YoYo
Dieting
I
remember the yoyo was a neat toy when I was a kid, though I became
bored with it quickly. I never envied my friends that could make
it walk the line, do the deep sleep or travel around the world.
Didn't they have something better to do? My spinner cracked and
came apart from high-velocity, ground-zero impact and the string
knotted and frayed from failed loopty-loop tricks. The yoyo, come
to think of it, was a real pain in the glutes.
Today
we hear the word yoyo in reference to the copious fad diets that
are failed, boring and not at all to be envied. They too are knotted,
cracked and frayed. Do you find yourself practicing the eating schemes
that appear in the snappy magazines at every checkout stand in town?
I don't blame you; who doesn't want a flat tummy and tight buns
the easy way? Why don't they work... any of them... ever?
Okay. Some work, sometime. Mostly fad diets don't because of the
following reasons, which I will invent as we go along:
-
The
dieter is a hopeful and trusting individual who is quick to
throw his or her innocence off the nutritional cliff. Disappointment
beats him up and he breaks into a hundred pieces when he lands
on the rocks below. The weight loss was achieved and grasped
for almost twenty-four hours before the dehydrated and half-starved
body and the emotionally derailed personality fought its way
back to its familiar and comfortable ground. Nobody prepared
the good folks for the temporary nature of their charming loss
of weight. They experience defeat and are cut deep. The yoyo
begins its never-ending motion.
-
The
groping individual is very well invested in the overweight condition
and a quick-fix fad diet is not sufficient in style or approach
for serious weight loss. The recommendations are cute and mild
Band-Aids for a bleeding wound but metabolic changes
are necessary and more advanced strategies need be designed
and implemented. Bigger guns must be requisitioned.
-
The
menu offered is food to serve the fledgling dieter who is tiptoeing
through the day with a minimum of activity. The calories have
been reduced to a number just above basal metabolic requirements
(the number of calories to produce enough energy to breathe
and keep the heart beating) and suggest nothing of exercise
beyond minor typical daily activity. Nothing in the way of muscle
building is encouraged.
-
The
more aggressive diets that include exercise suggest the classic
aerobics that improve the cardio-respiratory system, heighten
the metabolism and add luster to the participant. Aerobics alone
do little to build muscle and, too often, interfere with healthy
muscular development.
-
Diets suggesting too few calories can cause low blood sugar
and the symptoms that accompany hypoglycemia: sluggishness,
drowsiness, irritability, jitters and the more serious condition
of fainting. The body operating on excessively low calories
runs the risk of shifting into a starvation mode where calories
are hoarded to preserve the system and stored as fat. Not what
the dieter had in mind.
-
The
diets that are applauded and revered by the heart, cancer and
diabetic associations are very nicely balanced but somewhat
upside-down for anyone who would like to do a little more than
walk about and do their daily thing. We need to be more physical
and we need more protein and less sugar to accommodate the muscle-demanding
activity.
The
profile of society changes as knowledge and understanding grows.
It also shifts with politics, economy and the invasion of devious
thinking. Pause and look around. Sometimes it appears that too few
are doing just that. The child's game "Follow the Leader" can be
as tedious as the silly yoyo.
I'm no rawhide cowboy but where have all the physical people gone?
Has it always been that whatever we are told we believe? There are
some archaic notions disguised as fact, especially in the area of
nutrition. Researchers are frowning on sugar, embracing protein
and admit that fat is not the slippery monster it was once thought
to be. There are lies disguised as fact, as well: Beware of fast
food.
Keep your eyes and ears open. Truths and revelations in the area
of nutrition and exercise are forthcoming.
The
word "diet" originally comes from the Greek word "diaita," which
means "manner of living." Balancing protein, carbohydrates and fats
along with the quality of the foods we eat comprise only a part
of the whole. Much more needs to be added to the "manner of living"
to make the picture complete. Restoring and maintaining the health
of the system is a gradual, long-term process that requires time,
a lifetime of time.
Fad
diets match the slow-to-commit nature of mankind today. Something
faster and easier is right around the corner... honest... and at
half the price.
Do you realize that the things of which we speak health,
strength, muscle and fitness you can attain?
Do you realize that you cannot attain them without hard work and
perseverance? Hard work and perseverance define success. No good
thing is accomplished without them.
Could
I bestow you with gifts, you would need no others than hard work
and perseverance. They are the Crown Jewels.
Click
here to order your personalized, autographed copy of Dave's
book, Your Body Revival, $18.95
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