EAT SENSIBLE, EAT OFTEN, EAT SMART

Okay now, I want to see a show of hands.  Who out there has ever, or knows somebody who has tried a new diet?  After losing maybe ten to twenty pounds, you get sidetracked and the diet goes the by and by.  Here’s the part I find most interesting.  Within a short time, you regain the pounds you lost plus add five or ten extra as a door prize.

In this article I will show you two things.  The first is why you can’t keep the weight off and the second is something you can do about it that actually works.  The key to believing what I have to say is for the reader to understand and believe that I have absolutely nothing to gain by telling you this.

Let’s start out by examining the many diets one finds plastered all over the internet and magazines.  I will not mention any names for the obvious reason, but who they are is simply a matter of looking in your kitchen cupboards.

First, we must examine what these purchased diets accomplish.  I will be the first to admit that people actually lose weight on these various plans.  But, and sometimes it’s a really large but, what are we doing to our bodies?  Do these diets teach us to control our portions?  Do they naturally shrink our stomachs?  No to both questions.

The biggest thing we must look at is, HOW MUCH MONEY IS BEING MADE FROM THIS DIET, and who is making it?  In the world today, it seems a fairly safe bet that whenever something, which on the surface sounds good, comes along, somebody is making money from it. 

How many doctors have you visited about your weight who actually told you how to successfully lose the pounds?  How many nutritionists have you visited who actually showed you how to successfully lose the weight and the program was free?  How long would they be in business if what they said was without any additional expense to what you now are paying for food?

All right, I admit to being a conspiracy buff.  That admitted, here’s my version of the great weight conspiracy.  Let’s say, I’m a major seller of a diet program.  I’m making a killing selling cookbooks, pre-planned meals, pills, seminars, weekly pep talks, ad nausea, ad nausea.  Is my object to help you lose the weight, or is it to make money?  If my object is to help you lose weight, why isn’t my advice free?

The DIET CONSPIRACY goes something like this.  The media, including internet, magazines and newspapers, hype people who do not need to lose any weight.  They are nothing more then travel agents for guilt trips.  Hollywood can be included in this group.

The food industry produces food that adds inches to the waistline.  I read an article where a hidden product is used on potato chips that increases our desires to eat the next one, and the next one, until the bag is gone.  Restaurants serve portions that far exceed our body’s needs.  Grocery stores have deli’s that drive your taste buds crazy as soon as you walk through the doors.  Naturally, you will be tempted to purchase whatever it is that smells so delicious.

Doctors beat up their patients about weight but how many of them actually show us how to get the pounds off and keep them off?  While mentioning doctors, how much money is generated from stomach stapling procedures?  How many physical ailments are resulted by over eating?

How big (maybe I should spell that BIG) is the diet industry?  In this I include all of the pills, powders, prepared foods, drinks, cookbooks, weekly meetings, the list goes on and on.  I know that millions of dollars are spent by the public, perhaps even billions.  Ask yourself, is it actually to these companies advantage for you to loose weight once and for all and keep it off?  And, whatever they are promoting, is it free?  I ask this because what I will suggest later is exactly that.

We certainly don’t want to exclude the countless gyms and exercise equipment companies.  I almost hesitate to include them because I’m sure that many people use these things to tone their bodies as well as keep the weight off.  You must admit thought that exercise is often a means used to shed the pounds.

The exercise angle brings something else to mind.  In the last week I have received in my e-mail two separate ads for weight loss.  Both require me to purchase a book costing at least $40.00.  Both also require me to watch a video, which will totally enlighten me as to the value of doing so.

The introduction to the first video promises I will learn something in the video which the creator never delivers.  He does share a list of little known metabolism boosting products  he feels will be an aid to weight loss.  The list includes one product, SOYBEANS, that is currently very questionable as to it’s human value.  I do know soy is used a lot to heat up animal feed, and a filler in some less expensive burger joint hamburgers.  In his favor was advocating the use of garlic, which is a proven “wonder” food.

The second video advocates the use of white kidney bean extract as the key to his entire “secret” exercise / eating program.  Web M.D, a very respected internet medical site, seems to disagree with him but who knows?  Medical science isn’t always accurate. I am sure, however, that most people today have seen or read about these MANY products available for at least $40.00.  Do they actually work?  And if so, for how long?

Now, looking at all of these things, are we really to believe that the many people listed here are actually seeking our benefit?  If this were the case, why aren’t people able to lose the weight and keep it off?  Why do so many people have various sized clothes in their closet?  Would it be because they know their weight will change shortly?

My conspiracy theory is that the entire weight loss programs are geared to people NOT keeping the weight off.  Each of the businesses mentioned are doing their little part to keep the public over-weight.  How else would they worship at the feet of their god, the almighty dollar?  They have to keep the consumer coming back if they are to get another bite of the apple. (In this case, you.)

Please do not try and tell me that doctors do not know how to help us actually lose the pounds.  How many times has it been said as a parting shot, “You need to lose some weight.”  When have you heard it said, “You need to lose some weight and here’s exactly how to do it?”

