Weight Loss Diets
Do Weight Loss Diets Really Work?

Their are many so called quick fix weight loss diets around and some of them might work for a short time but in the long run most people put the weight back on. Sometimes people get even heavier than they were before starting the diet and this is because in one way or another they have been starving themselves. When you starve yourself the body's metabolism slows down and more of the calories in the food you eat in the future are stored as fat. The best way to lose weight is with healthy eating and using fat burning workouts while exercising.....

Well in case you didn’t know healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand. Whether your goal is to lose weight, increase muscle mass, strength or your performance at your chosen sport then proper nutrition is essential to your success.

Healthy eating will help you to maintain your weight, give you more energy, improve your mood, and give the correct nutritional balance of vitamins and minerals. If you are exercising then you need proper nutrition in order to maintain or improve your performance. Whatever sport, exercise or activity you do, to get the most out of it you will need to eat healthily.

Healthily eating is not so difficult to do, but getting the correct balance of calories for the exercise activity we are doing is not so simple and takes a little bit of trial and error on your part.

Introducing the energy balance equation,

Depending upon your fitness goals you might apply one of the 3 approaches to healthy eating. Now remember, calorie intake is only half of the battle. You must make sure that the food you eat is of the highest quality. Replace any processed food with good quality whole foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meats and fish, whole grains, nuts and essential oils.

Weight Loss Dieting - Eat quality foods little and often,

Often people who are new to fitness find that shedding excess body fat requires no reduction in calorie intake. In fact in most cases people find that they can often eat more than they used to. There are several reasons this; eating more often (small regular meals) keeps blood sugar levels balanced throughout the day. The food type consumed is of much better quality and contains no empty calories like junk food; the energy release is slower so insulin is released into the body at a controlled rate so calories are transferred to muscle tissue for energy rather than being stored as excess body fat. Also, increased exercise activity demands more energy, which is taken from the food. Just by making these small changes the inevitable happens and fat loss occurs.

Eating little and often (around 5 to 6 meals of 300 – 400 calories per day) has been proven to increase metabolism and prevent sugar spikes which is better than any restrictive weight loss diet.

Excessive calorie restriction makes you fat - Don't starve yourself on a restrictive weight loss diet!

It is reasonably well documented that low calorie and very restrictive eating plans can initiate a starvation response in the body, which increases the body’s ability to store its best energy source which is fat. So in the long term, taking this approach to weight management can cause weight to cycle on and off through repeated dieting. This often causes stress and nutrition deficiency, which is harmful to health. Calorie restriction should not drop below 1800 calories per day for men and1200 calories per day for women. So the conclusion is that dieting makes you fat. For a healthy weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs per week, you should be looking to create a calorie deficit of 500 from your daily calorie intake.

Based on the energy equations above, here’s how you might apply these to your particular exercise program. Calories should only fluctuate +/- 500 from your daily maintenance requirement. So for example if you wanted to gain weight you would increase your calorie intake by approximately 500 per day and follow an appropriate training program to promote muscular growth. Alternatively, if your goal is to lose weight then you would reduce your calorie intake by approximately 500 calories per day. To reduce the starvation effect of calorie reduction it is recommended that you create a calorie deficit of 250 from your diet and 250 by an increase in physical activity. This would promote a healthy steady weight loss around a fast efficient metabolism. Note the +/-500 calories per day are only guideline. Each person should experiment around their daily caloric requirements to see what works best for them.

Improve CV and overall fitness:

If your goal is just to improve your overall CV fitness and muscle tone, then weight management may not be an issue for you. In which case, you would apply the ‘weight maintenance’ equation. So in general, if your weight and body fat levels are within an acceptable range you would just need to take steps to review what you are eating and make improvements by replacing processed foods with fresh whole foods. This would compliment your exercise activities by providing you with the correct nutrients and energy to get the best from your program. Then make small adjustments to your diet and training program to make sure you achieve the desired results.

Increase lean body mass:

Body builders and strength athletes require an excess of calories in order to increase muscle size. In particular they need larger amounts of protein for the body to build muscle. Also, they need to be extremely careful not to let their body go into a catabolic state; where it starts to cannibalize its own muscle for energy. This particular state occurs when too much time is left between meals or it can be due to over training. So sometimes body builders and strength trainers eat 7 or 8 small meals per day to ensure they never reach this state.

If your training goal is to increase your weight by adding muscle mass, then it’s important that you apply the ‘weight gain’ equation, where you take in excess calories. Now it’s really important that if you follow this method that your food intake is of the highest quality. Increasing muscle mass requires good quality protein (chicken, fish, pulses and beans, etc.) with complex carbohydrates (brown rice, whole meal bread and pasta, baked potatoes) and good fats (olive oil, omega 3 and 6) and plenty of vegetables. Any processed foods contain little or no nutritional value and are considered dead calories. Eating excess of these types of calories will just encourage fat storage, low energy and poor performance.

Lose weight - Weight Loss Diets:

If your goal is to lose weight, then you should be following the ‘weight reduction’ equation and you will be pleased to hear that dieting is the last thing you should do. Yes, drastic reduction in your calorie intake will make you lose weight, but it’s the wrong kind of weight that you will be losing. Reducing your calorie intake to below the guidelines above is fatal to your success. Your body will cannibalize your muscles for energy, as it is a more efficient source than your fat stores.

Muscle is the magic solution to weight loss because it is energy hungry. You should be doing everything in your power to hold on to the muscle you have, as a natural decline is indicative of age. Yes, muscle actually uses calories, so the more muscle you have the more calories you will burn. Lose that muscle and when you go back to your normal eating habits you will have less muscle to feed hence you will store the excess as fat.

Healthy eating:

Here are a few reasons why it’s advisable to eat freshly prepared food and stay as far away as possible from processed foods that come in a packet.

Much of the highly processed food obtainable by the public today has additives and chemicals included to increase the desire for that product, which clearly leads to more food eaten and more money made in sales. This certainly plays a part in the huge increase in obesity levels evident over the last 10 to 15 years. Many people are just falling into the trap of clever food science that encourages us to eat more. Some examples of chemicals and additives found in processed foods are;

My advice to you is to avoid foods that contain these additives like the plague. All of the above have been linked to health problems related to poor diet. Eating healthy can be easily achieved by making small changes. Here are some examples of how you might be able to make changes to the way you eat.

Successful weight management is a combination of healthy eating and exercise. Weight management (gain, reduction or maintenance) should come from a combination of physical activity and small changes in calorie intake.

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