Diets come and go, but it seems that there’s always a new way to get thinner, which is why it won’t come as any surprise that the average woman spends 17 years of her life on a diet. Researchers say that the average woman lives until the age of 82 and weighs an average of 154 pounds. So, if a woman begins dieting at the age of 18, she’ll lose her body weight 9 times during her lifetime. The truth is, less than 1% of women who diet are actually able to stick to it for a 12-month period, and a third report dieting for at least 6 months out of the year. Some of the top reasons for dieting include not being able to fit into clothing, with 52% of respondents saying that having a “muffin top” was the first sign that showed they had piled on the pounds. Other reasons included wanting to look good for the summer and wanting to look good attending a wedding. About 35% of respondents said their general love of food kept them from sticking to their diet, while 33% blamed their lack of willpower, and 20% said healthy foods were just too expensive. The bottom line — the evidence shows that dieting doesn’t work. It fuels eating disorders and creates obsession over food. Weight loss does not equal health. Healthy habits make healthy bodies, which includes eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day and participating in some type of physical activity for 30 minutes a day. So, stop wasting your life dieting and take the simple approach.
