"We can't eat freely"

Well, that really should be no surprise to anyone ... should it?

According to Dr. Larry Tucker, a professor of exercise science in the College of Health and Human Performance at Brigham Young University, it is:

Dr. Larry Tucker, a professor of exercise science in the College of Health and Human Performance at Brigham Young University, authored a study on restrained eating that appeared in the Jan./Feb. 2009 edition of The American Journal of Health Promotion. Tucker spent three years studying the eating habits of 192 middle-aged women.

Some participants practiced what's known as restrained eating, or the conscious effort to avoid unhealthy foods and substitute them with healthier ones. Previous short-term studies have demonstrated a link between restrained eating and binging, leading researchers to believe that limiting choices often results in overcompensation later.

Tucker's study draws the opposite conclusion. The women who did not practice restrained eating were almost two-and-a-half times more likely to gain weight over the three-year time period than those who were more selective. While the phenomenon of restrained eating and binging has puzzled researchers for years, Tucker believes the length of his study demonstrates a strong causality between eating selectively and weight maintenance. This conclusion has been supported by other long-term studies.

While it's a harsh truth, Tucker says people can adapt to it by making various changes to their habits. Weigh yourself several times per week and keep a food diary, he advises. Added calories, and pounds will show up quickly on the page and scale.

The lesson, he says, is simple and one that dieters often fear: "We can't eat freely."

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I do know some people who don't every think twice about what they put in the mouths and bodies and who are forever starting on another crash or drastic diet to lose weight, that they could have avoided gaining in the fist place.

In my opinion, its breaks down to this: Lifestyle and Accountability.

Lifestyle:
We all know that being active is a healthy way to live. It's not rocket science. It’s common sense and it’s easy to get in a even just a few minutes of exercise everyday.

• Take the stairs to work
• Get off the bus or train a few stops early
• Walk to the grocery store and lug those sacks of feed back home, you'll have earned your grub!

Not only will even just a small dose of activity or exercise help keep the muffin top at bay, it can do wonders for your overall health. Your heart, your lungs and even your brain will thank you for it.

Accountability:
You have to be honest with yourself in what you eat and how active you are.

If you cheat or slip up from your healthy way of life (and we all do), admit it and move on. Don’t do your self the disservice of rationalizing your Whopper or Ben & Jerry's binge. It’s going to get you nowhere.

"If you're going to eat cookies, accept that you're deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward,". Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble.

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No one is ever force feeding you MacDonald’s or Ice Cream. It is always your decision and though sometime it may be a hard one, what will be harder is on-going battling the bulge that will come with it.

This may sound harsh, and maybe it is, but the truth can sometimes hurt.