While having an 'obesity tax' that will put taxes on those items that are contributing to the obesity epidemic may be one part of the solution, there needs to still be a fight for better health, fitness, and a good healthy meal plan - Medifast is one option. Punishing the bad (a tax on an unhealthy food or drink) is ok, but also reinforcing the good (a tax cut for those who are within a normal BMI range perhaps?) is also needed to properly stear the country's citizens in the right direction.

Raising the price of sugar-laden drinks and sodas so they’re not cheaper than a bottle of plain water is likely a very good strategy overall. But whether or not it will have the intended outcome of actually lowering obesity rates, who knows? And whether the tax money raised will actually be used for effective health-promoting programs also remains to be seen.

What is sure, however, is that soda greatly contributes to our ever-rising obesity rates, and is a major detriment to overall health. 

However, one important issue that is being overlooked is that of diet soda and other artificially sweetened drinks, which are not slated for additional taxes. These drinks have bee shown to contribute as well.

How Soda and Sugary Drinks Contribute to the Obesity Epidemic

As of 2005, white bread was dethroned as the number one source of calories in the American diet, being replaced by soft drinks. During the past half-century, the number of carbonated soft-drink drinkers rose more than 450 percent and jumped from 11 gallons in 1946 to 49 gallons in the year 2000. Currently, the average American drinks more than 60 gallons of soft drinks each year. During this time, obesity rates have skyrocketed. 

One independent, peer-reviewed study published in the British medical journal The Lancet demonstrated a strong link between soda consumption and childhood obesity. They found that 12-year-olds who drank soft drinks regularly were more likely to be overweight than those who didn't.

In fact, for each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed during the nearly two-year study, the risk of obesity jumped by 60 percent. Just one extra can of soda per day can add as much as 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a single year!

At that rate, it’s no wonder more than 65 percent of all American adults struggle with overweight and obesity.

How Soda Affects Your Body

First of all, just one can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake (which is more than double my recommended daily allowance to begin with). Within 20 minutes of drinking that soda, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, your blood pressure rises due to your body having absorbed all the caffeine, and then your livers dumps even more sugar into your bloodstream. 

After about one hour, you’ll start to have a sugar crash, which oftentimes leads you into a vicious cycle  of consuming more stimulants, followed by crashes, throughout your day.

It is also a proven fact that sugar increases your insulin levels, which can lead to not only weight gain, but also high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, premature aging and many more negative side effects.

Comments: A healthy lifestyle is all about the choices you make. These must be healthy habits that are done without the internal debate that goes on in our heads - maybe I'll go work out today; OR I probably shouldn't eat that; and so on. With a healthy meal plan, regular exercise, plenty of good nutrients, your internal voice is only reinforcing what you know you're going to do - can't wait to get to the gym; OR those red apples look good; OR many others. The bottom line - make your life about positive change, not about the negative happens with poor choices.

The Health & Wellness Institute

If you are interested in a meal plan to assist with your weight loss and health, Medifast provides a diet that makes it easy to plan the foods and meals you will eat. Click here - Medifast - to try the Medifast diet meal plan to help you get started losing weight. Medifast is physician-developed.

Before you try dangerous diet pills, consider a healthy meal plan like Medifast to help you lose weight.

It's the same old story every year: New Year's resolutions to lose weight and get fit, only to end in disapppointment, or at least a gradual return to the usual everyday habits that keep us overweight. Companies prey on human emotions during this time, offering the easy way to weight loss with diet pills, ones that are most often dangerous and offer not much more than false hope. You can't find a smile, energy, happiness, love, health, fitness, and a life that you might dream of... in a bottle. It comes with a little bit of dedication, consistency, and most of all...time. You've got to be patient. Don't fall for the diet pills that come and go every year. Here's more on the subject from The Daily Tribune --

Weight loss once again was among the top New Year's resolutions, but using diet pills to drop a few pounds could prove to be more harmful than helpful.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released a report of more than 25 different weight-loss products that contain undeclared and active pharmaceutical ingredients that may be harmful to consumers' health.

