"The groundwork of all happiness is health” None of us can deny that we are at a point when the old way of viewing the world and ourselves is rapidly passing. We may not know what the future holds for each of us. However, a new order and way of being for humanity as a whole are an absolute given, as never have we been compelled to view our world through the lens of life or death on such a massive scale. The number one issue on top of our minds is the health of our family and ourselves. These are extraordinary times, and there are two ways to look at our current state of affairs: a) from a fearful and pessimistic place or b) from a hopeful heart I invite you to explore with me from the latter, that is, from a favorable perspective. If you are wondering what this blog has got to do with myths about weight loss, read on. The fact is that obesity has tripled around the world since 1975. In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of U.S. adults (older than 20 years) are either overweight or obese. The good news... Obesity is preventable and reversible! And I dare say that this is possible regardless of your age, gender, and genetic predisposition. Regrettably, our current worldview, when it comes down to weight loss, is mostly seen through a cosmetic lens. Popular media, Hollywood, Bollywood, too, further enhance this mode of perception, making it appear that weight loss is an impossible and inconvenient achievement reserved only for a chosen few. And we unsuspecting consumers absorb these sentiments often unconsciously into our psyche with detrimental effects. The main reason for this erroneous perception is that we are not adequately educated about weight and waist management. And this is regardless of socio-economic demographics or where in the world we reside. We are tragically unaware that waist and weight management is crucial for the following reasons: 1. Preventing and controlling severe health problems such as heart disease, stroke, many cancers, diabetes, and high blood pressure. 2. Longevity! According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, maintaining a healthy body weight along with good lifestyle habits may add more than a decade to your life expectancy. 3. Proper brain health and function. Research in neuroscience warns us that the more belly fat you have, the size and functioning (memory, attention, etc.) of your brain goes down. "Prevention is better than cure." Are you ready to start exploring the most common myths about weight loss? Here goes: MYTH 1: Popular diets promoted on a massive scale by the media are the only or the best way to lose weight. FACT: Diets to do not work! Why? Like a snowflake, you, I, and each of the seven-plus billion people on our planet are unique. Our individual biological makeup, also known as bio-individuality defies the one size fits all notion. In fact, diets can do more harm than good. For weight loss to be sustainable, the approach needs to be holistic in a way that the body's innate intelligence respected! Let me clarify what I mean by respecting our body's intelligence. For 27 years, I was fanatical about my dietary preference. Before I turned 40, I was diagnosed with two serious diseases, and I refused to change my way of eating. My severe symptoms (brain fog, blackouts, muscle weakness, fatigue, etc.) lasted for seven long years. Ironically, I believed that I was on a healthy diet while letting my beliefs override my body's intelligence, calling my attention to change via my symptoms. This is a classic case of being sincere in our beliefs but wrong in our approach. Our ideology creates blind-spots that we are either unable to see, or refuse to see! I would be lying if I told you that changing my deeply ingrained notions was a piece of cake. But once I started the process, my health improved dramatically. The difference was night and day. MYTH 2: Weight loss amounts to a simple equation of calories in versus calories out. Meaning that it is all about restricting calories. FACT: One of the most common ways of losing weight is by restricting the number of calories you consume. But this affects your overall health and can lead to severe and harmful conditions, such as reduced immunity, weaker bones, nutrient deficiencies, and fatigue. Weight loss is not a destination, but a journey that needs to be sustainable for years to come. Otherwise, you end up yo-yo dieting. If you are not familiar with this term, in the medical community, it is called weight cycling, which is a pattern of losing weight and gaining it back. Research at Columbia University says that yo-yo dieting impacts heart health negatively in women who have had a history of weight cycling. To clarify, it has a similar effect on men, too, although women seem to be more subject to yo-yo dieting. "As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself." MYTH 3: Hormonal disorders makes weight management next to impossible. FACT: Hormonal imbalance makes it difficult to manage your weight but not impossible. I know this because I am living proof, as are many others. If you want to know more about my story, click here. Hormonal diseases are a significant concern in our world today. Hundreds of millions of people are affected, many of whom are unaware that their hormones are out of order due to being underdiagnosed. This puts people at serious risks, including heart disease. An estimated 60 million in the U.S. alone are underdiagnosed. Here are some related facts:
MYTH 4: Drinking more water helps to lose weight faster. FACT: There is next to little scientific evidence that drinking a ton of water aids weight loss. It is considered a self-perpetuating myth, and almost everyone buys into it. Keep in mind that your body is designed to regulate water balance to perfection. A slight decrease in water content would secrete a hormone (vasopressin), which signals intense thirst. This would dramatically reduce the amount of water that would be excreted from your body in the form of urine. While drinking water in and of itself is a good thing, paradoxically, drinking too much water is not, as this can lead to dehydration. MYTH 5: Diet supplements are a safe option. FACT: According to the Poison Control Center, most weight loss supplements are riddled with "ingredients that are contaminated, ineffective, dangerous, or actually illegal"! Mind-blogging, right? The safe option is not popping pills, including herbal ones. It is with your knife and fork! On this journey, your kitchen is meant to become your altar that honors your health on a day-to-day basis. In conclusion, here are four takeaways:
I would like to end with a quote from a philosopher who inspired and influenced noted figures like Leo Tolstoy, Mahamata Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. "What is called genius is the abundance of life and health." Wishing you vibrant ,
Asha P.S. If you like to receive inspirational and colorful visual messages from me, please be sure to visit and like my FB page. Click here to follow Comments are closed.
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