The End of Dieting - The Beginning of Healthy Lifestyles

Diet is always a topic of interest. But what will be the new diet craze for 2009? Will we have another year of Atkins or modified South Beach? No. In fact, 2009 will be the year that people realize diets don't work. Diet has been always been a dirty four letter word. Diet insinuates restriction and deprivation. When it comes to diet, people are always looking for a quick fix. Atkins is attractive because it allows you to eat as much meat as you want (that's just great for all those big burly men that need their meat!). But what people don't realize is that Atkins is also a low-calorie diet. When you cut out whole food groups (like grains and fruits) you're cutting out a significant source of calories.

With all the changes happening in this country, maybe we'll start to slow down and start to realize that quick-fix diets don't work. Pills that promise a ten-pound weight loss in a week or the diet that promises a beach-ready body in just a few short days don't work. We have been living this fast-paced life for decades and where has it gotten us? It has gotten us fatter.

Scientists have studied those that have been successful at weight loss and kept off the weight for greater than a year. And you know what they discovered? People who are successful at weight loss and weight control exercise regularly (at least 60 minutes 3 to 5 days a week) and control their caloric intake. Successful weight-losers also check their weight regularly, either weekly or daily, and take immediate action when the number starts to creep up.

Maintaining a healthy weight is a commitment. It requires constant nurturing and attention. It requires regular monitoring and activity. It requires goal-setting and planning.

In the year 2009 we will see a shift in the way that people eat and diet. We will start to look at diet as a lifestyle and stop trying to lose twenty pounds in twenty days. With gas prices so high, and rising, we may start riding our bikes to work or start walking to the local grocery store.

We are turning into a greener nation and that includes looking at where and how our food is made. People will be interested in learning about local growers that don't use pesticides. They'll want to learn more about eating whole foods. They'll want to join food co-ops and start growing their own food. Food will return to being sustenance and not a way for us to feel better about ourselves.

The new diet will include making lifestyle changes to obtain a healthy weight that will last a lifetime.