Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Diet of the Americas
There is a new craze sweeping the country. There is a new diet that is “proven� to work, and most claim it is a healthy and easy way to lose weight. Most people who have gotten on this diet have lost weight, and fairly quickly. One of my roommates in college tried it (until he got sick of not being able to drink beer) and did lose a few pounds. It seems this is the new trendy diet, and I feel like everyone I talk to is on it.
The idea of the diet is this-you cut all the carbos out of your diet. So basically you are eating meat. And that is about it. This, to me, seems to contradict everything we’ve been told about eating healthy. However, the times have changed and this is now an “accepted� healthy way to eat. Bread sales are down across the country. Bakery’s are losing money. Makes me wonder if maybe the Cattlemen’s Association made this diet up to stimulate their sagging sales? Let’s not digress.
Here is my problem with the diet. I can accept the fact that there are many people who need to lose weight because they are in danger of heart attack, stroke, or other physical ailments as a result of their obesity. I do think this diet could be a good way to get the weight loss started as it works quickly and can be good for self-esteem. My problem, however, is more with people who don’t need a drastic weight loss but just want/need to lose a reasonable amount of weight. I am calling this diet the “Diet of the Americas� because it represents our society-lazy and looking for the quickest and easiest solution to a problem. Why do I say this? Here’s why-this diet does not encourage restraint or self-control in the amount of food being eaten. Eat as much as you want, just make sure there are no carbos. It also does not encourage any kind of lifestyle change-say, exercising now and then. When I first started working after college I gained weight and weighed more than at any other time in my life. What did I do? I started exercising and eating better/less. As a result, I lost some weight. I know some people don’t lose weight very easily, but this diet is a cop out. Instead of having to make any changes (God forbid a person do something that changes their routine and might be a bit of a hassle) such as eating LESS and exercising MORE, you are rewarded for maintaining your lazy lifestyle. I think that is the biggest tragedy of this diet. It’s great that it works, but it doesn’t teach you anything worthwhile. Besides, you are missing out on eating so many good foods! I am flabbergasted by this whole thing. When did doctors stop promoting veggies and exercise? Not to mention moderation in food quantities?
The craze surrounding this diet saddens me. I wish the people supporting this diet would try and convince people that they need to eat less and START EXERCISING! I guess it makes sense though. How much energy can you have if you eat nothing but meat and never get off your lazy ass?
The idea of the diet is this-you cut all the carbos out of your diet. So basically you are eating meat. And that is about it. This, to me, seems to contradict everything we’ve been told about eating healthy. However, the times have changed and this is now an “accepted� healthy way to eat. Bread sales are down across the country. Bakery’s are losing money. Makes me wonder if maybe the Cattlemen’s Association made this diet up to stimulate their sagging sales? Let’s not digress.
Here is my problem with the diet. I can accept the fact that there are many people who need to lose weight because they are in danger of heart attack, stroke, or other physical ailments as a result of their obesity. I do think this diet could be a good way to get the weight loss started as it works quickly and can be good for self-esteem. My problem, however, is more with people who don’t need a drastic weight loss but just want/need to lose a reasonable amount of weight. I am calling this diet the “Diet of the Americas� because it represents our society-lazy and looking for the quickest and easiest solution to a problem. Why do I say this? Here’s why-this diet does not encourage restraint or self-control in the amount of food being eaten. Eat as much as you want, just make sure there are no carbos. It also does not encourage any kind of lifestyle change-say, exercising now and then. When I first started working after college I gained weight and weighed more than at any other time in my life. What did I do? I started exercising and eating better/less. As a result, I lost some weight. I know some people don’t lose weight very easily, but this diet is a cop out. Instead of having to make any changes (God forbid a person do something that changes their routine and might be a bit of a hassle) such as eating LESS and exercising MORE, you are rewarded for maintaining your lazy lifestyle. I think that is the biggest tragedy of this diet. It’s great that it works, but it doesn’t teach you anything worthwhile. Besides, you are missing out on eating so many good foods! I am flabbergasted by this whole thing. When did doctors stop promoting veggies and exercise? Not to mention moderation in food quantities?
The craze surrounding this diet saddens me. I wish the people supporting this diet would try and convince people that they need to eat less and START EXERCISING! I guess it makes sense though. How much energy can you have if you eat nothing but meat and never get off your lazy ass?
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