The Pitfalls of Diets and What to Do Instead – Charlaine Martin
A Remake of Dieting is “Die” with a “T” at the End” From 2014 on www.totallyfit4life.net.
When I talk with my Healthy Lifestyles group members about what they want to accomplish with their weight loss plans, I usually hear about the diets they’ve tried and failed. One question I ask is this, “If a diet is supposed to help you reach your goals, then why are you here?” The primary response is like this, “Oh, I lost weight, but when I stopped, the weight came right back– plus a few pounds.” My standard answer goes like this, “Sure, you can LOSE weight with almost any diet, but those diets aren’t designed to maintain your goal weight.” Some of those diets have harmful side effects. The truth of the matter is that diets are terrible at helping you reach and maintain your goals (WebMD).
When I use the term “diet,” I am referring to fad diets. Fad diets commonly delete entire food groups either in a progression or entirely. Your body needs all of the food groups for optimum health. What happens when you diet is that your body is deprived of certain nutrients, resulting in malnutrition. Even if you take a supplement, taking out any food group may alter the absorption of the supplements you take (Henry Ford). Calcium can block the absorption of iron, for example. There are other effects, too, like overdosing on fat-soluble vitamins like A, E, D, and K. Keep in mind that the best way to get your vitamins and minerals is through healthy, nutritious food from all of the food groups. Making wise choices is key. Learning good stewardship of your body is imperative to optimum health at a healthy weight.
Diets sell books and products. They use gimmicks for marketing these books and products, aimed at pulling you in to buy them. The reason these books and products are available to you is for the author and the companies backing them to make money. Indeed, the author of a weight-loss book wants to help people, but more people are behind the book than just the author. Buyer beware! The author may have had good intentions going in, but the bottom line runs the show.
What most people really want is to lose weight, feel better, and look better. The answer is straightforward: eat right and get enough exercise. Christians who want to lose weight and improve their health need a safe Christian faith context to do so. Anything else is superficial.
That is why I developed Healthy Lifestyles. Healthy Lifestyles groups help Christians like you discover how to make healthy changes—physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually– that become a lifestyle you can maintain in daily life. I would love for you to join me in October. Gain insights and learn to use the right tools to help you help yourself with Jesus at the center of this lifestyle transformation. I have seen people from several other programs who are overweight, having gone back to old, unhealthy habits, yet proudly announce that they did that study. What happened? They did the same thing most dieters do. They put the book on the bookshelf, where it gathers dust on the bookshelf. I want to see you succeed in a God-honoring way. To learn more and to register for Healthy Lifestyles, click here.
God bless you!
“8 Myths About Vitamin Supplements” by Bethany Thayer, MS, RDN. March 22, 2016, Henry Ford Livewell.
https://www.henryford.com/blog/2016/03/8-myths-about-vitamin-supplements
“Losing Weight Without Fad Diets” Reviewed by Sabrina Felson, MD on July 31, 2020. WebMD.com.
