TOPS OFFERS FIVE REASONS TO FORGO FAD DIETS
MILWAUKEE, WI – This time of year we’re all looking for a fast and easy way to lose weight—and there’s no shortage of auspicious claims out there. Fad diets create a buzz because they often promise just that. But anyone who is serious about losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be fooled. Katie Ferraro, MPH, RD, CDE, nutrition expert for TOPS Club Inc.® (Take Off Pounds Sensibly®), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, provides five sound reasons to avoid the fad diets and eat sensibly instead.
#1 Water Weight Is Not Fat Loss: The initial weight loss with most fad diets consists of water weight. It is easily gained back – and then some – when normal eating is resumed.
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#2 Carbs Are Still King: Glucose is your body and brain’s preferred energy source. Healthy sources of carbohydrates, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, are optimized to fuel your body. Keep in mind: Nobody ever got fat off of raw veggies.
#3 Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Research indicates that 1-2 pounds per week is the optimal rate for sustainable weight loss. Your friends may be losing over five pounds per week, but they will likely regain that, and more.
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#4 Your Diet Shouldn’t Deprive You: To truly follow some of the craziest fad diets out there, you would never be able to eat at a restaurant or enjoy food at a social event. The way you choose to craft a healthy diet should fit into the context of your real life, rather than being a barrier to living a full life.
#5 The Scale Isn’t All That Matters: When you eat right, and exercise more, not only does your weight drop, but also other metabolic measurements, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar, improve. A fad diet might help you shed pounds quickly, but if it’s raising your cholesterol and stressing you out, the weight loss isn’t worth it.
TOPS Club Inc.® (Take Off Pounds Sensibly®) is the original weight-loss support and wellness education organization. Founded in 1948, TOPS is the only nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss organization of its kind. TOPS promotes successful weight management with a “Real People. Real Weight Loss.®” philosophy that combines support from others at weekly chapter meetings, healthy eating, regular exercise and wellness information. TOPS has approximately 125,000 members – male and female, age seven and older – in thousands of chapters throughout the United States and Canada.
Open houses at all chapters are scheduled throughout January. Visitors are welcome to attend their first TOPS meeting FREE of CHARGE. We have over 21 chapters in the Middlesex county alone. Morning and evening Chapters can be found in Arlington, Billerica, Burlington, Brighton, Chelmsford, Lowell, Lexington, Melrose, Natick, Reading,Tewksbury,Townsend,Wayland, and Waltham. If you don’t see your town listed, call me and ask how easy it is to start a chapter. Membership is affordable at just $32 per year in the U.S. plus nominal chapter fees. To find details of these towns listed for a local chapter, view www.tops.org or call Diane Trayah Middlesex Area Captain at 978-657-6103 to just ask more about TOPS.