Some of these products include 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming, 999 Fitness Essence and Venom Hyperdrive 3.0.

In some of the harmful weight-loss products — sold online and in retail stores — chemicals such as sibutramine, a controlled substance, and phenolphthalein, a suspected cancer-causing agent, were found, according to the FDA. The products have not been approved by the FDA, and are illegal.

"These tainted weight-loss products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed their maximum recommended dosages," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research for the FDA, in a statement. Read more...

Comments: Don't risk your health by falling victim to products that claim to make weight loss easy. Weight loss doesn't have to be difficult, but we just seem to want it now, yesterday, as opposed to just making some simple changes. One at a time, some diet changes can make all the difference. If you are interested in a meal plan to assist with your weight loss and health, Medifast provides a diet that makes it easy to plan the foods and meals you will eat. Click here - Medifast - to try the Medifast diet meal plan to help you get started losing weight. Medifast is physician-developed.!

The Health & Wellness Institute

A diet plan like Medifast offers balanced nutrition at a reasonable cost when your budget may be tight in tougher economic times. A plan like Medifast not only can help you with weight loss, but also save you time and money when it comes to getting the foods you need to support a healthy diet. The following comes from the LAtimes.com --

Nutrition experts predict that most Americans may be slightly more concerned with the economy than, say, their antioxidant consumption in the months ahead.

If that's the case, the quest for a healthful and cost-conscious diet suggests Americans will be eating more meals cooked at home, upping their produce and whole-grain intake and eschewing sodium. "It's the back-to-basics bailout diet," says Shelley McGuire, professor of nutrition at Washington State University in Pullman.

Comments: Medifast is not the only way to lose weight through a healthy diet, but it is one option that The Health & Wellness Institute believes in from the numerous success stories and quality of the products. A healthy diet is difficult enough for most people, not only because of the many unhealthy consumables that are promoted through various mediums - TV, billboards, web pages, TV shows (i.e. American Idol?) - but because of the time to prepare healthy meals. This is another advantage of having a meal plan: the time to prepare, time to choose, and balance of nutrition are all within a manageable range for even the busiest of lifestyles. If you need a step by step approach to help you build healthy habits that will lead to a permanently healthy lifestyle, HWI recommends The Vice Busting Diet Plans. Learn more about why it's called The Vice Busting Plan for weight loss and healhty living!

The Health & Wellness Institute

If you are interested in a meal plan to assist with your weight loss and health, Medifast provides a diet that makes it easy to plan the foods and meals you will eat. Click here - Medifast - to try the Medifast diet meal plan to help you get started losing weight. Medifast is physician-developed.

Medifast is a healthy eating plan that is not trendy, but a sensible way to control your calories and portions for weight loss and weight management. Medifast, unlike other diets, teaches a healthy lifestyle, not just easy weight loss. Here is a report from ABC about the Top 10 Trendy Diets ---

"There are some very silly -- and even dangerous -- ways to lose weight," said Dr. David Katz, co-founder and director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. "The problem with gauging the utility of diets is that the wrong metrics are used; short-term weight loss is not a measure of true success."

Medifast

Get medifast for weight loss, health, a healthy diet, and a diet plan. Medifast is a product that helps you lose weight. There are benefits to using Medifast in your diet, and can be used for weight loss. Phase 1 - 5 & 1 Program for Weight Loss 5 Medifast Meals per Day Over 50 meals to choose from - shakes, bars, drinks, oatmeals, chili, soups, pudding and more. 1 "Lean and Green" Meal per Day Lean Meat: 7 ounces of chicken, turkey of fish, or 5 ounces of lean beef, pork or lamb. Grill, bake or poach meats using non-stick spray. Salt, pepper, herbs and spices may be added if desired. You may also use 1 - 2 teaspoons of condiments such as ketchup, mustard or barbecue sauce. Salad or Vegetables: Either 2 cups of salad greens (any kind) and up to ½ cups raw vegetables, or up to 1 ½ cups cooked vegetables.

