You may have all heard about the recent pornography study  by a Harvard business school perv - I mean, professor - which ranked States by their level of online porn consumption. The results found Utah to rank number 1 in online porn  consumption - with the highest number of online porn subscriptions. I know what you’re thinking: Does *f.a.t. Suzy just look for excuses to write about sex, or what?

Answer: Kind of.

Reason: Because sex and health/fitness are inextricably connected. A healthy body has a libido; an unhealthy one does not. A healthy body “performs” well sexually, an unhealthy one does not. A balanced appetite for sex is a sign of a healthy mind and spirit and an addictive appetite indicates a problem.

So, what does the new porn viewing study have to do with health, fitness, and diet, you ask? Keep reading and I’ll tell you.

In the porn study, researchers found that even when they controlled for all demographic factors that generally influence high consumption rates, such as income, age, education level, and marital status, Utah still consumes disproportionately more than other States. According to researchers, one possibility for this could be the scarcity of adult entertainment outside the home, in the State of Utah.

Now, regardless of whether you agree with me on the porn bailout, or whether you think porn is good or bad, the takeaway point is this: when you restrict or limit anything to an extreme, your desire for it, or at least your thoughts about it, tend to increase. This is true for sex, but it’s also true for food.

Sacrificing too much of any one thing tends to cause an imbalance in us, at least on a psychological level, and often on a physical level as well. (Where sex is concerned, this is the reason I continue to recommend that women without a boyfriend or husband, take care of themselves on a regular basis). And where food and diet are concerned, this is why it is imperative not to fall into one of the two big *f.a.t. (Fit After Thirty) no-no’s: 

1. Starving yourself

2. Rigid adherence to a diet without moderation

If you cut calories to a sub-healthy level, not only will you be constantly hungry, but it will cause a rebound effect. And if you completely deprive yourself of treats, you will eventually fall victim to binges which are far more detrimental to your overall health than periodic indulgences. 

Moderation as the best approach, has been basically proven by another new study published in The New England Journal Of Medicine, which aimed to compare four different types of diets which varied in the amount of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, to determine if limiting any one of these was more influential in weight loss. In the study, 811 overweight adults were assigned to one of the four diets and all performed similar amounts of exercise, and attended diet counseling.

The results showed that regardless of which diet was followed, participants had similar weight loss. Therefore, there is no benefit to excessive limitation of any single macronutrient (carb, fat, protein), but rather, total calories consumed and expended is the key to weight loss. In other words, moderation (in types of foods consumed) reigns king in the world of dieting!

So go forth this week, my *f.a.t. sisters, recommitting yourself to a life of moderation!