Modern Diet

The modern American diet is responsible for many of the health issues in our country. Business Insider's 11 charts highlight exactly what those problems are.

See them here: http://www.businessinsider.com/whats-wrong-with-the-modern-diet-charts-2014-2
Are there any reasons you feel belong on the list?

Build to Look Bigger

Is your main goal in ‪fitness‬ to build mass? These charismatic experts share the most important ‪muscles‬ to focus on in order to appear bigger. You don't have to gain 20lbs of muscle to give the impression of being 20lbs heavier. Remember this great advice the next time you ‪lift‬!

Portion Size Multiplied

There have been many lifestyle and dietary changes that have contributed to the rise in obesity rates worldwide (and especially in America), but one of the main undeniable reasons behind this growth in our waistlines is the growth in our food portions. In the 1950's, America's average portion size in restaurant meals was less than four times the size it is today, which really says something about why our body fat percentages are multiplying.
The Huffington Post discusses this phenomenon.

"The average restaurant meal is four -- four -- times larger than it was in the 1950s. In fact, 96 percent of entrees at chain restaurants exceed dietary guidelines for sodium, fat and saturated fat per meal, according to a recent study.
All those additional calories are a big problem -- for our waistlines. The average adult is now 26 pounds heavier than 60 years ago.
It's not always easy to tell when you're overdoing it, especially since we're used to never-ending bowls of pasta and burgers too big to bite into. The infographic from the CDC below, however, makes it pretty clear."

Read more here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/portion-sizes-infographic_n_1539804.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Here's an illustration created by the CDC to put into perspective just how extreme the growth in portion size really is.

Mathematical Challenge to Obesity

Mathematician Carson C. Chow has found evidence against the rule of a pound being made of 3,500 calories, which he shares with The New York Times. See what new information his caloric equation has rendered.

"That the conventional wisdom of 3,500 calories less is what it takes to lose a pound of weight is wrong. The body changes as you lose. Interestingly, we also found that the fatter you get, the easier it is to gain weight. An extra 10 calories a day puts more weight onto an obese person than on a thinner one.
Also, there’s a time constant that’s an important factor in weight loss. That’s because if you reduce your caloric intake, after a while, your body reaches equilibrium. It actually takes about three years for a dieter to reach their new “steady state.” Our model predicts that if you eat 100 calories fewer a day, in three years you will, on average, lose 10 pounds — if you don’t cheat.
Another finding: Huge variations in your daily food intake will not cause variations in weight, as long as your average food intake over a year is about the same. This is because a person’s body will respond slowly to the food intake."

He's even devised a calculator that can help you decide the amount of calories your body requires in a day. See it here:


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/science/a-mathematical-challenge-to-obesity.html?_r=1

Little Protein, Lots of Fat

A diet lacking in proteins could cause your body to retain more fat. Makes sense since muscles are calorie-burning powerhouses that require proteins to be built and maintained.
The Huffington Post shares the results of a study on the Journal of the American Medical Association that explains why this is. They even share advice on how to incorporate more protein into your diet! Heres a snippit of the article:

"People who consistently consume more calories than they burn each day will lose lean muscle and accumulate body fat more easily if their diets contain too little protein and too much fat and carbohydrates, suggests a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association."

Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/04/protein-body-fat-diet-_n_1183516.html


Stay healthy and eat your proteins!