Saturday, October 11, 2008

Diet Your Way To a Slim and Trim Figure!

By Dane Masters

For anyone who has had a never ending battle with the bulge, weight loss diets are a godsend. Or a nightmare, depending on your perspective! Ask anyone who has ever been on a weight loss diet and you will get a mixed bag of reactions. While some will vouch for their specific weight loss diet, others will pooh pooh all weight loss diets and call them fanciful or useless. But the fact remains that if you intend to burn that fat, a weight loss diet is your best bet.

Over the years, weight loss diets have become an industry in their own right. If one were to track the genesis of weight loss diets, the seventies would be a great place to start. For this is when the first of the weight loss diets made an appearance. Decades of stable economy coupled with an increased earning capacity and standard of living gave most Americans the traditional symbol of prosperity - an expanding midriff. And for those who were image conscious, the very first weight loss diets were created. Since weight loss diets were concocted mostly at home, and included instructions on what not to eat rather than what to eat, the industry (if you can call it that) was not very successful.

Since the husband could not control his expanding girth himself, his wife had to do it for him. Constant checks were made by her to ensure that the belly was not expanding. To keep his weight in control, she would totally get rid of all those foodstuffs that caused weight gain, or gradually reduce their quantities from their regular meals. she had never heard of a balanced diet or proper nutrition. And there were no qualified professionals around to offer any sort of advice concerning food or diets.

It was in the early eighties however that weight loss diets became a full-fledged institution. By now, the battle against the bulge had become a real enough health issue for governments and healthcare providers to sit up and take notice. The census and healthcare figures of this period reveal that nearly one out of every four Americans was clinically obese. And weigh loss diets and practitioners literally began crawling out of the woodwork to set shop. This was the time when numerous fads emerged. There were some weight loss diets that encouraged vegetarianism. Others like the Atkins weight loss diet promoted eating of meet, but disallowed starch and carbohydrates. Some other weight loss diets promoted fresh fruits and vegetables exclusively while still others eschewed everything that contributed to excess calories. This was an era when calorie counters emerged and weight loss diets became synonymous with body fat analysis and lean muscle weight.

Like most others, I have also found myself battling with a bulging belly! And just like other people, weight control diets have been a regular part of my life for quite some time. What I discovered from these experiences is that no matter how good the diet is, it all comes to nought without regular exercise. It is not advisable to starve oneself just to avoid weight gain. Along with weight, you also lose strength and vitality. An effective weight control diet along with proper and regular exercise will definitely bring drastic changes in your body, and leave behind a healthier you! - 15266

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