New Study Confirms that Dieting Does Not Work

Not that this tidbit is breaking news for anyone who’s every tried to diet, but a new study shows that dieting does not work.  See I knew there was a reason why I never tried it!

According to this study out of UCLA, you might initially lose 5 to 10 pounds on a diet, but you will gain it back when you stop dieting.  In other words, to keep the weight off you must continue to diet.  Oh what an awful idea — a lifetime a dieting   In my opinion, that’s just not worth it for a measly 10 pounds.

In fact, the report suggests that you’d be better off not to diet at all.

“What happens to people on diets in the long run?” said Traci Mann, UCLA associate professor of psychology and lead author of the study. “Would they have been better off to not go on a diet at all? We decided to dig up and analyze every study that followed people on diets for two to five years. We concluded most of them would have been better off not going on the diet at all. Their weight would be pretty much the same, and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear from losing weight and gaining it all back.”  

In fact, continually losing and gaining weight could actually be bad for your health.  It has been linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and altered immune function.  Good news for me.  Now I can justify not going on all those diets!

The study does, however, suggest that you should eat in moderation and exercise regularly.  Well with two two-year-olds on the loose, I get plenty of opportunities to exercise as I try to keep up with them, and usually I have very little time left to eat, let alone overeat.

The moral of the story is that the fad diet you’re thinking about trying really is nothing more than a fad.  Now I’m off to have a cookie (just one) and get some sleep before my next round with the toddlers.

Bennett a No Show on American Idol

Although I hated to see Gina Glocksen go tonight (you know who I thought should say goodbye), my biggest disappointed was that I didn’t get to hear Tony Bennett sing!  After listening to his critics yesterday and watching him get teary-eyed when he mentioned 9/11, I couldn’t wait to hear him show America why the classics are just that.

We were, however, treated to the pleasure of hearing Michael Buble singing Call Me Irresponsible.  I first heard Buble on NBC’s Las Vegas and instantly loved his work.  He gives the classics a fresh new sound and reminds us why we love them.  I can’t think of anyone better to fill in for Bennett while he was out with the flu.

And Glocksen’s farewell song, Smile, was appropriate for her sentiment tonight.  At least my favorite, Melinda Doolittle, is still in the running.  Until next week . . .