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Abdullaziz Alkharas

Professor David

English 101

14 April 2014

No Pain No Gain

Obesity is currently one of the health problems facing the United States of America. One of the main causes of this problem is inactive lifestyle and eating unhealthy food such as French-fries and processed food. Obesity or overweight contributes to negative health effects such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, low self-esteem, limited productivity and increases healthcare costs. Therefore, losing weight is necessary in order to reduce overweight, lower obesity rates and lead to healthier lives. There are many ways of losing weight, and this includes diets, exercising and surgery. All these programs have their advantages and disadvantages; for example, dieting provides gradual and long-term results, while surgery provides immediate but short-term results. Additionally, some weight-loss programs such as dieting are safe and relatively cheaper compared to surgery, which is expensive and may lead to health problems. Diet is the best method for losing and maintaining.

Cordain Loren asserts, “Losing body weight through diet involves choosing food that has little calories and also rich in low fat. This strategy is the best and most ideal because it is natural and does not involve using of pills or medication that could have side effects to one’s body”. Therefore, a person only needs to follow a specific type of food diet and ensure that they abstain or keep off from substances that have high calories and fat as well. In order for the body to use stored fat, one must reduce the amount of calories they take and increase their involvement in physical activities. Therefore, this is the main reason why health experts talk of losing weight in terms of exercise and diet. A simple diet regime may include introducing changes slowly, lowering calorie intake, increasing exercise levels, following a written plan and being patient.

Dieting has many health benefits. For example, it improves the health of the heart because eating healthy food that is low in fat, sodium and cholesterol reduces the risk of contracting of heart diseases. Many types of fat that is found in unhealthy food increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. These include Trans and saturated fat that is found in fried foods, packaged snack foods, meats, margarines and coconut oils. A healthy diet is reach in vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products and whole grains. Moreover, diet promotes brain health because it increases blood flow to the brain. This prevents aging of brain cells and lowers the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease among the elderly. To ensure a healthy brain, one must avoid fried food and eat steamed or baked foods. A healthy diet also comprises of dark vegetables and fruits, and nuts that a good sources of vitamin. These foods provide vitamins that help brain health prevent development of Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, dieting helps in weight control. Prevention of weight gain involves eating calories that are required for daily activities and not more. Dieting entails consumption of healthy food that comprises fruits and vegetables, which have limited calories

In addition, dieting promotes teeth and bone strength. A healthy diet contains enough amounts of calcium, which help to maintain healthy bones and teeth and prevent bone loss due to osteoporosis. Examples of foods that are rich in calcium include low-fat dairy products, fortified foods, dark green vegetables, cereals and fruit juices. This makes dieting an important weight loss strategy for post-menopausal women who are at risk of developing osteoporosis. Additionally, dieting will help individuals consume food rich in vitamin D, which help in the absorption of calcium. Calcium is a vital element for healthy bones and teeth.

According to Wing and Phelan, “losing weight is challenging, but maintaining it for a long-time is more challenging and this makes diets most suitable for weight loss”. Since diets involve a change of lifestyle in terms of food intake and exercise, one is able to avoid being over weight or obese in the long-term. Additionally, one can access support from a physician or an experienced individual and this will ensure that they maintain lose weight.

In other instances, this to some extent is justified based on my personal experiences two years ago. I weighed 280 pounds and my objective was to lose 80 pounds. Achieving such a great weight loss was not going to be easy, but I was ready for the challenge due to the health implications of being overweight. Earlier to beginning this weight loss journey, I loved fast food due to the convenience. After consultation with my physician, I started on a diet to reduce my weight. Initially lowered my daily calorie intake and this included avoiding eating fast food unless it was a single treat once in a week. Additionally, I consumed plenty of fruits, vegetables and low-fat proteins. Furthermore, I increased my daily work out by taking the stairs instead of the elevator and avoided using the car for short distances. The results were amazing because after just three months I had lost the 80 pounds, and I was more confident and healthy. Furthermore, I did not experience any side-effects. For any one wishing to lose weight in a healthy and cost-effective manner, I recommend a diet.

Those who oppose dieting argue that weight-loss surgery is more effective for people because weight-loss surgery is often seen as the option of last resort because after the operation one can longer eat the same way again. For instance, this technique is effective in managing excessive obesity when other techniques such as diets and exercise have failed. Furthermore, surgery is a long-term weight loss technique that significantly reduces the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. Considering that this technique permanently changes the way one eats, it is long-term nature. According to Wing & Phelan, “Weight loss surgery also helps in ending the vicious cycle of weight gain and help in realization of long-term weight loss that enhances the overall quality of life”. Quality of life measures that are enhanced by surgery include increased self-esteem, social interactions, mobility and sexual function”. Additionally, surgery lowers anxiety and depression, which affect the quality of life. Another significant advantage is that it produces instant results compared to other techniques. Despite these advantages of surgery, diet is still the better way to go over surgery because according to the latest studies there is flexibility involved in the recommended diets and this is not the case being argued against by critics who hold that diet is always fixed and difficult to follow. On the other hand, a diet can also be customized to a person’s physiological and physical states hence eliminating cases of inconvenience.

Conversely, losing weight by surgery has many disadvantages compared to diet, and one of the notable disadvantages of weight loss surgery is malnourishment or anemia since it affects the way food is dieted, and how calories are absorbed. There is also the possibility of developing kidney stones due the rapid weight loss. Therefore, this requires individuals to supplement their diets with vitamins and minerals. Another disadvantage of surgery is the possible risks associated with surgery. These include the risk of blood clots, infections and the failure of the operation to reduce weight. Otherwise, dieting does not require a complete change in dietary intake compared to surgery and the disadvantages are short-term in nature, as the body will adjust to the new dieting process. I also recommend diets over surgery because surgery involves more risk that may be life threatening.

Weight loss is the only way of reducing the rising cases of obesity. Although there are many weight loss programs that are available, diets and surgery are the most common techniques used. Diet is the most appropriate method compared to surgery because it is natural and enhances the overall health of the individual without posing any health risk. Some of the healthy benefits of diets include enhanced brain and health, and helps in the development of healthy bones and teeth. The fact that diet are made of natural food is advantageous because it has no side-effects. The disadvantages of dieting are mild and can be corrected by following expert advice, which is different from surgery, which alters they way food is digested and absorbed in the intestines. Although surgery may be fast and can solve persistent weight problems, the disadvantages such a risk of complications makes it an unlikely choice. Additionally, diets are not expensive compared to surgeries.

Works Cited

Cordain, Loren. "The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat". New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Wing, Rena and Phelan, Suzzanne. "Long-term weight loss maintenance". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2005. 82 (1): 2225-2255.