Diet By Numbers

Kevin breaks down the sad statistics.

By Kevin Valluzi

I recently came across this statistic; the average woman goes on 104 diets between the ages of 18 - 70, and stays on a diet for an average of five weeks. That is approximately 10 years of dieting. I want you to re-read that: approximately 10 years of dieting.

To me, this statistic is absolutely mind-boggling. It also confirms what I've been saying all along: No diet will work long-term. Can you imagine what that constant dieting is doing to a woman's body? That relentless yo-yo of weight loss/weight gain is wreaking havoc on her metabolism.

Also, one overlooked side effect of this lifestyle is the psychological toll it takes on the dieter, whose mindset is one of constant deprivation ("I can't eat that because if I do I will blow my diet!"). She literally becomes a slave to whatever diet she's on. And once she goes off of the diet, she often times feels that she wasn't "strong" enough to stick with it. Or that she doesn't have enough willpower. And this often brings on feelings of depression, guilt and shame.

As I've said time and time again, if you are on a diet you need to get off of it now. Eat five to six small meals throughout your day, which amounts to eating approximately every 3 hours. This is a far more reasonable -- and effective -- weight-loss strategy that won't confuse your metabolism.