Why Diets Don’t Work
Happy Thursday all! Today’s blog is designed to entice you to listen to The St. Christopher Minute on the Tim Ridley show tomorrow morning on Sirius XM channel 146 at 6:30am EST. Standing in for Dr. John tomorrow is our very own Sara Willis. Sara will be discussing “Why Diets Don’t Work”. We have all been there. We worked so hard to drop those unwanted pounds, and then BAM! Faster than they came off, there they are again. Let’s discuss…
What are the stats? According to Gary Foster, PHD at University of Pennsylvania, 65% of dieters return to their pre-diet weight within 3 years. As far as truckers are concerned, eighty six percent of the estimated 3.2 million truck drivers in the United States are overweight or obese, per a 2007 study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. And according to USDOT, only 8% of commercial truckers exercise.
So why does this happen? Once a person reaches their goal weight, they usually stop tracking what and how much they eat. That is why diets don’t work. Developing a healthy lifestyle change is the best long term solution.
You can start making these changes a little at time. Start by increasing your water intake – stop drinking your calories. Stop eating junk food and increase lean protein, fruit and vegetable intake.
Other concepts to be aware of and work on implementing are the smaller plate concept, reading labels, and not eating while doing other activities, like watching tv. Sara has a lot of good tips on how to work these tricks into your daily routine.
As a driver over the road, he/she has more obstacles than most people, for example, poor access to fresh foods is a problem. What can they do to get the weight off and keep it off? Start by packing healthy snacks and meals. Pack low-fat cheese, whole grain bread or crackers, fruits, vegetables and nuts, which will provide you with energy, help you lose weight, and cost less than eating out. If you do eat out, pick items that are grilled or baked, not fried. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great option to chips or cookies. If you are at a truck stop with little options, always go for baked, not fried, low sugar content, high fiber and high protein foods.
What if you get off track? Immediately get back on. Just because you had a “bad” meal does not mean your whole day should be ruined. Remind yourself that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. You are doing this to keep you on the road, happy and healthy for you and your family.
Want to learn more? Tune in to Tim Ridley and The St. Christopher Minute, tomorrow, Friday morning at 6:30 am EST on Sirius XM channel 146.
