then start to eat snack type foods. I only gradually put on more weight and people did not really comment for a couple of years.

As soon as people did notice, it was like a vicious circle. They would taunt me at school, I would come home all depressed and would then comfort eat, to make myself feel better.

A few years ago I went about looking for ways to help me to lose weight. I tried many diets but without success. I have to say it was not that anything was wrong with the actual diet, it was that, that particular diet did not suit me.

I am the type of person who needs to enjoy something to keep my interest in it. This is why I found school a struggle. Well that is my excuse anyway.

The Fun Way To Lose Weight

On a Saturday night a few years ago, I went out for a few beers with a good friend of mine Dave. We were having a good chat during which I told him about my mission to lose weight. I explained about how as yet, I had not found a suitable weight loss program.

Dave suggested that I should take up a sport, something competitive which I could get my teeth into. I thought about what he had said and agreed that this could be the way to go.

I asked him if he would like a game of tennis three or four times a week. Dave stated that this might be a bit much as he played six a side football twice a week.

He did not want to let me down however, and then asked if I would like to join his six a side team. I will give it a go, I replied.

I came home rather drunk, but also rather pleased with myself. I now had a weight loss plan which I was sure would work. There will be no quick fix, however this amount of exercise, over a sustained period of time, must have a positive affect on my weight, my fitness and my health.

With this program, I am also able to basically eat what I want, when I want.

It did take quite a while as I had predicted, to reach a weight I was happy with. This was not a problem however, as I was having fun on the way.

I continue to play not only tennis and football, but many sports. This is no longer to lose weight but because I enjoy it.

Studies show TV makes you fat

This large amount of time spent motionlessly staring at a screen is also hazardous to your health and girth. Numerous studies show a relationship between TV watching and obesity. The most striking were several studies published in The American Journal of Public Health. These studies found that people who watched three or more hours of television per day were almost twice as likely to be obese than people who watched less than one hour per day. Men, women, and children all had similar results. The waistlines of men, women, and children are all victims of their TV-watching habit.

40 studies found children’s TV watching was related to weight

Reviewing 40 recent studies involving TV and childhood obesity, a Kaiser Permanente study found a definite link between the amount of time children watch TV and their weight. The review also found that interventions that reduce childrens media time resulted in weight loss.

It is common sense that TV will likely make you heavier

This issue, however, does not need the benefit of numerous studies. It is common sense to expect that people who watch a lot of TV are more likely to be heavier. Almost any other activity burns more calories than watching TV. Only sleep burns fewer calories. Talking on the phone, reading a book, doing the dishesall burn more calories than watching television. With the national average of four and a half hours per day, the extra calories burned just by turning off the TV can add up quickly.

Commercials sabotage diets

Then, there are those nefarious junk food commercials. The mouthwatering hamburgers, candy bars, or luscious desserts practically beg you to consume them from the screen. There are approximately 32 commercials on every hour-long TV show. A significant portion of these commercials is for fast food and junk food. What healthy diet could stand the onslaught of these sinister, mouthwatering, commercials?

Where did that bag of chips go?

Finally, many people snack in front of the TV, usually with junk food such as potato chips, soda pop, or candy. In the zombie state that people usually fall into while watching TV, it is very easy to consume large amounts of food, simultaneously absorbing both the images and the food. Where did that bag of potato chips go? bewildered viewers ask.

Push a button and lose weight

The conclusion to this is obvious. Turn off your TV if you are trying to lose weight. It is the first step to a healthier, happier lifestyle. Turn off your TV and go outside. Turn off your TV and follow that exercise routine you started last New Year’s. Turn off your TV and do something fun with your friends or family. Turn off your TV and enjoy the rest of your life.

About ‘The Awful Truth About Television’ Series
What happens when the average American spends 4 hours 32 minutes every day watching television? Trash Your TV’s ‘The Awful Truth About Television’ Series explores the multifaceted problems with TV in eleven hard-hitting articles. Read the full series and you will never look at your television set the same way again.

Check with your doctor before beginning any strenuous exercise program. Individual weight loss results will obviously depend on diet, exercise, and other factors.

sources
Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH Reducing Children’s Television Viewing to Prevent Obesity A Randomized Controlled Trial JAMA, Oct 1999; 282 1561 – 1567.
LA Tucker and M Bagwell. Television viewing and obesity in adult females. Am J Public Health, Jul 1991; 81 908 – 911.
LA Tucker and GM Friedman. Television viewing and obesity in adult males. Am J Public Health, Vol 79, Issue 4 516-518.