Does your diet always fail?

Dieting can be a real pain. We try to watch what we eat, check all the labels for fat content (saturated, unsaturated, and trans fat), sodium content, carbohydrate / sugar content, vitamins and minerals, etc. For those with various types of food allergies, things get a lot more complicated. Wow, who would want to eat out at a restaurant and then fear that the food or food preparation utencils may contain wheat, soy, peanuts, egg or milk products and any number of other things that may be harmful to them.

There are many reasons that your attempts at dieting may not have worked. Here are a few of them: 1) You don't exercise enough. It's likely more important to have a fit body than a slim body. Working out has many benefits. It burns excess calories, strengthens bone structure, builds muscle, and boosts our resting metabolic rate. It is good to note that a pound of muscle burns up to 35 calories a day, while a pound of fat burns only two. Exercising on a regular basis has the additional benefits of improving one's mood, building stamina, and opening up potential for meeting others that want to diet or exercise as well. If this results in developing a support system with your dieting endeavor, so much the better.

2) Advertising claims are often false. Despite the claims we often see in magazines, on the internet, and on TV, there is no magic wand that will magically melt pounds away. As a note of caution, the use of diet pills and appetite suppressants can be dangerous and should be carefully monitored. Even FDA approved "Alli" should be used as a supplement, not a replacement, for healthy eating and a regular workout regime.

3)You may have unrealistic expectations. Don't expect to lose more than 2-3 pounds per week. Anything more can be harmful to one's health. Just a few days of severe caloric restriction, which cleansing liquid diets often recommend, can cause your body to shift into starvation mode. If this happens, the body tends to save fat and to burn muscle - the exact opposite that you want!! Dieting, if too extreme, can often result in fatigue, apathy, lack of energy, depression, and even serious medical problems.

4)Do you keep a food journal? Writing down everything you eat gives you a much better idea of your daily caloric intake. Studies show that keeping a food journal can be a big help. A fairly large study (with 2,000 dieters) at Kaiser Permanente found that those utilizing a journal did much better with their diet than those who did not. Also, using a journal has the added benefit of naturally reducing your food intake. Many studies have shown this to be true in any number of psychological studies. Once a person starts to keep careful track of their behavior, it tends to change their behavior (e.g., with smoking, bouts of anger, alcohol consumption).

5)Too many sugar substitutes may be a problem. People often feel that junk food that contains sugar substitutes are fine (e.g., diet sodas, sugar free chocolate). Not true. They can be a problem as well, especially if used on a regular basis. For example, it's better to replace sodas with water or tea sweetened with lemon juice. With sweet cravings, it's better to have some fruit or a small portion of dark chocolate (which contains free-radical-fighting flavonoids).

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