How Far Are You Willing To Go?

It amazes me sometimes how far people are willing to go to be thin.  I hear it all the time.

• Crazy diets which involve ridiculous eating plans
• Insane exercise plans which are clearly unsustainable
• Popping pills which either do nothing or artificially change your metabolism
• Smoking cigarettes (Yes, I actually know someone who doesn’t want to quit smoking because she’s afraid she’ll gain weight).
• Surgery
  • Liposuction, a procedure where they literally poke a hole in you and then vacuum out fatty tissues
  • Stomach stapling, a procedure which restricts your eating

And now, here’s a new article from Forbes.com showing two new ways in which our wonderful diet industry is going to help you in years to come.  First we have:

researchers inserted a molecular shunt into the liver cells of 94 mice

That sounds promising, doesn’t it?  Luckily, the researcher adds,

Still, genetic engineering has not yet been used to successfully treat people, so any anti-obesity treatments using molecular shunts are years away, Liao said.

And next we have:

researchers added leptin receptors to a particular type of neuron (pro-opiomelanocortin neurons) in the hypothalamus of the mice’s brains

Really?  Is this the future of weight loss?  Genetic engineering and brain modification?  I’m sorry, I know we all want the easy answer, we all want that magic bullet that will make us thin and healthy without any of the effort.  A pill or a treatment that will enable us to eat all the ice cream we want while still having six pack abs.  I know, I understand, I want it too.  Unfortunately, the best, safest and healthiest ways to lose weight and stay fit are still:

• Eat healthy
• Eat in moderation
• Be physically active

No need for pills, surgery, genetic engineering or brain surgery.  Just those three things.  It’s a secret that everyone knows but refuses to admit.  Eat less junk food, eat more veggies, move around more.  Nothing else is needed.  No, it won’t work in 3 days and no it won’t work without a bit of effort and sacrifice on your part, but it will make you healthy without the associated risks of the procedures described above.

So if you’re thinking about any of the procedures above, do me a favor.  Try to do the following three things first.  Try them for just a month and see how you feel.

1. Find something in your eating habits that you can cut out.  It could be the double latte in the morning or the late evening candy bar.  Whatever it is, identify something unhealthy and cut it out completely.
2. Add one serving of vegetables to your diet.  Healthy vegetables, like tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, peppers and so on.  Eat them raw if possible.
3. Commit to 30 minutes of walking a day.  No excuses, no canceling on account of rain.  Just get out there and walk.

Make it your very own 30 day challenge.  If you can do this then you can lose the weight in a natural and healthy way.  Sure, it may take a bit longer than stomach stapling but at least you won’t have to go through surgery!  And if you can’t do this for 30 days, then I apologize but you don’t need stomach surgery or genetic engineering, you need a life change and a motivation boost.  I just hope you get it before it gets you.

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If you’re interested, here’s the article.  Also, note the ending:

“Until we get a very clear understanding of the way that all of these compounds work together, we need to accept the fact that diet and exercise is the only well-proven, safe, side effect-free approach to weight and glucose control,” Weiss said.”

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