Let’s face it. We’re fat. We’re rotund. We’re all going to die, and soon, because our weight has reached epic and epidemic proportions.
Who says so? Well, the government for one. Last month, the surgeon general stated that almost 60 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese.
So what are we supposed to do about it? Well, if you’re like many Americans, you bought the number one selling book: The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston, published by Rodale.
In it, Agatston details a three-step approach to weight loss. The steps go something like this: (1) Thou shalt not eat carbs for two weeks, (2) Thou shalt eat carbs sparingly for a few more weeks, and finally, (3) Thou shalt maintain fantastic weight loss through moderate eating and exercise for the rest of thy life.
It sounds like South Beach is proposing we eat right and exercise for the rest of our lives. Could this be right? Has South Beach finally unlocked the key to saving our fat souls?
Not exactly. This information has actually been around for a while, according to Latosha Walker, fitness coordinator for the Center for Physical Activity.
“The key to fitness is a well-rounded diet along with exercise,” says Walker, who’s been in the fitness industry for eight years and is a certified personal trainer. “I don’t really believe in [fad] dieting. Getting fit is about making the right choices.”
But if we’ve heard all that before, then why are we spending so much money on weight-loss books with over half of us still overweight? Could it be we’re spending more time worrying about being overweight than actually correcting the problem?
Walker thinks so. “I think what we see on TV and in magazines is crazy – models that are 5-foot-10 and 110 pounds? That doesn’t even sound right,” said Walker.
“And if you look up nutrition on the Internet, there are so many places trying to give you information and trying to sell you something. It gets so confusing. But people forget about simple things like exercise.”
The point is, she says, “that you have to really love yourself and know you’re beautiful.”
So relax. Lose weight if it makes you feel better. You know what to do by now.
And if it doesn’t work, at least you know you’re not alone.

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