Two of the most common misconceptions about weight management (made myth by advertisers) are:
Myth 1 - You can exercise yourself thin (invariably followed by buy this…and lose 10 lbs in 10 days")
Truth: No! and No! While it is theoretically possible to exercise yourself thin, and a few have the time to do that, reality and actually doing so is a different matter. Losing one pound per week requires deleting 3500 calories a week, 500 calories per day, from you plate or burning 3500 calories more per week than you are consuming. That doesn't sound so mythical until you realize that, depending on your weight and the speed at which you walk, it means walking an extra 4-5 hours each day.
Myth2 - You can be fit and healthy if you eat right; (if you follow the diet in this book that you can get for only $12.99). Dieting as we normally think of it; i.e. the fad diets, to lose 10-20 pounds in two weeks, if followed strictly, may work for some - for two weeks. We all know what happen after that. The demon returns and brings a friend with him. In fact, most of the weight lost is water. Add to that the fact that most fad, fast weight loss diets restrict some needed nutrient. In short, the cannot be the basis for a long-term healthy eating weight maintenance plan. Hippocrates said "Let your medicine be your food and your food be your medicine." - or something very close to that. There is much truth in that. What we eat is as important as the calories consumed - perhaps, in a sense, more so. While it is true that bottom line, your weight is a matter of calories in and calories out. Calorie for calorie, nutrient dense, high fiber foods, and complex carbohydrates encourage eating less because they are more satisfying and are, for want of a better way of putting it, slow release. Simple carbohydrates and low fiber, nutrient poor foods will give you a quick burst of energy; however, they just as quickly burn off leaving you reaching for a snack. And that snack is almost invariably a simple carbohydrate to get your blood glucose back up.
But, Yes! It is possible to get thin by diet alone. Possible is not probable, and the fact is that few who lose weight by diet alone manage to keep it off. However, as true as that is, it overlooks the fact that the human body was made to move and not moving it will destroy it. While it is possible to lose weight, at least temporarily, by diet alone, it is not possible to get fit and healthy by diet alone.
Really? Seriously? Yes! Recent studies by numerous reseachers have found that maintaining a healthy weight but living a sedentary lifestyle will put you at the same risk for heart disease as an active smoker. (see note below)
Truth: Maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy body requires following both a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. You will neither eat yourself healthy nor exercise yourself thin. A healthy lifestyle is a balance of good nutrition and proper exercise.
Note: Further research (ASCM et al) has found that 30-60 minutes of exercise daily will not by itself overcome the consequence of sitting for prolonged periods of time. If you are in a sedentary job, a job that requires sitting for long periods of time, improving your health and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease can be as simple as walking in place or simply standing when taking a phone call for a couple of minutes every hour or two. Learn to stand and walk when handling phone calls -if you need to make notes, you can actually bend over and do that. Get up and go to the water fountain and/or the restroom every couple of hours. If you go to the water fountain and drink water as you should, going to the restroom will take care of itself. Not only will the trip to the water fountain keep you moving every couple of hours but it will cure one of the most prevalent nutritional problems Americans suffer; that is, chronic dehydration.
Eat well, move and enjoy good health.
Myth 1 - You can exercise yourself thin (invariably followed by buy this…and lose 10 lbs in 10 days")
Truth: No! and No! While it is theoretically possible to exercise yourself thin, and a few have the time to do that, reality and actually doing so is a different matter. Losing one pound per week requires deleting 3500 calories a week, 500 calories per day, from you plate or burning 3500 calories more per week than you are consuming. That doesn't sound so mythical until you realize that, depending on your weight and the speed at which you walk, it means walking an extra 4-5 hours each day.
Myth2 - You can be fit and healthy if you eat right; (if you follow the diet in this book that you can get for only $12.99). Dieting as we normally think of it; i.e. the fad diets, to lose 10-20 pounds in two weeks, if followed strictly, may work for some - for two weeks. We all know what happen after that. The demon returns and brings a friend with him. In fact, most of the weight lost is water. Add to that the fact that most fad, fast weight loss diets restrict some needed nutrient. In short, the cannot be the basis for a long-term healthy eating weight maintenance plan. Hippocrates said "Let your medicine be your food and your food be your medicine." - or something very close to that. There is much truth in that. What we eat is as important as the calories consumed - perhaps, in a sense, more so. While it is true that bottom line, your weight is a matter of calories in and calories out. Calorie for calorie, nutrient dense, high fiber foods, and complex carbohydrates encourage eating less because they are more satisfying and are, for want of a better way of putting it, slow release. Simple carbohydrates and low fiber, nutrient poor foods will give you a quick burst of energy; however, they just as quickly burn off leaving you reaching for a snack. And that snack is almost invariably a simple carbohydrate to get your blood glucose back up.
But, Yes! It is possible to get thin by diet alone. Possible is not probable, and the fact is that few who lose weight by diet alone manage to keep it off. However, as true as that is, it overlooks the fact that the human body was made to move and not moving it will destroy it. While it is possible to lose weight, at least temporarily, by diet alone, it is not possible to get fit and healthy by diet alone.
Really? Seriously? Yes! Recent studies by numerous reseachers have found that maintaining a healthy weight but living a sedentary lifestyle will put you at the same risk for heart disease as an active smoker. (see note below)
Truth: Maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy body requires following both a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. You will neither eat yourself healthy nor exercise yourself thin. A healthy lifestyle is a balance of good nutrition and proper exercise.
Note: Further research (ASCM et al) has found that 30-60 minutes of exercise daily will not by itself overcome the consequence of sitting for prolonged periods of time. If you are in a sedentary job, a job that requires sitting for long periods of time, improving your health and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease can be as simple as walking in place or simply standing when taking a phone call for a couple of minutes every hour or two. Learn to stand and walk when handling phone calls -if you need to make notes, you can actually bend over and do that. Get up and go to the water fountain and/or the restroom every couple of hours. If you go to the water fountain and drink water as you should, going to the restroom will take care of itself. Not only will the trip to the water fountain keep you moving every couple of hours but it will cure one of the most prevalent nutritional problems Americans suffer; that is, chronic dehydration.
Eat well, move and enjoy good health.
