| As obesity continues to rise alarmingly, it places | | | | achieve their goals, tend to blame the diet and |
| extreme pressure on our health systems and | | | | give up altogether. Losing weight gradually at one |
| medical facilities. In the United States alone nearly | | | | or two pounds a week (1kg) is fine but anything |
| two-thirds of adults are now classed as being | | | | more than this is simply not realistic or sustainable |
| overweight and half of these (more than 72 | | | | in the long term. |
| million people) are considered obese. Obesity, once | | | | A change of mindset is required to successfully |
| a disease of old age and high living is now | | | | lose weight and keep it off. The bottom line is, |
| affecting younger and younger slices of the | | | | you have to make serious lifestyle changes that |
| population. For the first time in history we could | | | | include include your eating habits and a regular |
| see a whole generation of children develop | | | | exercise regime. Reduce the quantity of food you |
| diseases at an earlier rate when they become | | | | are eating and/or replace high calorie foods with |
| adults. | | | | low calorie alternatives. Combine this with regular |
| The reasons for this rise in obesity are many and | | | | exercise to burn off more calories and you will |
| varied but center largely on the fact that many | | | | lose weight. |
| people are now less active than they used to be, | | | | Starting this new lifestyle should be a gradual |
| preferring to sit in front of the television and | | | | change, however as people become more |
| watch sport rather than participate in it. Of | | | | motivated and have more energy, they tend to |
| course, one of the other major reasons is the | | | | appreciate these new feelings that have been |
| availability of a huge variety of fast and | | | | absent from their lives for a long time. |
| convenient foods containing high levels of | | | | Many simple vegetarian recipes can be of value in |
| saturated fats, salt, sugar and cholesterol. This | | | | controlling obesity. They are generally high in |
| means that the we are not burning off the | | | | nutrition and energy, tasty, low in fat and calories. |
| calories consumed each day, leading to weight | | | | You should now leave the word "diet" out of your |
| acceleration. | | | | vocabulary and think more about a "change in |
| Some experts on this subject argue that dieting is | | | | your lifestyle" in order to conquer your weight |
| not the solution as most dieters set themselves | | | | problem and look forward to a healthy and |
| unrealistic expectations and when they do not | | | | prolonged life. |