These are a few changes that I believe need to happen to really help those struggling with obesity

1. Elimination of the words “health food” and “junk food” by people in authority and on food labels. I just want the FACTS. You know like, the fact that the guilt and shame from eating “bad food” like a donut are far worse for weight-loss success than the calories in a donut.

2. Health risk labels on all short-term diet fads that state “Surgeon General Warning: May cause depression, isolation, anxiety, shame, and OBESITY

3. In order to be called a “true” weight-loss expert, you need to have personal experience.

4. On second thought, let's just get rid of the term. There’s no such thing.  Especially NOT! those always-skinny "experts" who have NO CLUE of what it’s like to be obese. Besides, these “experts” can’t even agree on what causes obesity or what to do about. 

The fact they fight over a direct cause and then find some food group/company to demonize should open your eyes. A direct cause of obesity, really? I thought it was as simple as, “calories IN and calories out”. 

But it makes sense when you think about it, they need to talk out of both sides of their mouth in order to profit. They need a bad-guy, a demon, in order to sell us the cure. BUT! they also want us to remember that it’s ultimately our lack of willpower and our fault when we inevitably fail. 

You can also think of it this way. If there truly was an authoritative “weight-loss expert”, why the heck are we getting more and more overweight? Either they have no clue or they are purposely making us fatter. And, if it’s just as simple as calories in and calories out, why do we need diets or weight-loss experts? 

I’m not big on believing conspiracy theories but I do think it's quite interesting when you see the decade to decade obesity stats. The epidemic starts taking off in the 1980’s and then hit’s full throttle through the 1990’s. 

Most of the time people will then show you the stats of carb/sugar intake, as it also skyrocketed during the same time. This increase was mainly due to food processing AND B.S. public health warnings about eating animal and/or natural saturated fat.So good essential fat was replaced with non-essential processed carbs and sugar. The 1980’s is the epic beginning of why #1 on my list of changes is, for companies to stop labeling food non-essential food as healthy and for clueless authorities to stop telling us what we like to eat is “junk”

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an anti-carb guy. I’ve personally lost weight on the 80’s low-fat diets. But carbs and fat are only the parts of the real issue which are too many calories. What really happened was calorie intake skyrocketed along with the carbs, which should have been pretty obvious.

Now, the part that I find “quite interesting” is that the 80’s & 90’s was also the takeoff of the diet industry as we know it today. 

Now, I can’t speak for you, but I didn’t go on my first diet after I was labeled obese by my doctor. I started when I was technically just overweight. Then, several years and about a dozen diets later, I was no longer labeled obese but now I had the distinction of morbidly obese.  

Now, I’m definitely going more correlation because no one can prove causation, but it makes you think right? 

Diets being a cause of obesity!? It’s downright scandalous!!

Do I really think that dieting made me obese? 

Well, from my own experience, diets created only short-term weight loss and a slowdown of my metabolism and my cravings increasing and I can definitely say that diet failure would often lead to an immense amount of depression, isolation, anxiety, and shame. 

But, I’m not answering the question.

Would I say that dieting caused me to become obese? 

You want answers? 

Well, let’s see if you can handle the truth?

The truth is, dieting did NOT make me obese. 

I made myself obese.

It was all me. 

I had to take full responsibility for my past and present to believe that I can create a new future. Blaming my situation on anything else is just telling myself that I never had and never will have control over my weight.

Let me tell you with full sincerity and love that, you can’t place the blame of your circumstances on anyone or anything. 

With full authority, YOU have to BE IN CONTROL if you want to kick obesity’s BIG stupid ass once and forever. 

I will also tell you with joy and excitement that,  YOU CAN DO IT! 

If I, a lazy, donut loving, and lifelong dieter can go from obese to a six-pack, why can’t you? 

Of course, you can do this!

Your new life starts with a dream, and then that dream becomes a vision and that vision combined with hope get’s you on your path. However, the path is never easy and you be forced to persevere. Each time you do, every small victory, your belief in yourself grows stronger. It’s in those tough moments that the tide begins to change to your side. 

If there is a “key” to long-term success, it is perseverance, your unwillingness to give up. And when you REFUSE to quit, your dream will start becoming your reality. 

Believe me when I say that, “this battle is NOT won at the dinner table nor is it won at the gym, This war is fought and victory is had inside your head.”

God Bless! 

 -- Russell Branjord
Author of Spike Diet and Obesityslayer