Medifast Diet

You may also use 1 - 2 tablespoons of Media low-fat or non-fat dressing.Phase 2 - BeSlim™ Philosophy of Lifelong Weight Control Once you have reached your healthy weight, your Health Advisor will help transition you to the BeSlim™ philosophy of lifelong weight control. The BeSlim™ philosophy is a part of the Take Shape for Life program that incorporates key behaviors mastered by those who lost significant amounts of weight and kept their weight off for years. These key behaviors include: Breakfast (eating Breakfast every day) - High quality fuel, such as our delicious Medifast oatmeal, cappuccino, or chai latte, is essential to start your day the right way. Exercise - Continued exercise increases metabolism, provides strength, flexibility, and mental clarity.

Medifast Nutrition

Support - Your Health Advisor is here to help you reach and maintain your goals, providing the coaching, tools, education, and caring support you will need along the way. Low-fat meals 5-6 times a day - Eating frequently, controlling portion and total calories, especially those from fat, are critical for success. Individual Plan - Create an individual plan to help you achieve an optimal healthy lifestyle and build the skills and strategies you need to cope with modern life. Monitor your weight - Weigh yourself on a regular basis to maintain optimal weight. Catch it before it becomes a challenge! Join the BeSlim™ Club today and set your life in motion! Introducing the New BeSlim Club & Rewards Program! Optimal Health is its own reward, but how about earning a bonus or two along the way? You’re on a journey to Optimal Health. You’ve made a commitment to lose weight and keep it off! You’ve earned the right to celebrate your success! The new Take Shape For Life BeSlim Club & Rewards Program is your ticket there. The BeSlim Club & Rewards Program is Take Shape For Life's progressive savings program, offering clients and Health Coaches an easy way to obtain their Medifast Meals at a savings, with exciting rewards you can earn along the way! The longer you are member of the BeSlim™ Club, the more significant your savings are and the more rewards points you’ll earn. When you join the Take Shape For Life BeSlim Club & Rewards Program, you: Enjoy your favorite Medifast Meals all month long, with orders conveniently shipped right to your door Save on your meal purchases and enjoy increased savings the longer you’re on the program Earn points towards exclusive rewards that promote healthy living Receive coupons for special savings. Enrich your life as you achieve Optimal Health Available to all, the BeSlim™ Club is a great way for individuals learning and practicing the BeSlim™ philosophy. Every time you order, you earn points towards healthful rewards. Here’s how: There’s no minimum purchase required. Redeem your reward points* for exclusive Take Shape For Life merchandise, including: Apparel, Exercise Equipment, Spa Trips, And more! Join the BeSlim Club today! Simplify Your Life -- — Receive automatic monthly shipments of your favorite Medifast Meals; Save Your Money — Enjoy savings that increase the longer you are a club member; Earn Just Rewards— Select from an array of rewards that promote healthy living and a healthy lifestyle.

Other links: Medifast Blog
Meal Plan from Medifast
Medifast Ordering and Info
Medifast Blog
Medifast Success Stories
Official Medifast Site
Medifast Diet

Still, many may hold out hope that they can find a diet that will at least kick-start their efforts to a healthier 2009. ABCNews.com rounded up some of the most popular diets of the New Year, based on recent news and search-engine queries. We then subjected these diets to the scrutiny of nutrition experts Ikeda, Katz, and Keith-Thomas Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The following pages feature each of these diets, as well as whether or not you can count on them to help you achieve a healthier weight. Read the full report...

Comments: A diet and meal plan is only going to be as good as the individual using it. If it's not something you can see yourself using for the long haul, it might not provide the results you're looking for. One thing we like about Medifast is the variety of foods that can be chosen. But as far as a healthy lifestyle goes, there are many other factors that come into play for not just weight loss, but long-term good health. Your daily habits being one, your overall mindset being another. Make sure when you embark on a diet, it is more about building a healthy lifestyle than anything else. By the way, Dr. Katz provides a nice endorsement for The Vice Busting Diet Plans from Julia Havey, whom lost 130 pounds by breaking those food vices that were contributing to her obesity... as 95% of overweight individuals have in their own diet!

