The reading level for this article is All Levels

You can’t turn on the TV, drive down the road or go to a party without being confronted with America’s hottest obsession: weight. Diets are a billion-dollar industry; companies spend millions and millions luring you to try the latest diet (low carb, high protein, low fat, no fat, you name it) with promises that this will (finally!) be the solution—your shortcut to a thinner body. Advertising efforts also deeply affect our children, who develop distorted body images and are often on diets as early as age 9 or 10. 

Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods, and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick fix solutions have backfired. America’s populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one third are obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks, while eliciting few, if any, lasting results.

  • Diets don’t work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone?

  • Diets don’t work because they are extreme solutions. Like in physics, if a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the other. A diet might work for a short amount of time, but research shows that almost all diets result in a 10 pound gain after all the pendulum swinging is done.

  • Diets don’t work because they are too restrictive. People who fail on diet plans are not flawed and weak. Diets by nature require discipline and restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body.

    Most people are disconnected from why they gain weight, seeing diet as the only culprit. For example, ignoring or discounting emotions is often the first thing to cause weight imbalances. In our fast paced world, we have lost sight of many aspects of life that truly nourish and balance our bodies, such as slowing down, eating a home-cooked meal, and spending quality time with loving people. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from endless cycle of dieting.

    Balance and a sustainable weight are your birthright. Given half a chance, your body will balance itself by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to your heart and inner wisdom. There is no such thing as a quick fix—but you already have everything you need within you. With careful thought and loving reflection you can feed yourself wisely and purposefully and feel completely nourished. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight, and sustainable, lasting health.

    Women: are you sick and tired of feeling unhealthy and down on yourself? 

    If you are ready to make lasting lifestyle changes for yourself and your family, stop your war with food, and get healthy, Amy Lippmann, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, can help.

    Sample Amy’s work by listening to a F*REE AUDIO, “Finally, How to Get Healthy Meals on the Table, In No Time.”  You will also receive a complete transcript, pantry essentials list, her mix-and-match meal planning chart, healthy recipes, and much more. Grab your copy now at http://www.wellnesshealthcoaching.com and start feeling better about your health and fitness.

    Amy Lippmann, H.H.C., AADP
    • Certified Holistic Health Counselor
    Coaching for Whole Body Wellness
    © 2008 Amy Lippmann, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
    Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? No problem! But here’s what you MUST include: Amy Lippmann, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, is founder of the Whole Body Wellness System™, the proven step-by-step program achieve your health goals and feel more confident in your body. To receive your freebie audio and sign up for her bi-weekly recipes and articles, visit www.WellnessHealthCoaching.com.

    This Personal Development article was written by Amy Lippmann on 4/20/2008

    Amy Lippmann is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor with a private health and lifestyle coaching practice. She works with women who are tired of continuously feeling bad about their health and struggle with feeling good in their body, energy level, cravings, and would like to figure out how to be healthy and take good care of themselves.

    What makes her services unique is that she not only provides guidance, but also a level of support her clients have never had before. And because of this, Amy’s clients make lasting lifestyle changes, get peace and freedom around food so they can stop beating themselves up, and they enjoy life more.