If fad diets were consumer products, they would likely be
banned as defective. After all, what would you do if your cell phone only
worked 15 percent of the time or if your car would not start 90 percent of the
time? These numbers reflect the, well-known, statistical odds that someone will
lose weight and keep it off on a calorie restrictive rapid-weight-loss diet.
None the less, the diet industry manages to cranks out new version of this
worn-out approach every year.
If it were only a matter of the effectiveness of dieting, I
would probably be far less vocal in my opposition to these schemes. However,
the more frightening question is, if these diets had to be evaluated for
safety, would they be banned as hazardous to our health? An increasing amount
of research says that calorie restrictive rapid-weight-loss diets are literally
doing more harm than good to the health of the diet obsessed public in two
major ways.
Wrecking Our Metabolism
The concept of losing rapid amounts of weight by dramatically
cutting back on calorie to create an energy deficit is in opposition to our
natural human biology. When this type of energy deficit is artificially imposed
by dieting, your body perceives that you are starving and it takes steps to
conserve the calories already stored in the form of fat. This explains why
after an initial burst of weight loss most dieters find it increasingly more
difficult to lose pounds by eating less. If this were not enough, studies show
that the weight lost on such diets is not restricted to fat. In many cases as
much as 25 percent to the total weight being shed is lean healthy muscle
tissue. This is a major problem since lean muscle powers our metabolism. This
means that unless deliberate steps are taken to retain muscle, at the end of a
typical diet you will be left with a slower metabolism than you had before you
started dieting. This further explains why dieters so quickly regain their lost
pounds - often along with a few extra. Some experts have linked this common
yo-yo cycle of weight loss to our exploding national waistlines.
Making Us Undernourished
Another insidious effect of fad dieting is the challenge
with getting enough of the right nutrients while dieting. Many
rapid-weight-loss regimens require the exclusion of entire food groups or a
general reduction of calories across the board, with little consideration for
the wide range of essential nutrients needed to be health and energized. This
helps explain why dieters may feel sluggish or run-down while dieting. Without
an in-depth understanding of nutrition or help from a nutritionist it can be hard
to ensure that you are getting all the vitamins, minerals, and range of
micronutrients when drastically cutting calories as these diets require.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys have shown that large
percentage of American are not getting daily requirements important nutrients
like vitamin D, magnesium, iron, and potassium, under normal circumstances.
Starving oneself to lose weight only makes matters worse.
A Nourishing Long-term Solution
By no means am I suggesting that we need to have laws
against dieting. My desire is to help would be dieters understand the real
hazards associated with extreme rapid-weight-loss plans. As someone who
struggled with my weight for nearly a decade, I know that the promise of big
weight loss in 17, 21, or 30 days is extremely enticing. However, there are two
important questions worth considering before embarking on your next dieting
adventure. First, what will you be doing to your long-term health during the
diet period. Secondly, what happen once the diet period ends? Any effective
long-term weight loss plan most work in harmony with your natural biology by
promoting a health metabolism, providing plenty of essential micronutrients,
and offering a satisfying way of eating that you can continue for a lifetime.
Anything else is just another potentially hazardous ride on the weight loss
rollercoaster.