DON'T FOLLOW THAT FAD DIET!

I know it is so tempting to hop on the band wagon and go with the crowd! We are in a society that seems to be programmed to follow the leader! You can find thousands of diets promoted by dieting gurus or celebrities or talk show hosts in the media, on the market and online! Every day I receive new email with news of some ultimate weight loss product that will out perform any other product on the market, and I receive new ones almost weekly. Very few of these diets are based on concrete scientific findings, and even fewer will provide long term success!

The present ongoing online fad has been promoted by none other than OPRAH……Queen of the mass media…ALL HAIL QUEEN Ooooohhh…prahhh! Seems that the world believes her every word and will follow this reigning talk show queen into ANY THING! (I don’t understand what power this woman has upon her vast kingdom of misled fans! But it seems that if Oprah speaks they listen! Hey, I thought that was E.F. Hutton’s job! :} But this is a subject for a later blog!) This fad that claims to be hailed by Oprah and one of her many doctors, Dr. Oz, is the Acai Berry combined with a product for colon cleansing. Oprah and Dr. Oz's Dynamic Duo - Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse became phenomenal as it revealed the fact that this super food can really help in cleansing our colon thus preventing various diseases from occurring especially colon cancer! Now the internet is riddled with adds about this product and “testimony” after “testimony” complete with before and after pictorial shots of healthier and happier clients. But please beware! Stay away from any diet that promises a quick fix!

Stay away from adds that state something like “ Lose weight from your thighs in just seven days,” “Gently FLUSH POUNDS of waste and toxins from your body,” “Lose 25lbs overnight!” and “Brad and Angelina Jolie’s weight loss secret!” (Hummm, I didn’t know that Brad and Angelina even needed to lose weight!) Most of these adds are promoting the Acai berry, a berry that may have some beneficial properties for humans like anti-aging, cancer prevention since some scientific testing boasts of the Acai berry’s antioxidant qualities. The berry may also boost energy, and promote mood improvement but it is with weight loss that the acai berry fraud takes place. Yes, I was almost snowed in by a few companies that sell Acai berry products that are nothing more than MLM groups that are hoping to make multi millions from people just like you and me. These unscrupulous marketers are hyping acai berry diets and cleansing products that aren't worth the packaging they come in. I have found Acai berry drink products that are equivalent in antioxidants and such in my local grocery store at a much lower cost!

Media hype plays a major role in roping in gullible simpletons like you and me to place our hard-earned dollars into acai berry promotion or joint cultivation schemes. But actually it was the media that gave me the “heads up” about this problem! As I was sitting in front of my TV watching the news I was surprised to hear about this latest internet scam! According to the news report, the acai berry fraud involed websites using the Oprah show for promotional purposes. These websites promise the unlearned weight loss prospect a “free” supply of acai berry for nothing but shipping and handling charges. Then if you take the bait, you will soon find that the terms and conditions are laid down in the scammer’s contract where details in small print authorize higher debits from you credit card! Please, please! Don’t forget that old saying, "NOTHING in this life comes free!" The Acai berry does have it’s plus side. It may promote well being and health for humans and it may be an asset to your weight loss program, but what we want is to lose weight, not money!

Let’s use the good minds that the LORD gave us to take care of our well being and health!
Stay away from the following:

• Any diet that promises a quick fix! With as many diets as OPRAH has been on in her life you’d think she would know this one!
• Diets that promote magic foods or a specific and complicated combination of food groups - following a sound diet should not be complicated or require you to purchase expensive specialty items. Remember to keep it simple!
• A diet that implies food can change your body chemistry - food can’t change your body’s chemistry. Your chemistry was determined at birth, so any diet that says otherwise should be avoided.
• Diets that severely restrict or eliminate food groups or nutrients - the sole purpose of food is to fuel our bodies. To do this, we need to consume food from the main food groups. Remember the food pyramid? I keep a copy of it on my kitchen fridge! Any diet that totally eliminates a food group is dangerous and could result in health problems. Think about it! You may lose pounds but you could also be losing muscle mass or brain cells!
• A diet with very rigid rules - always remember, a diet should not rule your life and possess your mind! You should not become obsessive or compulsive about any diet! You should still be able to enjoy yourself, and eat the foods you like in moderation. Any diet that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle or allow you to eat with others will be very difficult to follow; after all, eating healthy and looking your best shouldn’t alienate you from the people you care about.
• A diet that makes claims based on a single study or testimonial - do your research before following any diet. If the diet sounds questionable or just sounds too good to be true, it likely won’t help with weight loss. Find out who is backing the diet and what their ulterior motives might be - for example, they may be promoting their line of supplements, rather than providing weight loss help.

So when you see that new add for that ULTIMATE WEIGHT LOSS PRODUCT…be aware! Check it out before you jump into signing up!
Now, I know that if you have ever tried to diet before, my following suggestions may sound redundant….but they really do help you lose weight even on your own and they won‘t cost you anything! Hey, these tips really are FREE! So make these suggestions a part of your weight loss plan for life:

• Always try to drink 8 glasses of water every day (not including tea, coffee or other beverages)
• Eat only when hungry and just until you are full. Then push back and stop eating!
• Eat slowly in a relaxed environment, especially sitting down to eat with your family. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to message the brain that you are full.
• Choose foods that require a lot of chewing. Your mother was right! Slow down and CHEW your food! You will find that you’ll be satisfied with eating much less.
• A warm beverage with a meal helps to make you feel full and satisfied. Just be careful about what warm beverage you are enjoying. I am saying this to all of you hot cocoa, late’ and coffee drinkers!
• Fool your mind and stomach by serving food on a smaller plate or a plate that is divided into portion sizes.
• Give yourself a snack or reward yourself with something low calorie but special! My weakness is ice-cream so I reward myself weekly with a healthy low fat fruit smoothie - - Yummy!
• Keep your kitchen stocked with healthy foods and ready to eat snacks
• Remember that small steps add up to help you achieve ANY goal
  

Don’t forget that dieting with physical activity leads to quick weight loss rewards! Good food and eating right combined with regular exercise can help you successfully meet your weight loss goals. Building muscle mass will help the body burn calories and get rid of weight loss flab like those bat wings that we often get under our arms! I hate it when that happens! Proper and wise weight loss along with proper exercise always has great benefits for your body.

So please be careful with your body and don’t fall prey to those unscrupulous doctors, weight loss or exercise gurus and Multi Level Marketing scams out there that are so persuasive! Remember the tale about the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady wins the race!
Hope you have a fantastic week! Please take a few minutes and leave me a comment and let me hear about your weight loss experiences! I'd love to be in touch with you!

May God richly bless you!

Colene W.