Swimsuit season is here, and many bikini-clad Ohio University students can be found laying out on the greens. But even with the pressure to fit into a bathing suit after a long winter, most students seem to have a healthy outlook on dieting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
I think it is important to read up on nutrition and learn how your body works to maintain a healthy lifestyle
said OU junior Rebecca Berry. Berry, like many OU students, said she believes fad diets, such as the low-carbohydrate diet craze, are unrealistic and unhealthy.
Ohio University's WellWorks Nutritionist Francie Astrom said dieting is not the correct solution to weight loss. If you are thinking about dieting that is a problem. Students should look at what causes them to overeat or not exercise and fix those issues, she said.
Americans spend approximately $50 billion a year on weight loss, which includes diet foods and beverages, according to netnutritionist.com. That expenditure is 50 times the amount spent by the United Nations on Hunger and Famine Relief.
In general, students thought low carbohydrate diets were effective for the short term but could be detrimental to one's health because a nutrient that is needed by the body is cut out of the diet.
I really disagree with the Atkins diet Berry said. She said she thinks low-carb diets are a temporary solution.
I know there are hormones in your body connected to carbohydrates that affect your emotions and physical state. I had a friend who went on the Atkins diet and for the first couple of weeks all she did was sleep
and she was a total bitch. I just don't think it is a good idea to take something away from your body that it needs
Berry said.
Astrom also said she thinks the low-carb diets are effective but not for long term. I think they are difficult for people to live on long term; whether they are safe or not
I still think that's up in the air
she said.
Although many programs are advertised to help lose weight, the only proven long-term and safe method is to burn more calories than you consume, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The typical answer to losing weight is the right answer, said OU sophomore Heather Whitley. Exercise
eating right and getting plenty of sleep should help you lose weight or maintain it.
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