In today's society, there is a great emphasis placed on physical appearance as a means for obtaining success. Influenced by television commercials and magazine ads, people often conform to such standards by risking their health in an attempt to achieve the 'ideal body image.' Clothing stores that target teenage girls carry sizes as low as 00. Nutrition stores promote herbal supplements that promise to increase muscle mass as well as dietary drinks that have a "get fit quick" theme. Believe it or not, weight control is affecting just about everyone. However, despite the desire to have the perfect body, many people want results but are unwilling to put forth the effort to achieve them. Because of this, they often turn to fad diets as the solution. Fad diets promise quick weight loss and often claim to make you lose fat, but most of the results are actually due to the loss of water weight. Overall, fad diets are an unhealthy excuse for a weight loss program and in the long run will cause more harm than good.

There are various weight loss programs out there that claim the same thing - to guarantee weight loss as long as you properly follow their instructions. These so-called diets have gained an increase in popularity over the years as people continue to search for a 'miracle diet.' One such program that has been drawing medical attention is the Atkins' Diet. His program is based on the theory that "hunger and weight gain result because high carbohydrate intake leads to overproduction of insulin in the body." Robert Atkins' books advocate increasing one's protein consumption while decreasing the intake of carbohydrates. What makes this particular diet so attractive is that participants are allowed to consume foods such as red meat, butter, eggs, and cheese, while still guaranteed weight loss, good health, and disease prevention. The truth of the matter is that calories from animal products already make up about fifty percent of the American diet. In addition, diets high in animal protein contain large amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat, which is a risk factor for heart disease and can lead to enlarged kidneys or kidney failure. Carbohydrates on the other hand, are essential to weight control, constituting only 4 cal/gm and providing most of the calories that our body uses. The minimum amount of carbohydrates needed range from 50-100 grams per day (200-400 calories from carbohydrates). This amount prevents the body from attempting to make glucose out of muscle protein, an emergency reaction known as ketosis. Carbohydrates also are necessary because they add fiber to the diet, which helps to control blood sugar and blood cholesterol.

Everyone has heard of the rollercoaster diet - one day you are five pounds lighter and the next day you realize you have gained it back and more. Why does this occur? Because the weight that a person thinks they are losing is not fat but rather water weight. Many people turn to fad diets because they seem like the easiest and fastest solution. However, in the long run, after fluctuating in weight many times over, the diet proves to be time consuming and may, in fact, cause a gain in additional weight. People also tend to think that by decreasing the amount of carbohydrate intake, it will force the body to burn existing fat or energy. This may be true to a certain point, but going overboard will force your body to burn the muscle needed for energy.

Overall, fad diets are a poor choice in an attempt to lose weight. It is not only unhealthy, but it does not instill the proper eating habits needed to keep the weight off. Today, it seems as if Americans' goal for dieting is solely for the purposeof losing weight rather than learning to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Instead of maintaining balance and variety in the daily food intake, many of the new diets that have sprung up in the past few years are geared towards an imbalance of macronutrients that are much different from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and American Dietetic Association recommendations.

Although many fad diets are known to be dangerous and unhealthy, people still continue to put their health at risk. The reasons for this vary from convenience to initial results. But for whatever reasons, the results are all the same. Fad diets tend to focus on one nutrient and ignore the rest, leaving the body void of some minerals needed to function properly.

So how does one solve such a dilemma? The answer is the good old-fashioned way - through eating a well-balanced diet in combination with consistent physical activity. The results may be more gradual than that of the fad diets, but it will be more effective in the long run.

Battling the Bulge While Hitting the Books: some useful tips when eating at the cafeteria

Entrees
* Avoid breaded and fried foods
* Reduce intake of fatty meats such as sausage, bacon, and hot dogs
* Choose leaner cuts of meat that are baked, broiled, or boiled
* Slice off any visible fat on the meat
* Try a new and different vegetarian dish

Soups/Sides
* Choose clear or tomato based soups
* Choose steamed veggies
* Go easy on the condiments

Salad Bar
* Concentrate on the veggies like dark green lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers
* Go easy on the cheese, meats, bacon bits, and prepared salads
* Try adding some seeds, sprouts, or raisins
* Limit the amount of dressing you use and try to use low calorie versions

Desserts
* Try eating fruit to satisfy your sweet craving
* Split your dessert with a friend
* Try sorbet, low fat frozen yogurt, or ice cream
* Avoid fatty desserts like donuts and pastries

Adapted from www.shs.unc.edu. Compiled by Jamie A. Sutton.

Some individuals have problems with portion control when eating. A way to judge portion sizes is to visualize standard household measures. Here is a quick cheat sheet to help you determine your portion sizes while eating.

2 cupped hands = 1 cup
open palm = 3 oz of meat
2 thumbs = 1 tbsp.

Adapted from Kraft Food & Family (2002), edited by Tamara Stieber. Compiled by Jamie A. Sutton.