The Health & Wellness Institute

If you are interested in a meal plan to assist with your weight loss and health, Medifast provides a diet that makes it easy to plan the foods and meals you will eat. Click here - Medifast - to try the Medifast diet meal plan to help you get started losing weight. Medifast is physician-developed.

Start 2009 with a healthy diet plan with the Medifast 'Take Shape For Life' Plan.

Medifast is a low calorie diet that will bring about rapid weight loss - in the region of 2-5 pounds per week. The diet is undertaken by purchasing meal replacement products from Medifast that will provide an optimal calorie and nutrient amount for both men and women.

The 5 and 1 Plan

This Medifast plan is made up of 5 meal replacements per day (generally shakes, but there are also bars, soups, oatmeal, and puddings). In addition to the meal replacements - 1 meal per day is a “lean and green” meal - a small portion of lean meat, and generally up to 2 cups of salad or vegetables. You eat every 2-3 hours, and must drink a minimum of 64oz of fluid (water) per day.

Caloric intake is between 800-1000 calories per day. Medifast recommend having supervision from a physician - however you can order the food without this.

While there are 70 different pre-packaged foods, the most popular items are the shakes - made up of differing proportions of protein. Medifast has optimized vitamins and minerals to ensure there will be no deficiencies while reducing calories.

Maintenance Plan

Once the desired weight is reached, the Medifast plan involves a gradual transition back to ‘normal’ meals over a period of about 16 days. Beyond this, Medifast recommend 1-3 Medifast meals daily and a moderately intense exercise routine (e.g. 30-45 minutes 5 days per week). This is essential to keep the weight off.

Successful Weight Loss?

Medifast is one of the more successful and balanced low-calorie diets - it has been trialled successfully at John Hopkins Weight Management Center, among other places.

There are numerous success stories from overweight people who have successfully used Medifast to drop their weight down to manageable levels.

This weight loss program is generally only used by the very overweight (BMI >= 30). It will only suit some people, and beware of slowing your metabolism leading to subsequent weight gain.

Get Started: Medifast Diet

Medifast Success Stories:

Sherryl Carter

I now have enough energy to keep up with my 6-year-old son!

I had given up hope of ever returning to a normal weight.

At the age of 35, after years of yo-yo dieting, I thought, “Face it, this is how it is going to be. Some people are thin and you are just you, so deal with it!”

I read about Medifast and wondered if it could actually work for me.

I visited the website daily to read the success stories and eventually a light bulb turned on in my head. I realized that if others could do it, I could too!

I was amazed how great the food tasted and how simple it was to follow the plan.

To date I have lost 73 pounds!
I am living proof that Medifast works, if you work it.
My life changed in so many ways.

I look different, people tell me I look younger and that I am glowing, my skin is clear, my outlook is optimistic, and I have enough energy to keep up with my 6-year-old son! More than the physical changes that have developed, I am different inside. I no longer use food as a problem-solver, or a coping mechanism. I am no longer under food’s control. I read labels, only drink water, eat vegetables, think before I eat, and exercise. In short, I am alive again!

I am now the person that I always knew that I could be. The way that I always thought of myself on the inside is what the world now sees when they look at me. It’s as if the clock of life has turned back 10 years, giving me a chance to do things differently and to make better choices when it comes to my health and well being.  Although thank you seems inadequate, I hope that it can begin to express my gratitude and appreciation for the Medifast program.

Thank you Medifast for helping me to achieve a life of quality rather than just a life.  

Jennifer Peterson

I am Jennifer--a confident wife and mother, no longer being controlled by my weight but instead empowered by my loss and all that I have gained in return!

I am so excited to share my Medifast success story. Medifast has changed my life and every day I wake up no longer dreading to get dressed!

As I think all weight-loss stories begin, I tried every "miracle" diet out there. I took the energy pills, tried the no carb, the more carb, the no food fad diets and nothing worked. It took me going on Medifast to realize that weight-loss doesn't come in a bottle and doesn't come without hard work but it can be done! And it can be so easy! One just needs to believe in his or herself.

