Millions of dollars are spent every day to combat the ever growing epidemic of obesity in America. Unbelievable amounts of money are being spent on educating people on the importance of good health habits that will prevent serious diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, in which obesity plays a major factor. However, despite these attempts to urge Americans to lose weight, we are fatter than ever. Up to 61% of Americans are overweight, which is up from 45% in the 1980s. .
The amount of money being spent on educating people about the dangers of being overweight are surpassed by the number of dollars being poured into "lose weight quick" diet plans. Americans have tried an endless number of ways to get the weight off and perhaps this time, keep it off. We have done unimaginable things to our bodies in these attempts. I remember hearing some time ago about an innovative Mexican "miracle drug" that would help a person to lose all of his or her excess weight with a single pill. When the desired weight is achieved, simply take another pill to stop the weight loss. It turns out that the first pill was a tapeworm that would grow in the stomach, and the second pill would kill the tapeworm. Is this a true story? Probably not, but extremities, such as liposuction, are taken regularly by people desperate to lose weight.
There are literally hundreds of diets on the market today. The majority of these diets are designed to help a person lose weight quickly, and consist of everything from cabbage soup to apple cider vinegar. Such diets can be so restrictive and repetitious, that adhering to them long enough to lose the weight, and keep it off, is nearly impossible. Other diets are just insanely irrational, such as eating only Jell-O and cotton balls, eating a lemon before meals. Therefore, these diets have been labeled "fad" diets. The "fad diet" industry capitalizes on the notion that "this will be the one that really works" and attracts even those who have tried them all.