ELF Diet

Researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Australia conducted a study recently to determine the amount of food consumed versus the amount of food people need to maintain weight.

The result? People are eating too much...

"Scientists measured the metabolism of almost 1,500 adults to determine how many calories their bodies burn under normal conditions. Then they calculated how many calories they’d need to maintain body weight. They figured out how much we’re eating today versus three decades ago by comparing agricultural data from then and now. They determined total food grown and imported, minus what was exported, thrown away or used for livestock."

"With that information, they predicted how much fatter we should be based just on consumption. And we’ve actually gained a little less than the numbers say we should have. Maybe because we’ve added some exercise to the equation.

The scientists say this study shows that the situation is straightforward. Exercise is great, but to get the weight down, Americans have to adopt the ELF diet. Where ELF stands for eat less food."

The general health consensus is that an inactive (read as non-exercising) individual should be consuming between 1,600 and 2,400 calories a day. That is hardly much, considering the kind of food that most people (especially in the United States) intake each day. Foods like a Big Mac from McDonalds can easily surpass the 1,300 calorie mark...and that's just in one meal.

While I do agree that people nowadays are eating far too much, it has a lot less to do with overall quantity than the qualities of food they are taking in. A decrease in processed foods and ingredients would significantly decrease the overall calorie level of the meals people eat while simultaneously increasing the level of "healthiness" of the food they eat.

But again, as an individual who regularly consumes in excess of 3,000 calories a day, who am I to talk? Of course, I do exercise in excess of one hour a day, which combined with my natural metabolism supplements my calorie burning ability during active and non-active cycles during my day.

The end result of all these studies about health is nothing new. The conclusion and advice is the same as always: Eat less, eat healthier, and exercise more.

But the first step is admitting you're fat. And 2/3 of the world's population is now labeled as overweight. So in all likelyhood...you're fat. Get over it, admit it, and stop pretending like you're "normal" just because you're surrounded by other fat people.

Fat is unhealthy.
Fix your diet.
Fix your routines.

Get healthy.

Articles referenced:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124225207517116943.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=overeating-alon...