Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Why Diets Don't Work: Counting Calories

People are obsessed with counting calories. A nice evening out can turn into a comedy show as the dieter will spend countless minutes trying to figure out what to order. The friends and family wait patienly as they refer to their charts and perform calculations on their calorie counters or mobile dieting apps. Then the poor waitress must endure a barrage of questions and special requests when he/she arrives to take the meal orders.

Calorie counting is too cumbersome for dieters to deal with. It becomes a chore for them at the restaurant and at the supermarket. This new way of life can take the pleasure out of daily tasks and evenings out. Even dinner at the neighbors can be awkward, where there will be no nutrition labels or calorie guides. The dieter may risk being offensive by asking how the food was made or scurrying off to the guest computer to look up the main course for an accurate calorie count.

Calorie counting is the biggest scam that commercial diet companies use to market their weight loss techniques. It takes away from the decision making process of the individual. Instead of using common sense to know that a head of lettuce is healthier for you than a cheesburger.

Why diet soda is no good

Diet soda other than the sugar has the same unpleasant ingredients than regular soda has. If you read my previous post about soda, you will know that people who drink soda are missing out on essential minerals even water provides more of.

Diet soda contains the same unnatural ingredients such as artificial flavorings and colorings and other fillers.

You will most likely drink more diet soda than you would regular soda because you think it is better for you.


POISON

Diet soda contains aspartame, a bio-engineered chemical that can react with your body in a negative way. If you google diet soda and aspartame, you will be presented with nothing but warnings about the product. It would behoove you to visit some of the sites.


QUANTITY

Diet foods are a copout: The same quantities are consumed compared to regular foods, and this does not do much in the way of...

cutting down
eating less
stomach shrinkage
and most of all
will power

A solution to a very serious problem!

SODA SODA SODA is the problem. Soda is addicting, soda is sweet and rots your teeth, soda is comprised of about 6 teaspoons of sugar, soda has no redeeming qualities. Your body is better off without it. Obviously.

Why is soda addicting? It is sweet and the carbonation masks it. As a result, it goes down easy. It is cold and refreshing (not) and goes great with any meal. But in reality, it is the devil in disguise. Why?

Soda is made with distilled water, and that means it goes through a process where impurities are removed. It has fewer minerals in it than tap water and as a result is anti-corrosive and can be used for many things. You can drink distilled water, but health officials advise against it. It lacks certain minerals that can be a benefit to the human body. Since many folks drink soda as a substitute for water or other liquids, and are not getting enough nutrients.

Soda has way too much sugar in it. You would not drink the soda if it was not carbonated. Try putting 6 or 7 teaspoons of sugar in 12 ounces of water and taste it. Nasty. Just think what the body has to go through when it is suddenly bombarded with all the sugar. Throughout the day your body will be going through so many sugar highs and lows. The result is fatigue, sluggishness and a downright yucky feeling.

Folks who drink soda have a higher chance of developing diabetes and being overweight. Bone density is also affected as a result of the lack of nutrients and because soda is very oxidative, corroding whatever it comes in contact with. We'll discuss all the bad ingredients in another post.

So what is the solution? It is very simple and is the best thing you can do for yourself and your family!

Drink Water!!

What are your guilty times during the day?

What are your guilty times during the day? Think about what you do in the morning and what you have for breakfast. Maybe you will make a cup of coffee or wait and pick it up on the way to work. You may prepare a bagel at home or go to the deli. What about the egg sandwich that you are so used to having in the morning.

Now on to lunch. Your coworkers often take an office poll to see what fast food joint to go to, or maybe take an order for the deli. The fax will spit out a special from one of the local deli's nearby. Chances are you don't bring your lunch to work and haven't in a long time.

After lunch you will struggle to stay awake as the body must process all the savory foods that you ate. How do you deal with this? Do you go for the coffee machine and pour yourself a cup or to the fridge to get a can of soda. The cup of coffee or can of soda will become your crutch, helping you to stay alert, so you are not a bobble head for the rest of the day.

It does not take long to figure out your guilty times. Should you write them down? No, because you are very aware of them and they are a part of your schedule. An everyday ritual that has become part of your life. Keep thinking about your guilty times and wonder if you can get through the day without a few of them?