Healthy Weight Loss Blog

Common and highly advertised weight loss programs and products are not working. You do not have to be a genius to figure this out. Think of all the products, the diet programs, the advertisements, the books and magazines that give us information about losing weight. Yet even with all this information close to two thirds of the US adult population and close to 20 percent of children and adolescents are overweight or obese.

Obviously, something is not working and we spend billions of dollars on weight loss programs.

Part of the problem is because most diets are temporary quick fixes that satisfy our typical American mindset for a quick and easy solution and immediate gratification. When we want to lose weight we want instant results and without much effort.

Another concern is that one size does not fit all. We are all different, have different lifestyles, different genetic propensities, emotional health and behavior patterns. For example, most weight loss programs usually promote a standard approach and caloric intake for everyone such as 1200 calories for all, without considering your lifestyle, values, health history, activity, metabolic rate and food preferences.

All of which means we need to have a better understanding of ourselves and what is it that puts on weight. In the last few years, for example, we have been bombarded with information about trans fats. Restaurants in New York and other states are prohibited from using them in their cooking. Labels now must include the amount of trans fats in their products and many companies have succeeded in removing them completely.

Trans fats are a type of mostly man-made fat that the food industry loves because food does not spoil as easily as foods processed with, for example, liquid vegetable oil. They also can withstand repeated heating without breaking down. As a result, they became a mainstay in margarines, commercially baked goods, and snack foods.

Take the advice of medical experts and your motivation to lose weight by avoiding trans fats. Look for products that do not contain any in the label. It is harder to avoid trans fat in restaurants because most are not required to provide nutrition information about the food they serve, so avoid anything deep-fried since many restaurants continue to use partially hydrogenated oils in their fryers.

I am a firm believer that once you know and understand why you are gaining weight you will discover that it is painless to change your lifestyle. Trans fats are one of those culprits that will add to your weight gain.

On the other hand, fat is important in nutrition because it is a major source of energy for your body and aids in the absorption of some vitamins. Both animal and plant-derived food products contain fat, and when eaten in moderation, fat is important for proper growth, development and maintenance of good health. As a food ingredient, fat provides taste, consistency, and helps us feel full.

At the same time, do not be fooled. Fats are high in calories. All sources of fat contain 9 calories per gram making fat the most concentrated sources of calories. By comparison, carbohydrates and protein have only 4 calories per gram.

And I invite you to find more information on successful approaches to weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight at http://www.HealthyWeightLossSuccessGuide.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ruthan_Brodsky

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 10:01 pm and is filed under Weight Loss Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.