I am a 32-year-old wife and mother of a beautiful 5-year-old girl, Kaitlyn. I have always had a weight problem, ever since I can remember and struggled daily with my self-image. I would blame my weight on stress, hormones you name it, but never on my poor eating habits. Although I would exercise daily, I would still wonder why I wouldn't lose the weight. But I was eating fast food, snacking on high carb/fat snacks, soft drinks, candy etc.

Last summer I hit my all-time low. Standing 5'3'', I had ballooned up to a size 14/16 and weighed nearly 185 pounds. I couldn't stand to get dressed in the morning. I didn't like how tired and sluggish I felt every day -- and I was only 31!! As the summer went on, I found myself taking my daughter to our neighborhood pool at 8 am, while it was empty, just so no one would see me. Like all 4-year-olds, Kaitlyn wanted to play with other kids in the water, but I couldn't stand myself being seen by others in a bathing suit. My husband would take her later in the afternoon. As a family, we would never go together. Not by their choice, but my own. I knew I wanted more for my family and myself. My weight was controlling our life.

Then, I saw an ad for Medifast in a magazine and thought I could do this.

On October 10th, 2005 I started the Medifast 5 and 1 plan. From day one, something clicked. My cravings, my need for "snacks" and fast/fatty food all went away. Medifast chose my foods for me. I was committed to this diet and to making a change. My mind set was simple; whatever I was craving would still be there when I reach my goal weight. Would that piece of pizza really make me feel better? The concept was simple and for some reason, it clicked in my mind with Medifast.

I enjoyed the shakes and oatmeal, would try new recipes with the chili. I loved the chicken noodle soup and of course the bars were a great treat! I would save my daily lean and green meal for dinner with my family. My husband kept the list of approved veggies and meats and would surprise me by making the meals for me, creating new sauces and adding variety. It was fun for us. And I really needed that support. Although I never felt hungry, it wasn't easy saying "no" to co-workers for lunch outings but I hung in there.

I also made it through my first Thanksgiving without bread or stuffing. By Christmas, I was down 30 pounds and feeling great! People started noticing--and I liked that. But even with the weight loss, I still felt self-conscious being in this new skin and was always second-guessing my willpower to get down to my goal weight of 140.

But on January 22nd, 2006, I achieved my goal weight and I thought I would pass out! None of my clothes fit anymore. I had some skirts and pants just falling off of me, which 4 months prior, fit snug and others barely buttoned. I would just stand there in the mirror wondering who this person was staring back. My daughter called me skinny. My husband, although always supportive, called me sexy and beautiful. But this time it was different because for the first time, I felt sexy and beautiful.

I decided to transition off of Medifast and started the transition/maintenance plan on February 10th. I was scared of piling back the pounds. But again, I just incorporated the ratio set forth in the Medifast Meals and went with it. And since I wasn't use to eating breads and fast foods any longer, my biggest vices, I knew I could do it. I also started back exercising every morning with a 45-minute walk. During Medifast, I was only walking 2-3 times a week.

Today, I am down another 5 pounds and am successfully holding my own at 135 and a size 6! For this first time, I am looking forward to bathing-suit season and going to the pool at high noon with my husband and daughter on weekends. I thank Medifast every day for giving me the courage and willpower to succeed with my weight loss. The message boards and website gave me the confidence in myself that it could be done. I still go on the boards from time to time and read other successes and have posted there as well in support to the "newbies".

Now, I stand in the full-length mirror and no longer wonder who the person is staring back at me. I am Jennifer--a confident wife and mother, no longer being controlled by my weight but instead empowered by my loss and all that I have gained in return!

Thanks Medifast!

If you are interested in a meal plan to assist with your weight loss, Medifast provides a diet that makes it easy to plan the foods and meals you will eat. Click here - Medifast - to try the Medifast diet meal plan to help you get started losing weight. Medifast is physician-developed.

The Health & Wellness Institute