We should all grow fat and be happy

 

What a miserable lot dieters are! You can always recognize them from the sour expression on their faces. They spend most of their time turning their noses up at food. They are forever consulting their calorie charts; gazing at themselves in mirrors; and leaping on to weighing-machines in the bathroom. They spend a lifetime fighting a losing battle against spreading hips, protruding tummies and double chins. Some wage all-out war on fat. Mere dieting is not enough. They exhaust themselves doing exercises, sweating in sauna baths, being pummeled and massaged by weird machines. Don't think it's only the middle-aged who go in for these fads either. Many of these bright young things you see are suffering from chronic malnutrition: they are living on nothing but air and water.

"Wonder food is a complete food," the advertisement says. "Just dissolve a teaspoonful in water..." A complete food it may be, but not quite so complete as a juicy steak...

What's all this self-inflicted torture for? It will be a great day when all the dieters in the world abandon their slimming courses; when they hold out plates and demand a second helping.

There are only two ways to avoid gaining weight: eating less and taking exercise. Which one would you prefer, if any? Why?

Is a slim body worth so many worries and restrictions?

TEXT E

Read the text and make a list of requirements each diet should follow in order to be proper.

DIETING

The term dieting most often refers to the revision of food intake in order to lose weight. Diets are also observed for a wide range of medical reasons or to accord with dietary laws or ethical positions such as vegetarianism. In the United States and other developed nations where obesity is a common metabolic problem, the promotion of weight-loss programs has become a large enterprise. This interest in dieting is caused in part by a cultural emphasis on slimness, but obesity is considered a genuine medical hazard that puts people at risk for cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and other disorders.

People often find diets hard to maintain, in part because they may have unrealistic expectations about how quickly they can lose weight. They may blame the diet itself and try another one. Many fat diets are unhealthy and even dangerous if followed for any length of time. Proper weight-loss diets observe good nutritional practices and balanced food intake, including the recommended daily regimens of vitamins and minerals.

General Guidelines

In nutritional science, food energy is spoken of in terms of a heat unit, the calorie (actually the kilocalorie). The only sources of calories are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and alcohol. If the number of calories taken in greatly exceeds the number used, the excess is stored as fat and obesity results. With proper dieting and exercise the fat stores in the body will supply some of the dieter's energy needs while maintaining good health. For most people, the recommended rate of weight loss is about 0.7 to 0.9 kg (1,5 to 2 Lb) per week. This can be achieved on diets limited to 1,200—1,500 calories a day for women and 1,500 — 2,000 calories a day for men; calorie needs of children vary greatly, and their rates of weight loss should be prescribed by a physician. The most sensible approach to weight loss is to begin with a medical check-up to make certain that no special health problems exist and to get a diet and exercise prescription from a physician. The diets that are acceptable to the medical establishment are those in which fewer calories are eaten and exercise is increased. This is called the calorie-balanced approach to dieting. Although some diets may place more emphasis on calorie reduction and others on increased exercise, all of them emphasize the importance of good nutrition and maintaining a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

 Diet Problems

There is a number of problems associated with dieting. Research, has shown that in many cases, diets are successful only on a temporary basis - most dieters regain the weight, plus more, within two years.

 Many of these dieters try to lose the weight again, a cycle called yo-yo dieting, There has been controversy about the yo­yo dieting's effects on the body, with some studies indicating that it causes problems with metabolism and heart disease. However, a 1994 study disagreed, finding no such effects.

Another problem is that many of the commercially offered diets emphasize one dietary element at the expense of others; such practices present health problems. Low-carbohydrate diets, for example, restrict the amount of bread, sugar, and grains while maintaining a normal amount of protein and fats. Most of the initially rapid weight loss from such programs is from the body ridding itself of water and salt. A plateau is reached after one or two weeks, and no additional weight is lost for several weeks thereafter. Most people experience fatigue, hypertension (low blood pressure), and dizziness after only a few days on such diets, which are adaptations of an older American Diabetes Association diabetes diet.

High-protein diets virtually eliminate carbohydrates and fats. Because carbohydrates are the most readily available source of energy, an all-protein diet forces the body to burn stored fat and protein. High protein diets, requiring complete elimination of carbohydrates, can be used only for the short period of time and are dangerous for anyone with diabetes, kidney disorders, or other medical problems. Diets high in fats and cholesterol are hazardous for persons with arteriosclerosis and heart disease. This type of diet also causes diarrhea, vitamin loss, hypertension, dehydration, and kidney irritation. Numerous diets emphasize one food, such as rice, grapefruit, ice cream, or yoghurt. These are not nutritionally balanced and require vitamin and mineral supplements. Formula diets in liquid or powder form, which typically supply from 900 to 1200 calories per day, claim to contain the recommended daily allowances of nutrients; serious health problems have sometimes been reported with their use. Non-prescription drugs called anorexics are supposed to suppress the appetite but have little effect by themselves and must be used with a sensible diet plan: they too may be harmful. As for starvation dieting, this dangerous practice should be attempted – if at all- only under strict medical supervision.