Why Is Weight Loss A Billion Dollar Industry?
In Weight Loss on May 28th, 2009 | 919 views
by Vic Shayne, PhD
Americans are spending billions of dollars to find out how they can lose weight. That’s a lot of money, but the most ironic thing is that all this obsession over HOW to lose weight is met with the SAD FACT that the United States is AN OBESE COUNTRY. USA Today reports that 20% of preschoolers are obese. That’s one in five children who are only four years old. MSNBC reports:
The number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are merely overweight, according to the latest statistics from the federal government. Numbers posted by the National Center for Health Statistics show that more than 34 percent of Americans are obese, compared to 32.7 percent who are overweight. It said just under 6 percent are “extremely” obese. More than one-third of adults, or over 72 million people, were obese in 2005-2006, the NCHS said in its report.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and San Diego State University say that a lack of physical activity was the most significant risk factor contributing to obesity in 11- to 15-year-olds.
So how can it be that we as a nation are so diet-conscious while at the same time so miserably overweight? My hunch is that the problem lies anywhere in between these facts:
- People gain weight then lose it and then gain it, so they become lifetime customers of the swelling (pardon the pun) weight loss industry.
- Obesity continues to go up, creating an ever-new source of weight loss industry business and customer base.
- People are more weight conscious than they are health-conscious. It’s an image thing and not a health issue.
- It’s easier (so it is rationalized) to cycle in and out of weight loss than stay on a steady, healthy course.
- People are addicted to bad foods.
- People are less and less physically active.
- Our federal government allows makers of bad, sickening food to advertise as if they are offering something worth eating
If you want to lose weight, remember these FIVE FACTS first and you’ll be on your way to success:
- Eat fewer calories (if you eat less, you’ll burn more)
- Exercise daily: an activity that keeps up your heartbeat and respiration.
- Eat fewer carbohydrates because carbs that are not used are stored as sugar and fat.
- Think about health first, weight second.
Ashley Chrisinger
Says:November 24th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I disagree with fact #3 about eating fewer foods rich in carbohydrates. Fat protein and carbohydrates are all stored as fat if eaten in excess of what the body uses.
However, carbohydrates break down quicker than fat or protein. As a result your body may feel hungry sooner after eating a carbohydrate rich meal than it would had that meal been high in fat or protein.
It still boils down to a balance between calories consumed and calories burned.
admin
Says:November 29th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Carbohydrates are more and more being shown to have negative health effects. They create more metabolic toxins, are stored as fat when unused, have a deleterious effect on the pancreas, and create inflammation. True, calories are important, but maybe more important are the types of calories. Some foods are easier to metabolize than others. It would be better to eat 1000 calories of vegetables than 1000 calories of pasta or cake. Read Life Without Bread for more on this.