Do You Need to Diet?

by Ed Ferrell
(Temecula, CA)

As long as there is food, there will be diets. Going on a diet is often inspired by different events, such as looking good for a wedding, vacation or birthday. Instead maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits to lower and maintain their weight, many people jump on the latest diet fad for a quick fix.

There is an almost endless supply of fad diets: all-fruit diets, fasting diets, liquid diets, etc., many of which can cost thousands of dollars over time. But the restrictions of these diets usually destine them for failure.
The inevitable return of weight, often with even more pounds that before the diet, discourages people. And multiple failed diet attempts reinforces to the dieter that weight loss is difficult and even impossible. People just think even why bother? They feel like they are failures and they just go back to their old habits.

Dieting can damage more than your feelings. When people lose weight too quickly they usually become dehydrated. And quick weight loss may include losing muscle (muscle wasting), which slows the metabolism and actually promotes fat gain.

The most extreme measure for losing weight is gastric bypass surgery, sometimes used as a last resort by people who need to lose more than 100 pounds. Even though this operation makes it impossible to eat large portions, people still find a way to gain the weight back.

The latest low-carb trend was a follow-up to the low-fat trend. It's a good idea to cut down on refined sugary foods, but carbohydrates are an important part of the diet, especially whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and should not be severely restricted.

Eliminating carbs can actually promote malnutrition. Healthy carbs have protective value in reducing risks for heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Overweight people, who are at higher risk for these diseases, need more protective nutrients found in carbohydrates, such as B vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. In addition to that, low-carb dieters usually replace the carbs in their diet with protein. Eating too much protein, can stress the kidneys and liver.

Instead of trying the latest diet to see if it "works", you have to realize that to lose weight, you have to burn more calories that you eat every day. So eat a healthy balanced diet that includes the things you like, just eat the right amount of those foods combined with cardio and resistance exercise to allow you to burn fat and lose weight.