4/6/07
Weight Loss Diets: Fact And Fiction, Part 1
Author: Adrian Adams
The weight loss industry is a booming industry worth billions of dollars annually. It therefore should be no surprise that we are constantly being bombarded with new 'miracle' products and weight loss programs that will shed the pounds quickly and without much effort. Navigating the plethora of dieting information to distinguish between fact and fiction can be difficult, but it is certainly not impossible.
A good starting place to discover the truth is actually to uncover the fiction. Once we know what isn't true, we can concentrate on genuine information that supports weight loss.
Here are four of the most common weight loss myths:
Skipping Meals Will Help You Lose Weight
The idea behind this is that if you eat less food, you will automatically lose weight. While on the surface this sounds like it should work, it doesn't take into account the body's metabolic response to what it sees as starvation. It slows right down to give you the best chance of survival. This means that you burn fewer calories. The truth of the matter is, eating more often but smaller healthy meals raises the metabolic rate and aids weight loss.
You Can Eat What You Want As Long As You Exercise
You have to do an awful lot of exercise to burn off a chocolate bar. The value of exercise is not so much that it burns calories (although that certainly helps), it is that it raises the metabolic rate so that you burn more calories faster all through the day. If you need to lose weight, you cannot eat what you want. You do need to exercise discipline while you shed those extra pounds.
Diet Pills Will Make You Slim
Diet pills do not make you slim. Most diet pills are designed to suppress hunger and it is not eating as much that helps you lose weight. However, diet pills do not control the calories or fat content of the food you do eat, so you might eat less food but still the wrong food. Furthermore, pharmaceutical diet pills have unwanted side effects that can have long term affects on your health. Some natural diet pills such as hoodia gordonii have the advantage of suppressing appetite without side effects, so if you must go down this path, they are the preferred option. Nevertheless, simply eating less will not guarantee weight loss unless the food you are eating is healthy and calorie controlled so that you can lose weight and maintain good health.
Calorie Restriction Is The Best Way To Lose Weight
The Calorie Restriction Diet is a controversial diet founded on the belief that severe calorie restriction slows the aging process. Many people believe that substantial calorie reduction will reduce metabolic stress and in so doing, increase life span. Calorie counting on its own is not good dietary practice. While it is true that counting calories can be very helpful in managing energy intake, the quality of those calories is very important. The nutritional impact of the food eaten is very important and will affect all aspects of health, including weight stabilization.
¶ 3:46 PM
Author: Adrian Adams
The weight loss industry is a booming industry worth billions of dollars annually. It therefore should be no surprise that we are constantly being bombarded with new 'miracle' products and weight loss programs that will shed the pounds quickly and without much effort. Navigating the plethora of dieting information to distinguish between fact and fiction can be difficult, but it is certainly not impossible.
A good starting place to discover the truth is actually to uncover the fiction. Once we know what isn't true, we can concentrate on genuine information that supports weight loss.
Here are four of the most common weight loss myths:
Skipping Meals Will Help You Lose Weight
The idea behind this is that if you eat less food, you will automatically lose weight. While on the surface this sounds like it should work, it doesn't take into account the body's metabolic response to what it sees as starvation. It slows right down to give you the best chance of survival. This means that you burn fewer calories. The truth of the matter is, eating more often but smaller healthy meals raises the metabolic rate and aids weight loss.
You Can Eat What You Want As Long As You Exercise
You have to do an awful lot of exercise to burn off a chocolate bar. The value of exercise is not so much that it burns calories (although that certainly helps), it is that it raises the metabolic rate so that you burn more calories faster all through the day. If you need to lose weight, you cannot eat what you want. You do need to exercise discipline while you shed those extra pounds.
Diet Pills Will Make You Slim
Diet pills do not make you slim. Most diet pills are designed to suppress hunger and it is not eating as much that helps you lose weight. However, diet pills do not control the calories or fat content of the food you do eat, so you might eat less food but still the wrong food. Furthermore, pharmaceutical diet pills have unwanted side effects that can have long term affects on your health. Some natural diet pills such as hoodia gordonii have the advantage of suppressing appetite without side effects, so if you must go down this path, they are the preferred option. Nevertheless, simply eating less will not guarantee weight loss unless the food you are eating is healthy and calorie controlled so that you can lose weight and maintain good health.
Calorie Restriction Is The Best Way To Lose Weight
The Calorie Restriction Diet is a controversial diet founded on the belief that severe calorie restriction slows the aging process. Many people believe that substantial calorie reduction will reduce metabolic stress and in so doing, increase life span. Calorie counting on its own is not good dietary practice. While it is true that counting calories can be very helpful in managing energy intake, the quality of those calories is very important. The nutritional impact of the food eaten is very important and will affect all aspects of health, including weight stabilization.
¶ 3:46 PM
