The Vice Busting Diet Plan is based on the premise that 9 out of 10 overweight or obese individuals have one or two poor nutritional habits that is/are responsible for the majority of their extra weight. In other words, the observations made by those of us at The Health & Wellness Institute over more than a decade indicates that most people have a habit of, for example, drinking soft drinks everyday; or for example, eating fast food everyday. The Vice Busting approach does not give exception to moderation with these unhealthy and high-calorie foods or beverages. In other words, busting them completely - that is, eliminating them from your diet - is the only way to ensure not only weight loss, maintaining weight loss and a healthy weight, but also maintaining good health. Our subjective look at the evidence tells us that when a 'dieter' is allowed to have one day of unhealthy or fattening foods, that one day eventually turns into 2 days, then 3 times a week... and, you get the picture. A complete "fall" off the proverbial wagon with all the weight, and sometimes more, coming back. A few clients who used the Vice Busting Diet Plan suggested they might try the 'cheater's' approach and have their "busted" item just one day a week.
In order to find out if the vice busting approach was indeed valid, a green light was given to less than a handful of clients - 3 to be exact. Interestingly, more time went by than usual before contact was made with each. The reason was later discovered some 6 months later - each had gained back a substantial amount of weight. Although this group is obviously not large enough to substantiate any credible "research", it does offer some insight as to the power that these foods or beverages can have over our diet and willpower.
To further support the vice-busting approach, here is a study summary from Florida State University as reported in Best Life magazine's March 2008 edition (page 70):
Every time you resist a piece of pie or a bagel with extra cream cheese, you decrease your chances of being able to do it again. That's because the ability to control oneself wanes over time, according to a new study from FSU. The researchers determined that maintaining steady blood-sugar balance is important for self-control. "There are two ways to moderate blood sugar," says registered dietician Valerie Berkowitz. "First, eat foods that keep it stable, like peanut butter on a celery stick or other high-fiber foods. Second, exercise with weights to increase your muscle mass, because this will improve your body's ability to control blood-sugar spikes.
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Now, at a glance this may not seem like direct evidence to support the vice busting approach. But the second factor in making vice busting work, is replacing the unhealthy food or beverage with a healthy one. This is what makes this diet plan work over other approaches, and will keep blood sugar levels from sea-sawing as the report suggests will continue to create urges for more of the same foods that will spike sugar levels.
Bottom line: foods that are healthy are ones that will keep blood sugar levels steady and will rid your body of the 'urge' to consume unhealthy ones. For this reason, water is the recommended beverage of choice.
The Health & Wellness Institute, DC PC
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