Calorie Counting & Self-Discipline Still the Standard in Dieting

To many people, food is a drug. Try telling those who have a food addiction that losing weight or kicking any other kind of compulsive habit, is simply an issue of “mind over matter”, and you would likely be answered with varying degrees of incredulity and even anger. Most people who have ever suffered with an addiction, whether it be to food, heroin or pornography, would retort you are, at best misinformed, mistaken. At worst you would be considered cruel or crazy.

US Diet Industry

The diet industry is one of the most prolific industries in the United States. While most of the rest of the world does not have the same outlook on body size and eating habits, close neighbor Canada shares many of the same health problems. The Stratford Beacon-Hearld.com of Ontario, Canada featured an article by Dr. Gifford-Jones about sensible dieting habits which make dieting less miserable.

One key area Jones concentrates on is caloric intake. The calorie craze that saw its peak in the era of Weight Watchers and “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” has been rendered nearly obsolete in the wake of sugar-busters, trans fats, carbs and water diets. However, the research on calories and caloric intake is virtually accepted as medical gospel today. Every retail food item sold in the United States is required to have the standardized “Nutrition Facts” label somewhere on its packaging, or information about where you can get such information. Gifford-Jones offers a series of tips about how to maintain healthy eating habits, while still enjoying what you eat. He advises those trying to stick to a diet to provide themselves with some kind of motivation. He offers saving money on clothes as one incentive to stay fit.

Calorie Counting

As significant as calorie-counting is in its own right, self-control is another key ingredient for a successful diet. Without the capability to discipline oneself to eat the correct foods and make wise eating habits While most adults find the self-control factor to be the single-most difficult area to maintain, setting short Gifford-Jones points out his amazement at the way Americans “super-size” everything, especially fast food.

Most other societies do not encourage the type of gluttonous engorgement Americans routinely practice. Jones points to gluttonous over-eating and gorging habits as key factors in the phenomenal weight-gain Americans have experienced. He advises Americans to limit the sheer amount of food they are consuming.

Other Ways

Jones suggests make dinner conversation to stall between courses. This allows the stomach time to tell the brain it is full, which signals the brain to stop being hungry and making the stomach hungry. Gifford-Jones asserts following his tips will allow otherwise healthy people to get in shape and not be miserable while they are doing it. He culminates his article with age-old advice such as walking and drinking water.