Are you frustrated with your weight problem and don't know what to do about it? Do you find that you lose weight at first, only to gain it all back later, and maybe more when you stop dieting, or when you find yourself bingeing? Are you fed up with weight loss programs that don't work?
There is a good reason for that. You don't lack willpower. You are not doing anything wrong. It is just that dieting doesn't work!
Facts About Dieting
* Dieting rarely works. 95% of all dieters who lose weight regain their lost weight and more within 1 to 5 years.
* Dieting can lead to eating disorders. The obsession to be thin can lead to anorexia, bulimia, bingeing and compulsive exercising.
* Dieting impacts your mental health and restricts your brainpower, leaving you mentally unfocused.
* Dieting robs you of energy and slows your metabolism down.
* Numerous studies link chronic dieting with feelings of depression, low self-esteem and increased stress.
* Dieting increases compulsive eating.
* You are fatter after a diet than before!
Why Dieting Doesn't Work
Quick fix diets usually never give long lasting results. The reason is most of the weight loss is due to loss of water. When you restrict calories, your body interprets it as impending starvation. When the body is under stress of starvation, it hoards the fat and burns the muscles first. The weight lost comes from water and the break down of muscles - the places we don't want to lose it from.
So, the last thing you want to do is drastically cut calories. When you do, the body will start breaking down muscle protein to produce energy for vital body functions. The body will use muscle protein as fuel, before it starts burning fat, so you end up losing more muscle mass than fat during dieting. The body then uses large amounts of water to flush the broken down muscle tissue out. Thus you lose weight fast. No matter how much you drink, you can't prevent this loss of water. The only way to get control of your water balance is to stop starving yourself.
When dieting, the body starts saving energy by turning some functions off and running others at a slower pace. Fat is designed to provide the body with energy and protect it from starvation. If you go below 1000 calories a day, your body will slow your metabolism down to compensate. That is why weight loss slows down dramatically after a few days on a crash diet. And a slow metabolism is exactly the opposite of what you want to lose weight.
Another reason that diets don't work is bingeing. Bingeing doesn't happen because of a lack of willpower. It is a direct result of dieting. As your body senses a restriction in calories, it goes on the alert for an impending threat to survival. As a result, it tells you to eat, which results in your bingeing on calorie and fat filled foods. The more successful you are at starving yourself, the more the body will increase it's efforts to eat more foods. Eventually the body wins because survival is our strongest instinct. Bingeing is also a result of depriving yourself of something, which psychologically makes you obsessed with what you can't have.
After the Diet
After the quick weight loss diet you go back to your normal eating pattern, and what happens? The body that has shut off functions in order to conserve energy is now, suddenly, fed. The cells in your body have an immediate response to the sudden abundance of food, and that is to keep on saving energy, storing up for the next famine. As your body saves energy, it also begins storing all the extra energy - as fat. So, you end up having lost fat burning lean muscle tissue and added more fat! That wasn't your goal when you started your diet.
In addition to building fat again, the body has no ketone-bodies to get rid of. Consequently, less water is secreted and your water balance is restored. As you replenish your emptied water stores you rapidly gain back the weight you lost. So, by building fat, and replenishing water, you will gain weight quickly the first few days after a diet.
And each time you diet, you are teaching your body how to deal with starvation by hoarding fat, so each round of dieting increases your overall body fat!
Freedom from Dieting
So, how can you lose weight if dieting and restricting calories don't work? There is no quick fix answer. Any healthy weight loss needs to come gradually. The goal is to give up dieting forever and get back in balance. Stop trying to lose weight. No more counting calories. Instead make a commitment to get healthier.
When you get off the diet roller coaster, you will feel better, become healthier and lose the weight for good. When the body is well fed with healthy foods, it will shed the extra fat. It doesn't have to store it anymore. And when you give the body the nutrients it needs to be healthy, you stop having all the cravings for less healthy foods.
Enjoy the freedom from counting calories. You will find yourself moving slowly and safely to your perfect body weight, and you will feel better than you ever have before, lean and full of vitality, energy and health. This means developing some new healthy eating habits, as well as other health habits such as exercise.