The answer to losing weight and keeping it off can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE_IKtutG5o

I want it understood that I have no connection with Anita Mills, the lady featured in this video. I am not in any way financially profiting from sharing this information.  I am tired, however, of hearing women’s, and men’s stories of diets that simply either do not work or do not keep the weight off once lost.  Anita will tell you exactly how to do both and she is living proof that it works.

This eating plan forces one to approach each meal with some degree of  planning and fore-thought.  Basically, the eating plan is simply 1) eating no more then eight ounces of food per meal and 2) eating your meals three hours apart.  It does no good to cheat or to eat high fat stuff and expect to lose any weight.  There are two forces at play here.  The first is the ounces of food and time spacing and the second is how the body responds to this.

Let me try and give an example.  A car burns fuel the same as our body does.  You go to the gas station and purchase your fuel the same as one eats food.  The purchased fuel is used to travel a particular distance.  The food we eat is used to power our bodies for whatever task is required.

Here’s where the similarities end.  When the car trip is completed, the unused fuel is saved in the gas tank.  When the body is finished for the day, the unused fuel is also saved, but instead of being stored in a tank, it is turned into fat for potential use another day.  The next day, more fuel is added and the fat left in storage.  That should be reasonably easy to understand.

I do wish to say again that common sense must be exercised when following this eating plan.  My parents are following it much to their delight.  Dad has lost around 40 pounds already.  Everybody is aware that women have a harder time losing weight then men but, Mom is very happy with her own progress.

There will always be a group of people who cannot take something said on faith.  They insist on knowing exactly how and why something works.  This is certainly not a bad thing, especially considering all the misinformation floating around today.  Eating small meals frequently boosts the metabolism and balances blood sugar. 

You will find that the lower you keep your blood sugar, the lower you will keep your insulin.  It’s a proven fact that insulin is the ingredient that stores fat around your middle. If you keep your blood sugar even, then your insulin levels will be normal which means that fat will not be excessively stored around your middle.

I realize that each meal is only eight ounces, but after a while, balanced meals can be achieved.  Also, after a very short time, 8 ounces every 3 hours will actually fill you up.  Drinking a lot of water or similar beverage is a must.  No sugar drinks, no soda pop, and no sugary fruit drinks are advisable. As I said, common sense must prevail.     

I realize that I am being a little sketchy here about the eating plan, but I feel that I have tossed you the ball and you must run with it if you wish.  Anita also has a facebook page, I think listed as the one-cup diet.  That page will be very helpful because she answers questions submitted by women already using the plan. 

One thing I do want to mention is that another name for this diet could be the chocolate milk diet.  In the book, “Eat This, Not That,” by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding, (He is a nutrition expert for Yahoo which is where I read the article and have never seen the book) he says,

“…. It’s essentially three eight-ounce servings of chocolate milk consumed at key points throughout your day: one when you wake up, a second before you exercise, and a third directly after your workout. Or, if it's your day off, just pattern them for morning, afternoon, and night. Sounds good, right? It is, and that’s why it’s so easy. But is this a free ticket to eat as much fried chicken as you want throughout the rest of the day? Unfortunately not, but alongside a healthy diet, it can help you drop lots of belly fat fast.”

The article goes on to explain why milk is such a help.  I’m no expert, but I do know that

fat free milk does not count against you and helps when one is hungry between feedings. When one is eating five or six times a day, it’s hard to call them meals.  I am a huge advocate of chocolate milk and have not had great difficulty switching to one percent.

“Hold on a minute,” you say.  “You just said drink fat free and now you’re saying you drink 1%.”  Let me explain.  To use the calcium from the milk, the body needs vitamin D.  For the body to use the vitamin D, it requires a little fat.  The fat from the 1% is just enough to accomplish that.  So far, for my Dad at least, the 1% has not caused any problems on the scale.  Everybody is different though so please don’t take this as gospel.       

My recipe for chocolate milk is easy.  One large glass of one percent milk.  One level tablespoon “Dutch Chocolate” powder (obtainable in bulk at most grocery stores selling bulk foods) and about ¾ teaspoon pure Stevia, which is a natural sugar replacement.  Sugar does not bode well in any weight loss program so why use it? 

Put a small amount of milk in the glass first and mix in the chocolate and Stevia and then add the rest of the milk. You need to vigorously stir in the powder so perhaps a more substantial container would be better.  I hate to see anyone break their glass.  I use a small whisk for this process.  It’s a LOT cheaper than buying store bought chocolate milk and a lot healthier. Just look on the chocolate milk label for conformation of that.

I have mentioned my Dad several times but I myself follow this eating plan.  It’s nice, for once, to be in control of what I eat and how it affects my body.  Finally understanding exactly what my body requires to function makes weight maintenance much easier.  As everybody knows, the older we get, the more difficult it is to maintain our ideal weight.  This plan makes that goal a reality.

If you have benefited from this article I would appreciate you taking a glance at my Booklocker.com book page.   http://www.booklocker.com/books/4901.html

Thanks,  Paidra Delayno