Woes of Dieting

by Mark R. Vogel

Millions of Americans are either on a diet or will start one at some point in their life. Weight loss and health are the primary motivators.

And for every person on a diet there's a scam, a magical weight loss pill, an exercise gizmo, or an attractive new membership offer at a weight loss center. Let's peruse some of the issues that dieters must face.

First and foremost it must be understood that no diet in the world will create sustained weight loss without exercise. Your body has a built in survival mechanism.

When you diet, the drop in calories creates signals to the brain. Your brain does not know that you want to fit into that new bikini by summer. It thinks you're starving to death.

To combat this, it lowers your metabolic rate so calories are expended at a reduced pace. That is why after the initial weight loss in any diet, (which is mostly water), your body hits this wall where continued weight reduction is difficult and incremental at best.

To counter this biological reaction you need to maintain an increase in your metabolic rate. Hence, exercise.

Second, be leery of diets that eliminate or almost eliminate one of the three key nutritive substances of food, namely carbohydrates, protein and fat. Your body needs all three, (yes, even small amounts of fat), to function normally.

Eliminate any one and you will develop metabolic problems and even illness. "No carb" and "No protein" diets are dangerous fads not based in orthodox science.

They are aimed at depleting your finances more than your girth. Weight loss is facilitated by calorie reduction, not nutrient depletion.