Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer are all strongly linked to adiposity. It is for this reason that obesity is now the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, ahead of smoking. But unlike lung cancer, these weight-related illnesses seldom result in a death sentence. In other words, they can be managed over a lifetime. However, it is extremely expensive to do so. For example, it costs six times as much to care for a person with weight-related diabetes (Type 2) than it does to treat a healthy individual. Not surprisingly, health care costs are on the rise as our national waistband continues to expand.
Fighting the battle of the bulge
Americans have a reputation for being practical and pragmatic. We solve problems by working harder than the other guy and encouraging creativity and the free and open exchange of ideas. But when it comes to weight loss, we seem to have hit the proverbial brick wall. Not only are we the fattest developed nation on Earth, we also spend more on diet and weight loss products than any other. The enormous diet industry rakes in about 40 billion dollars a year and has a success rate that's only slightly higher than snake oil.
About ninety-five percent of the people who lose weight on a diet gain it back within one year! The reason? Diets are not natural! By the time the average person reaches adulthood, he or she has established a fairly consistent daily diet that includes main meals and snacks. Reducing caloric intake, which is how most diets achieve their evanescent results, is certainly possible, but not sustainable. How do we know? Because the average diet only lasts for around two weeks, after which the average dieter goes right back to eating the foods that made he/she fat in the first place.
Substitution is answer
As much as diet gurus prattle on about portion control that is not what is driving overeating in America. The single biggest contributor to our rising caloric intake is the number of snacks people eat each day. In the last forty years, the average American adult has gone from eating one snack a day to two. This has added about three hundred calories to his diet each and every day!
Asking Americans not to snack is simply unreasonable, since most of us have grown accustomed to it. But what we can do is substitute unhealthy snacks for healthy protein snacks. So, instead of eating a bag of potato chips, pick up a protein bar! What's the difference?
Nutritionists and medical professionals aren't quite sure why protein snacks help people lose weight. But most believe that it has something to do with the fact that higher protein diets make people feel fuller for longer. As a result, they end up eating fewer protein snacks, which helps them reduce their daily caloric intake.
Protein snacks also help people build more muscle if they work out with weights. And since muscle burns more calories than fat, they will naturally drop pounds as they put on muscle. A protein diet is also a safe alternative to restrictive plans that expect you to cut your caloric intake to unhealthy, unsustainable levels.
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to lose weight without starving yourself or subsisting on bland, unpalatable foods. Doctors Best Weight Loss helps people reach weight loss goals with protein diets that include tasty and nutritious replacement meals and protein snacks. For more information, please visit us at http://www.doctorsbestweightloss.com.
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