Try to avoid extremes, such as eating a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. There are many complications associated with unbalanced low carbohydrate diet regimens. At the other end of the spectrum, some diets are saying avoid protein and fats, but eat as much carbohydrates as you want. Too much of the wrong kind of carbohydrates, especially refined sugar and white refined flour will turn to fat in the body also. Most commercial breads, breakfast cereals, and prepared foods are loaded with empty, fast-release carbohydrates, causing levels of blood-sugar to rise, leading to obesity and hypoglycemia.
All of the experts agree that unprocessed complex carbohydrates such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, and legumes are far superior to other forms of refined carbohydrates and should play a significant role in people's eating habits. According to the American Heart Association, a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables along with regular physical activity can help most people manage and maintain weight loss for both cardiovascular health and appearance.
Losing weight and becoming healthier requires a lifestyle change, not a six week diet "quick fix". The first step is to eat a balanced diet, filled with plenty of healthy foods, such as whole grains, fresh organic raw, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and organic meats.
This article has been taken from " Why Diets Don't Work," a special Free Dieting Report by Dianne Ronnow, ? 2005 Mohave Publishing. All rights reserved. To get a full copy of this free report as an instant PDF download, go to the Enzyme Health web site at enzyme-health.com.
Dianne Ronnow's best selling book reveals how thousands of people are losing weight and getting healthier adding coconut oil to their diets. To find out what the secrets of coconut oil are, Check out her site at: enzyme-health.com. Get the book now and start losing weight today!
shuttle from O'Hare Orland Park .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareAre you often overcome with an urge to splurge on... Read More
Are you weighted down with delusion, depression and on the... Read More
Some people think that skipping breakfast will help them lose... Read More
Are you gaining weight sitting in front of the computer?... Read More
(Ailsa's Apple Crumble Diet)I'm Scottish, so it's not a big... Read More
WAHOO!!! for YOU!! You are the most AWESOME person alive!!... Read More
There have been endless numbers of fad diets over the... Read More
"Life is like a box of chocolates," drawled Forrest Gump.Metaphors... Read More
Twenty years of health club consulting, 50,000 hours of paid... Read More
Losing weight is a struggle that many of us face... Read More
Yes, you read it right?no diets!The first step in this... Read More
There's more to gastric bypass than surgery and rapid massive... Read More
1. What is my BMI and how do I calculate... Read More
Which diet is the best? ALL of them and NONE... Read More
America is a nation of self-disclosers, amiably acceptant of our... Read More
Doctors prescribe Walking as the best medicine for weight loss.We... Read More
There are many books and internet articles written about weight... Read More
Offer a woman the choice between a dress she likes... Read More
This is a continuation of the article entitled, "Making Diets... Read More
You may not like what I'm about to say, but... Read More
You have probably heard the old myth, that you should... Read More
From the moment of birth your first emotional experiences establish... Read More
One of the difficulties with dieting is the well known... Read More
Rules of day to day no longer apply as you... Read More
When you are faced with the daily challenge of trying... Read More
Lincoln Town Car rentals Addison ..Protein is an essential nutrient necessary for maintaining good health.... Read More
There are tons of fad diets and weight loss schemes... Read More
How's the practicing going? Are you spending time each day... Read More
Have you heard about it lately? Everywhere you look, women... Read More
Weight loss, diets and "carbs" are common household topics. There... Read More
Before you even think of taking diet pills to lose... Read More
Atkins Nutritionals filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of August... Read More
I really like Dr. Phil, so I wanted to like... Read More
The words I read made me furious. There it was,... Read More
If you have been watching your weight all year, you... Read More
Families who dine out with their loved ones who've had... Read More
A question from one of our readers:Dr. Mericle,With respect to... Read More
Liposuction is also referred to as lipoplasty, suction-assisted lipectomy and... Read More
Weight loss can be one of the most difficult things... Read More
Low carb diets can be classified as food plans that... Read More
Generally, weight loss surgery such as the gastric bypass will... Read More
The 3 day diet mixes certain types of foods that... Read More
If you're serious about losing weight and getting fit, you... Read More
I have tried many "diets" here in the USA and... Read More
What is the best form of physical activity?The best form... Read More
A really easy, fast way to weight loss is walking... Read More
(But What You Need to Know if You Want to... Read More
The human body is designed to run best on a... Read More
As much as many of us who are over-weight do... Read More
Phentermine, like many other prescription drugs, works with chemicals called... Read More
Weight Loss |