All of us that have had a love-hate relationship with diets know that it is very easy to succumb to the phenomena known as the "yo-yo diet". What is the yo-yo diet, and how can we prevent ourselves from taking that path which can only end in disappointment, unhealthy weight gains and weightlosses, and damaged self esteem? Yo-yo dieting, as it has been termed, is the cycle of losing and gaining weight that seems to be so prevalent in the United States. It is this cycle that causes several health issues, and also mental trauma in the people that experience it on a regular basis. The opposite of this, is of course the maintenance of a healthy body weight, without the typical ups and downs associated with the yo yo diet, except maybe a small fluctuation of a couple pounds around the holidays or times of stress and lifestyle changes. There seems to be a neverending quest for the latest diet gimmick, the newest and greatest way to "cheat" the system, and eat whatever you want without paying the consequences both on the scale and healthwise. While there is no easy fix, there are definitely healthy methods and healthy weightloss pills, patches and systems that can help curb an overzealous appetite, and get the ball rolling in the right direction for healthy, consistent and permanent weightloss and maintenance. The largest part of the equation seems to be the appetite. This can especially hold true for women, who seems to have more of a natural affinity towards sweets and certain types of unhealthy fats due to hormonal ups and downs. It has actually been scientifically proven that women are genetically "programmed" to hold more body fat than men for the specific reason of child bearing and the extra energy and body fat it requires to care for and feed an infant. While it is certainly true that women are at a slight disadvantage when it comes to cravings for unhealthy and calorie-rich foods, men certainly are not exempt from this characteristic. Our society has increasingly come to rely on overly processed, nutritionally deficient foods that are too calorie dense, high on the glycemic index (read The Zone or South Beach Diet - they explain this in full!), and high in processed sugars, bad fats, and simple carbohydrates. The best diet products now in my opinion are the ones that actually help control the blood sugar constantly throughout the day, and accomplish this without caffeine and other harmful stimulants, resulting in dramatic decrease for unhealthy food cravings and overall appetite which in turns sheds pounds the healthy way. Natural diet products like this are actually best utilized in patch form, where a patch is affixed to an area not visible for the entire day and night, which allows the body's blood sugar and appetite to be regulated 24/7. This benefits the dieter in several ways. First, there are no sudden appetite or blood sugar spikes if you forgot to take your diet pill at the right time. Second, it is more convenient for the user than to carry around diet or appetite suppressant pills on their person. Third, it releases a steady amount of appetite controlling nutrients, rather than all at once as with a pill form. Some people who need help jump starting their diet may still prefer to use diet aids that are in pill form. There are also some excellent choices for that. There are now some great "carb cutting" and "carb control" pills out there that actually will reduce the effect of bad carbohydrates on the body by stabilizing blood sugar and kick the body into fat burning mode by burning up existing carbohydrates rather than storing them as fat like they would be normally when consumed in abundance. I mean, hey - we all have to have our pasta sometimes, right? The good news is, with ephedra being banned form the consumer marketplace, we now have a lot of very safe and very effective diet and weightloss supplement options that we can take advantage of when we need to shed a few pounds. They can help prevent us from slipping back into the vicious cycle of the yo-yo diet by preventing it before it even has a chance to occur. Think of it as willpower in the form of a patch or pill! |
