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Why are these diets
so popular?
Instant gratification,
we thrive off of it. In this article I'm going to cover the
diet plans. I'll deal with the pill-popping fixes in a
later article. You may see quick results with these diet
plans, many do. However the theory of controlling
carbohydrates by substituting either fat or high protein for
the rest of your life is dangerous and can kill you.
Ultimately, we gain weight because the intake of calories
exceeds the energy we burn off through physical activity.
What these diets create is a controlled environment of
starvation. The process of starvation is similar to the
induction phase of the Atkins diet, where a biochemical
process called ketosis is stimulated. If you put your body
into a starvation mode by SUDDENLY restricting your
carbohydrate intake, your body senses danger and automatically
goes after its fat stores. Whether you’re on a carb diet or
alone in a jungle with no food, your body knows something has
drastically changed. To insure your survival its
biochemical cascade ignites accessing available carbs, then
fat stores and finally muscle stores as fuel sources to
produce energy. This is why you may see “quick results”. Your
body is snacking on itself to produce the energy it needs to
function. TOP
Why do people gain the
weight back?
This is the
multi-billion dollar question that sustains the fad diet and
infomercial industries. Basically, our bodies seek to
establish balance and creators of fad diets know this. They
know you'll be back, at least 85% of you within a year; their
luxury lifestyle depends upon it.
And they are partially
right. It is not the diet that fails the dieter, it's nature.
Once the danger passes (diet stops) our instincts tell us to
start eating. Your body balance hits panic mode.
It must replace all of that fuel it used up snacking on itself
in case danger comes again! Suddenly you are hungry and
eating more than ever. Frantically eat to restore what
has been depleted. The eternal yo-yo begins. Given all the
miracle stories that diet plans claim, what most of us don’t
realize is how our body will react in THE LONG TERM. The
short-term results seduce us, but like a hot one night stand
or summer affair they fail to stay for the long-term. This
would be too much work and require a commitment. The human
body’s inherent mechanism to reestablish homeostasis sets the
ground rules and like a one night stand, these diets don't
want to do the work. Fad diets just want the
recognition, credit for the affair and the fantasy of idealism
from past performance as reward. These diets never have
intentions of sticking around for the rest of your life.
Perhaps this relationship scenario is why we refer to going
off a diet as cheating?
TOP
So, what is the
“quick fix”?
What can I do to keep the pounds off?
Though these diet
strategies have theoretically sound claims none have been
scientifically proven in the medical community. Just
because a doctor backs a diet does not mean it has been proven
or that the claims made are scientific. Your best
strategy is to look at long-term lifestyle changes. Work
on healthy eating habits incorporating a variety of low fat,
hi-fiber foods with consistent physical activity to burn off
those calories. Technology has given us a lifestyle where
hunting, eating and procreating are no longer our primary
activities. Unfortunately our bodies and appetite never
received the memo.
TOP
Can these diets
actually be hazardous?
Absolutely. As I’ve
mentioned before, many fad diets initially reduce calories
from one food group, only to tag it onto another food group.
You lose weight by inducing starvation like status in your
body, but the damage is ending up elsewhere. Diets high in
saturated fats will end up right in your arteries and heart.
What good is losing 20 pounds when you end up with a heart
attach 20 years sooner? Also, protein in excess of up to
20-30% can cause serious problems with your kidneys filtration
ability. What would happen if your car lost its ability to
filter oil, air, and everything else that goes through it? You
get the picture…pure havoc to every other part of your body.
Not a pretty picture.
The other problem many
of these diets have is they neglect other aspects of a healthy
diet…fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Yes, you can take
supplements, but these are never as good as the real thing.
TOP
What can I do
without dieting?
Move more. This
doesn't mean you have to go to a gym, it just means you take
the road less traveled. Below are several small changes you
can make that can deliver lifetime results. Each will
use a few more calories a day and over a period of time help
you lose weight or not gain any as your metabolism slows with
age.
TOP
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Take the stairs instead of the elevator
-
Portion control: At restaurants only eat 1/2 to 1/3 of the
food put before you. Take the rest home.
-
Park further from the entrance of your destination
-
Make long romantic strolls your favorite dating
activity...or get a dog!
-
Try holding business meetings during the summer at a park.
-
Take just 10 minutes three times a day to do sit ups and
stretches
-
Pick up dancing, (square, Latin, ballroom) as a hobby
-
Carry your own groceries to the car
-
Drink 8 oz of water before each meal: squeeze a lemon wedge
to prevent water retention.
-
Eat vegetables first, meat second and any bread, pasta or
rice dishes last.
-
Always have something for breakfast, even if it is just a
latte or slice of toast. Until you eat, your
metabolism is dormant (sleeping). This means any exercise or
movement you do prior to eating is not burning
calories efficiently. (No breakfast before workout is like
20 minutes worth of benefit from 40 minutes worth of work!
Wouldn't you rather sleep that 20 minutes?).
-
Wait 30 minutes after eating before working out.
Thirty-minutes will but your body at the optimal metabolic
rate and allow it to burn calories and fat more efficiently.
-
Have something to nutritious and not processed to eat,
(fruit, vegetables, hard boiled egg) every 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Your metabolism needs fuel at these increments to continue
to burn calories effectively, regulate blood sugar and not
store calories from your next meal as fat.
-
Drink a tablespoon of cider vinegar with hot water to
minimize water retention and curb cravings.
TOP
Exercise your
creativity and find ways to add a little extra activity in
your life. This will do wonders for your social life, physical
health and self esteem.
Conclusion
Diet is a four letter
word and you've heard it a million times, "Don't diet, make
lifestyle choices." Saying and doing are two different things.
We’re all individuals. Individuals need to tailor a
change to meet their needs and expectations. It takes 21
days for a new habit to become second nature. If you
want to lose weight, try adding one of the bullet points above
to your life, one new bullet every 3 weeks. You can do
that, can't you? It's not a big change, it's one little
change. By the time it becomes habit, you'll be ready to
add another little change. Before you know it, you've
changed your life, your diet and your health and you won't
even realize how much "work" it was. Most of all, be patient,
practice diligence, treat yourself occasionally to a piece of
cheese cake, muffin or whatever tickles your sweet tooth. Make
changing an adventure, a discovery but not a task.
A final word about fad diets:
“If it looks too
good to be true…it probably is.”
In other words, save your money and go for a walk
instead.
Related Articles:
SURVEY:
Low Carb-No Carb
& the
Health Benefits Sacrificed
Popular Weight
Loss
Diets—Long Term
health or dangerous
quick fix?
The Truth About Carbs
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