Americans are spending more on dieting than ever before–more than $60 billion a year. The percentage of obese adults is also at an all time high of 40%.
Do you think there might be a connection between these two trends? I do.
Clearly, dieting is not the solution to the obesity problem. In fact, I think it’s a big part of the problem.
Problem #1: Even the most “responsible” diets encourage you to lose weight far faster than your body can actually lose fat. As a result, you end up losing a little bit of fat and a lot of water and lean muscle tissue.
Problem #2: Diets teach you how to lose weight but they don’t teach you how to weigh less. (There’s a big difference.) As a result, most people will eventually regain all the weight they lose…or more.
Problem #3: When you regain the weight, you don’t gain back the lean muscle that you lost while dieting. You replace it with fat, which makes it even harder to lose weight the next time.
It’s time to try something different
Last summer, my colleague Brock Armstrong and I launched WeighlessTM, a program that shows people how to stop dieting and start weighing less. Weighless is not a diet or exercise program. It’s a structured lifestyle change program that combines nutrition science, behavior modification, professional guidance, and community support.
The results have exceeded even our high hopes. It’s been absolutely exhilarating to see people escape a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and find the path to sustainable weight loss. I’m more convinced than ever before that diets are not the answer to our obesity epidemic. (They’re a big part of the problem.)
If you think you might be ready to stop dieting and start weighing less, there are more details about the Weighless program here.