You eat too much by Greg Stevens

Moderation is the key. Knowing your intake and expenditure will help regulate your weigh. Even on cheat days, knowing exactly what you take in is essential in living a lifestyle that doesn’t deprive you of your wants and needs as well as cravings.

 

Decades ago, health experts identified fatty foods as one source of obesity among Americans, and recommended that people regulate their intake of fatty foods. This was good advice, but the way that it got translated into the common American mind was this: “Fat-free foods are magic! All I have to do is eat fat-free, and everything will be fixed!”

So Americans sat at home, eating entire boxes of fat-free cookies in one sitting. They remained fat.

More recently, health experts identified sugars and carbohydrates as a source of obesity among Americans, and recommended that people regulate their intake of carbohydrates. This was also good advice. But the way it got translated into the common American mind was, “A carbohydrate-free diet is magic! If I just stop eating carbohydrates entirely, then everything will be fixed!”

So Americans sat at home, eating bacon and eggs with cheese but no toast. They remained fat.

Finally, health experts decided to keep it simple and tell people to take in fewer calories than they burn. In an effort to prevent further misunderstanding, they approached the obesity problem with the simplest of possible equations: eat less and exercise more!

This is, yet again, excellent advice. But what did Americans hear? In their desperate need for a quick magical fix, this was translated as: “I should just eat as little as possible, and then I’ll lose weight really quickly!”

So Americans spent a week eating nothing but lettuce, became tired and irritable and light-headed, and said “This isn’t working! I give up!” And, yes. They remained fat.

Read more via You eat too much – Greg Stevens – The Kernel.

Posted: Sunday, October 20th, 2013

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