Hello there, hope everyone had a great week so far! It is almost the end of January. We are seeing more and more people around the Savannah exercising and trying to get in shape because Carnival is approaching and they want to look their best.
What about friends and co-workers trying new “diets” that promise “quick” weight loss results without exercising? There are so many “diets” out there that would be nearly impossible to name them all!
But people are so desperate to lose the weight fast for an upcoming wedding or to play mass. They are willing to do anything for a “quick” fix including starving themselves. Unfortunately, they do not realize that their health is at serious stake here and that these diets do not work.
THE YO-YO DIETING EFFECT
What this mean exactly? It means that after you are done with the diet, you go back to your old eating habits. It is not surprising that most people who follow fad diets regain all the weight back (Plus more!) within an extended period of time (1 to 5 years). According to an UCLA Researcher Report:
“You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of diets, but then the weight comes back…”We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of participants, while complete weight regain was found in the majority. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people.”
So unless your purpose is to regain all the weight you are attempting to lose (And gain even more) forget about diets!
UNHEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS
When you start hearing about calories restriction programs you can be assured that it is unhealthy. The truth is that when you are eating healthy and exercising, you do not have to worry about counting calories. You will lose the weight naturally.
What does it mean to eat healthy? It means you are eating a balanced diet of lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and legumes. They are fantastic for your body. They can help reduce illnesses and provide you with amazing energy throughout the day. It is something the body needs and approves.
Fad diets on the other hand, can be extremely dangerous because they lack essential nutrients, causing the person to go through periods of dehydration, weakness, fatigue, nausea and mood swings (Because they are hungry!). It can also lead to eating disorders.
IT IS ALL ABOUT MARKETING
There is a reason fad diets and programs exist: Money, money and more money! They do not care about you or your health, as long as there is an audience willing to try their gimmicks they will continue selling their products. Please do not waste any money on programs that promise you quick weight loss because you will be putting yourself in harm’s way.
If you have any issues with weight, the solution does not lie in wasting money on expensive/imported products or counting calories, the solution lies in finding out why you are overweight, changing your perception and vision about food and your relationship with it and then learning how and what to eat again.
VEGANISM IS NOT A DIET
Erroneously, many people think veganism is a “diet” but it is not. Veganism is a way of living or in other words…it is a lifestyle. Most vegans (I say most because we have quite a few junk food vegans) eat a healthy diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes.
We do not worry about whether our food will makes us “fat”, instead we are concerned about what we put inside our bodies and the impact it will have in our overall health.
We have one body ONLY and it is the same body that hopefully will let us reach until we are 100 years old and beyond. Why poison it with unhealthy foods that will result in shortening our life span or suffer preventable illnesses such as diabetes, cholesterol and heart disease?
The focus shouldn’t be in losing weight, it should be about being healthy. Because when you are healthy and you are eating consistently the right foods, you will lose the weight normally without dieting.
There is no quick fix or miracles; it requires a complete lifestyle change. Serious discipline and commitment; it is a process and a very individual one.
Very few people are willing to make this change because that’s how humans generally are, we do not want to change. However, sometimes those changes bring with themselves so many unexpected benefits that can help us live rather than survive.
It seems cliché but we do have one life to live and one body to do it all. Let’s make the best out of it.
Thanks for this article. I have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight for many years. I dislike people who use veganism for a while to lose weight because as you said veganism isn’t a diet but a lifestyle so even if they try to go vegan for a little while just to lose weight they will regain all the weight back.
Great blog post trinivegan. I live in the US but I’m from Trinidad last time I was over there I realised how big my fellow Trinis are getting and I blame it all to all the american fast food outlets that we have here. What about granny cooking some provisions and vegetables? We’re moving further and further away from our roots.
I just want to thank you for this post because I’m sick tired to hear people talk about diets and trying to convince me that they’re good.