Why Low Calorie Diets
Do Not Work for Health

Meal replacements to lose weight for health, and low calorie diets sound like they are a good option but can you imagine spending your life on them? And what are the consequences if you do? Since fat is what you want to lose it helps to understand what it is.

A pound of fat is the size of a small brick. The idea that you can lose 7lb of fat in a week in a healthy way is therefore ludicrous. The maximum fat loss is more like 2lb a week although 1lb is more realistic. Any further weight loss will be water and is likely to come back quickly.

Very low calorie diets, cause an initial weight loss that consists mainly of water. As you start eating enough for your body needs, your stores of glycogen, from carbohydrates and fats, replenish them, along with water.

This is one reason why some diets cause a weight loss in the first week and a rapid weight gain when you stop them. All in all it is an unhealthy way to lose weight - what you can stick to is what works the best.

The whole approach to dieting should be looked at as changing your diet permanently, not just for a few weeks or months to get some weight off. These yo-yo diets never really work over the long term and can do the opposite of what you want to achieve. AND they are bad for your overall health.

The Theory of Dieting

Most diets say that if we eat less and exercise more, we will lose weight. In theory it does - but not in practice. Firstly this approach does not address the reasons why we overeat (or under exercise) and secondly, it does not work!

Using this theory as an example, an apple contains approximately 100 calories. Let’s say you eat one less apple every day for a year - then you would lose 36,500 calories.

A pound of body fat is equivalent to around 4000 calories. Those means you would lose 10lb in the first year, would have lost 3 and a half stone by the 5th year, 7 stone by the 10th and vanish completely after 15! All by eating one less apple a day

The Missing Factor from Most Diets

The reason why calorie counting doesn't add up is the key to what is missing from most diets. The missing link is metabolism -the process of turning the fuel from food into energy.

Those who don’t do this so well have a slow metabolism and consequently turn more food into fat. Most obese people have slower rates of metabolism than slim people.

One of the big problems with crash diets under 1000 calories a day is that the body sees this reduction in food as a threat and slows down the metabolic rate by as much as 45 percent.

In that short term you can lose around 7lb of body fluid, and if you're lucky, an absolute maximum of 2lb of body fat a week, which together can account for as much as 10lb in a few weeks.

But the minute you go back to what you were eating before, the fluid returns-and so will the fat, because your metabolic rate has slowed down, meaning you now need less food to maintain a stable weight. Of course, all this dieting is good business for the diet industry!

There is a good site where you can calculate your rate of metabolism and find out what your resting metabolism is, which is important. Here is the calculator page

The Secret of Dieting Well

Do you want to lose 1 stone in 12 weeks, without going hungry? Yet how many times have you heard that only way to lose weight through diet is to eat less. It’s not just how much you eat, but what you eat that really counts.

Atkins exploited the fact that when you starve yourself of carbohydrate you use up your body’s stores of energy, called glycogen. This can result in an instant weight loss of several pounds. But it’s not fat, and it does come back. It is also dangerous to your health as it weakens the liver and taxes the kidneys.

It is not just how MUCH food that makes a difference, but the KIND of food you eat. The human body is meant to run on complex (slow releasing) carbohydrates, which means healthy whole grains, beans, lentils, vegetables and fruit.

Modern diets are at last emphasising foods that release their sugar content slowly. Slow release produces a more consistent energy level and longer relief from hunger, and gives the body a better chance to use up the food rather than turning it into fat.

An estimated eight in ten overweight people have an underlying blood sugar imbalance. So following a low-stimulant, high complex carbohydrate diet is essential for health.

How to Slim without Suffering

Follow a diet high in fibre, low in fat and balanced for fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Avoid sugar, sweet foods, coffee, tea alcohol and cigarettes or at least reduce them as much as possible.

Take aerobic exercise at least twice a week. Running, swimming, brisk walking, dance classes and so on. Other kinds of exercises can be found Here

Supplement your diet with healthy vitamins and minerals. Most important are the B vitamins, Vitamin C and the minerals zinc and chromium. Also consider taking 750mg of HCA (Hydroxycitric Acid), a useful fat burning supplement, often found in supplements together with chromium.

Another useful aid in dieting is supplementing your diet with a daily 5 grams of konjac fibre. This substance derives from the Japanese Konjac plant, and it absorbs almost 10 times as much water as wheat bran and is therefore a good bulking agent.

More importantly it controls blood sugar levels so effectively it is used in Japan to treat diabetes. It has also been shown in controlled trials to induce a weight loss of 2-5 lb a month without any apparent change in diet or increased exercise. It showed a clear benefit in some people where all else had failed. It is certainly worth trying.

The PERMANENT way to lose weight

To lose weight permanently and ensure you get enough of the right carbohydrates:

Eat whole foods - whole grains, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables - and avoid refined white and overcooked foods.

Eat at least 5 servings a day of dark green leafy and root vegetables such as watercress, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccolli, brussels sprouts, spinach, green beans or peppers, either raw or lightly cooked.

Eat at least 3 or more servings of fresh fruit such as apples, pears, bananas, berries, melon or citrus fruits.

Eat four or more servings a day of wholegrains such as rice, millet, rye, oats, wholewheat, corn, quinoa as a cereal, breads, pasta or pulses.

Avoid any form of sugar, added sugar and white or refined foods. Dilute fruit juices and only eat dried fruits infrequently in small quantities, preferably soaked. An individual diet plan is what you should aim for so contact your local nutritional therapist or visit one of the links below.

Try Goji berries supplements or juices. They are found in the pristine "Heavenly Mountains" of China and have been famous and revered as an Anti-Ageing Elixir for thousands of years. These "immortality berries" have a unique group compounds found nowhere else that are a super source of essential cell nutrients. They have been shown to lead to increase concentration, more restful sleep, faster healing, recovery, weight loss, cellulite and increased sex drive & performance.

It is far better for your health to lose weight gradually, not a crash diet or a faddy diet using just one or two food groups for a few weeks or months to get some weight off. These diets never work over the long term and can be downright unhealthy. Here’s a 7 Habits approach to a well rounded weight loss routine.

Fight Fat Coaching Personal weight loss or cholesterol control program suited for busy people. Online coaching including 12 victory sessions tailored to change behaviors, be flexible, analyze specific barriers and dismantle emotional food addictions.

Good site for healthy weight loss advice
Weight Loss 4 You.

Weight Loss Ways features safe, easy and convenient ways to lose inches and pounds while increasing your energy levels!

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