Do you want to lose weight? If you do you are not alone. An estimated 160 million Americans, including males and females , are either obese or overweight . America has a severe obesity epidemic that has serious long term health implications.
The cause of the obesity epidemic is the American lifestyle. This means that too many people are eating too much of the wrong foods and not getting enough exercise. They are eating too many calories that are turned into fat that is increasing their girth and increasing their risk for developing diabetes and other serious health issues.
Diabetes is a major health problem that can result in circulatory problems, heart failure and blindness.
If you decide to go on a crash weight loss program there are many choices. You could sign up for a program that has prepared foods delivered to your house. You could go on a diet that puts you into a state of ketosis or try one of many other dietary choices. Unfortunately, it has been shown time and time again that it is difficult to sustain a diet and that the great majority of those who go on a crash diet regain the weight. We do not recommend any of these diet programs.
There is another way to confidently take off excess pounds and keep them off. Just cut out the empty calories. The primary cause of the extra pounds in most people is eating too many of the wrong foods that have little nutritional value, but lots of sugar calories.
In order to help you understand why you are attracted to these foods, picture a monster lurking in every bottle of sugary beverage, every bite of a glazed donut and in your french-fried potatoes. For want of a better word, let’s call this monster the sugar monster. Visualize that this monster is in disguise, and like a mythological siren, lures you to that cinnamon roll, or that slice of chocolate cake, or those Cheetos.
The sugar monster in disguise looks harmless. He casts a magic spell on you that tells you how you will really enjoy eating that slice of chocolate cake. He does this for all of the processed foods that know you should not be eating. You take the first bite and then you are hooked. It really tastes good. You devour it with a smile because the siren call has won over your rational mind. This happens over and over again. You are eating empty calories and not thinking of the consequences.
The sugar monster has won this battle. You have been lured by him to eat more empty calories that are the source of most of the extra pounds that you have packed on.
The sugar monster has quietly become part of the American lifestyle. The American Heart Association is aware of this problem and has proposed specific guidelines for sugar consumption. Most women should not consume more than 25 grams of added sugars a day, most men no more than 37.5 grams a day. These guidelines are very restrictive and so easy to exceed. For example, an 8 ounce glass of cola has 22 grams of sugar. A glazed donut has 14 grams, and a typical granola bar, 12 grams.
The calories quickly add up. So do the pounds. You don’t need a crash diet. You need to crash the sugar monster! You need to pay attention to those sugary calories. You need to look at the list of ingredients in the foods that you eat. Sugar has many other names. Besides those ending in “ose,” such as maltose or sucrose. Other names for sugar calories are high fructose corn syrup, molasses, cane sugar, corn sweetener, raw sugar syrup, honey, or fruit juice.
A good source for you to learn more about healthy eating is our book; Live Longer, Live Healthier . There you will find a complete lifestyle program that includes nutritional advice, stress management, and an easy to follow exercise program. You can succeed.
DO NOT LET THE SUGAR MONSTER WIN!