Continued from page 1
In
end, he says, it's
act of living more healthfully, and not just dieting, that matters most, even if you never reach your weight goals.
Anhalt agrees. "A little weight loss achieved in a healthy way is far more beneficial than a large weight loss that happens in an unhealthy way." If you lose even one pound through healthy living, he says, "You do an incredible service to your body and your health."
Better to Be 'Fat and Fit'
-------------------------- If you simply take some healthful steps in
direction of your weight-loss goals, you are likely to reap some healthy rewards, even if you never drop a single pound.
As remarkable as that sounds, in studies published in March 2003 in
Annals of Internal Medicine, CDC researchers found that those folks who simply tried to lose weight lived longer.
The finding does not surprise dietitian Samantha Heller, MS, RD, who believes effort does count.
"Very often, simply making
effort to lose weight, such as adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, reducing your intake of sweets, junk foods, and saturated fats (found in foods like meat, cheese, and butter), and becoming more physically active can improve your overall health and reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, too," says Heller, a nutritionist at New York University Medical Center.
So, Heller tells WebMD, even if you never actually lose any weight, doing these things alone is bound to help you feel better and ultimately, impact your health in a positive way.
And many doctors now believe that even if you are unable to lose any weight at all, keeping yourself from gaining pounds as
years go by will also help you gain some important health benefits.
"If you can focus your efforts on achieving a more healthy lifestyle, if you increase your level of physical activity just a little bit, and maybe incorporate some healthful changes into your daily diet you will not only be successful at preventing weight gain, in
process you will be doing something positive for your health," says Sondike.
"In
end," says Anhalt," it's not about
pounds, it's all about
lifestyle changes, and about understanding that, in
long run, fat and fit is ultimately better than thin and unfit."
If you make
changes that lead to a healthier lifestyle, experts say you will definitely be healthier, and ironically, you'll probably weigh a lot less as well.
Source: WebMD

About The Author
------------ Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health benefits. Michael is a staff writer for www.ageforce.com and several other websites. Please visit us at AgeForce.com.