Popular Weight Loss Programs can be Hazardous to Your Health

One of the main reasons people have such trouble losing weight and keeping it off is that they’re not properly educated on how to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way.  Millions of people each year fall for much-hyped weight loss fads that come on and off the market and in and out of the press.  While certain aspects of these programs are sometimes based on valid research, they often take things to extremes and are so narrow in focus that they can actually be hazardous to your health.

For example, one method, employed by a few popular programs, advocates restricting calories to lose extra pounds.  While caloric intake is one factor to consider when dieting, what’s more important is picking the right kinds of foods.  Many of these programs don’t address what you eat on the diet, as long as you stay within a specified daily calorie count (or ‘points’).  It doesn’t take a trained dietitian to see that restricting calories with no regard for the nutritional content of the food you’re putting into your body is not only unsustainable, but potentially unhealthy.

Other popular programs attempt to control what you eat by providing the food for you.  These package foods are certainly convenient, but a look at the label will reveal that the food is highly processed, loaded with artificial colors, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, and sugar.  The food provided by these programs is often very high in carbohydrates too, following the ‘old school’ high carb, low fat diet approach.  This type of diet has been shown in numerous studies to spike insulin levels and ultimately make losing weight much harder.  Also, followers of these programs notoriously gain back all the weight they lost and then some because of this outdated methodology.

The bottom line is that dieting is a complex issue with factors that are not often taken into consideration by fad diet programs that are more interested in making a quick buck than in the long-term health of people desperate to lose weight.  A good diet program should offer specific nutritional recommendations and be easy enough to follow long term.  There really is not a single diet that’s right for everyone.  There are, however, certain steps everyone can take to improve their health and control their weight at the same time.

As a chiropractor, I am concerned with your health as a whole, not just your back, as so many assume.  If you’re ready to take steps to improve your overall health and well-being, contact our office today to set up an appointment.  You’ll be glad you did!

Photo credit: Alan Cleaver

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