Trying to decide whether to cut carbs, focus on cabbage or cut solid foods all together? Forget it. The new diet trend is no diet at all. It's time for you to change your life. According to the American Center for Disease Control, two-thirds of Americans are on diets to lose weight or prevent weight loss – and yet according the U.S. Surgeon General, obesity in the U.S. has reached epidemic levels – 6 out of 10 Americans are overweight. In fact, the American Center for Disease control confirms that in the U.S., overweight and obesity cause 300,000 deaths each year. One of the reasons behind these statistics may be that according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, only 5 percent of people who go on diets will actually keep the weight off. In Egypt, our diet statistics are not quite so precise. The Egyptian Doctor's Guide claims that Ischemic heart disease is the third highest cause of death in Egypt and that the majority of people we see in the streets are over weight and cursed with the tell tale Egyptian ‘kirsh'. Made up of samna and pigeon stuffing, the belly is one of the worst places to gain weight and one of the tell tale signs of heart disease. All the same, everyone is diet bashing – American celebrities, doctors, gym and fitness center trainers. It's because dieting fails on every count. Psychologically – you're miserable. Physically – you lose the weight and gain it back again. Health-wise – you are likely to be putting stress on one particular part of your digestive system to get it to drop the kilos quickly. Samia Allouba of the Samia Allouba Fitness Center chain concurs, “Dieting is a short term solution and often one that fails – finding a way to live a healthier lifestyle is a much surer way to lose keep in shape and lose weight." So it sounds a little ominous – live a healthier lifestyle. Hmm… does that mean I have to quit smoking? Well, eventually! What it entails, really, is listening to yourself and having a strong dose of will power. Pick things you are willing to change and change them first, you'll see differences in your body. Count Calories Counting calories is the best option – try websites online, many will keep track of your calories for you when you enter in the food you eat – but even keeping track of what you eat in a day will make you more aware of what's keeping you over weight. The U.S. Mayo Clinic claims ‘when it comes to weight loss, it's the calories that count' in their Getting back to weight-loss basics article on their site. Don't Starve Yourself For a number of reasons, refraining from eating altogether is a terrible idea. First of all, if you succeed at it, it will slow your body's metabolism (it's ability to burn fat) according to, among many others, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This means when you eat again (yes, you will have to), you're body won't be able to burn the food fast enough and it will turn into fat. The second problem is, starving yourself lets say, till dinner time will mean that at dinner you will make some very bad choices about the kinds of food to eat and the quantity. All your effort will be lost in one meal at night. If you keep yourself eating throughout the day, you will keep your body burning fat and keep yourself from getting so hungry you pick two appetizers, a meal and a dessert at the restaurant. Make Active Choices Yes, double parking can be necessary in Egypt but if you can find a parking spot a couple blocks away, that extra walk will make a difference. Plug it in to your calorie counting website! You'll see how the burned calories add up! If you have the energy, walk up the stairs. If the weather is good, (and you live in Maadi), walk to your destination. This summer, swim a little in the sea rather than using it as a cooling ground from which to watch the hotties. It is time to become one of the hotties! Work Out Yes, the idea is daunting – committing yourself to a treadmill can be a miserable thought. But there are a number of options out there. You can do the typical gym option – go, do cardio, lift weights, follow the machine circuit, abs, stretch and go home OR – you can take fitness classes, dance classes, Pilates, yoga – anything that will get you to get up and moving. According to health.discovery.com beginners should aim at 20 minutes, 3 times a week. According to health.com, ‘The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report simply called, Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In that report it said, "To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements."‘ Changing your life may be a rather grand statement, but it's actually quite simple. It means the fresh ingredients sandwich place rather than the frozen and fried burger. It means seasoning with mustard rather than with excessive cheese. It means asking your butcher for leaner meat and cooking at home rather than eating out on a nightly basis. It's a mind set change but eventually, it will have to happen and if you do it by your own will when you're healthy, it's much better than being forced into it by a doctor when you're 100 kilos over weight or on the verge of a heart attack.
