Diet Not Working?
How to Lose Weight the Balanced Way
By Matthew Sy
Diet plans can be frustrating. They promise a quick solution to a long-term problem, but are the results really that satisfying? You might shed those undesired pounds at first, only to gain them back once the diet’s over. Simply said, diets aren’t effective in losing weight in the long run.
This all gives a false sense of weight loss. Water and muscle mass are not what you want to burn off! What you really want is to lose fat. If you are consuming below 1000 calories a day, the body will slow down its metabolism rate to prevent too much fat from being burned off for energy.
Thinking you are starving, the brain will also naturally tell you that you need to eat, creating a strong urge to eat. Once the diet is over, the body will take whatever you eat and store it as more fat in order to prepare you for any future “starvation periods”. So, depriving yourself of food is not the healthiest way to lose weight.
It is also important to be more active. Regular exercise is key for both physical and mental well being. A constant, healthy way of living eliminates the effects of yo-yo dieting. By no means should you be restricted from eating desserts or other “unhealthy” foods once in a while. As long as you don’t go to the extremes, either by eating excessively or eating too little, your body will be healthy and you will lose weight naturally.
The body burns calories to convert into energy. When food is first broken down in the body, it is stored as fat or glycogen for future energy use. When the body needs energy, glycogen will be broken down before fat mass.
Thus, regular exercise is key to raising metabolic rate. It will keep your body active and encourage the development of muscle. All of this contributes to weight loss.
In addition, eating multiple small meals a day is also an effective way to raise your metabolic rate. Eating several times a day encourages calories to be converted to glycogen instead of fat storage.
Losing weight is never easy or fast. There is no such thing as a quick solution. By living a balanced lifestyle, not only will you be able to lose weight the healthy way, your state of mind will be a lot better.
Diet plans can be frustrating. They promise a quick solution to a long-term problem, but are the results really that satisfying? You might shed those undesired pounds at first, only to gain them back once the diet’s over. Simply said, diets aren’t effective in losing weight in the long run.
The Negative Side to Dieting
Constantly focusing on what you eat and how much you weigh just isn’t healthy. Restricting food consumption in this way depletes both the body’s physical and mental energy. This may lead to unhappiness, low self-esteem, and depression. Extreme obsession over weight could also lead to eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia. What’s more, after the dieting program is over, it is very likely to gain back all the weight you have lost, if not more!Why Diets Don’t Work
When dieting, your body is receiving dramatically less calories. This creates stress on the body, as it thinks you are undergoing starvation. Instead of burning off fat, the body will first burn muscle protein. Water is then flushed from the body to remove the broken down muscle protein out of the body.This all gives a false sense of weight loss. Water and muscle mass are not what you want to burn off! What you really want is to lose fat. If you are consuming below 1000 calories a day, the body will slow down its metabolism rate to prevent too much fat from being burned off for energy.
Thinking you are starving, the brain will also naturally tell you that you need to eat, creating a strong urge to eat. Once the diet is over, the body will take whatever you eat and store it as more fat in order to prepare you for any future “starvation periods”. So, depriving yourself of food is not the healthiest way to lose weight.
Balanced Alternative to Dieting
Instead of drastically lowering your intake of calories, you should instead have a more balanced approach to eating. Instead of concentrating on calories, concentrate on your nutrient intake. Concentrate on having a healthy, balanced diet. It’s okay to have proteins or carbohydrates in your meals, as long as it is balanced.It is also important to be more active. Regular exercise is key for both physical and mental well being. A constant, healthy way of living eliminates the effects of yo-yo dieting. By no means should you be restricted from eating desserts or other “unhealthy” foods once in a while. As long as you don’t go to the extremes, either by eating excessively or eating too little, your body will be healthy and you will lose weight naturally.
Losing Weight by Burning More Calories
In the big fight to lose weight, the key idea is to burn more calories than you consume. Most people concentrate on the amount of calories consumed. Through diets, the focus is to decrease the intake of calories. However, this may not always be the most effective way to lose weight. Instead, concentrate on how to efficiently burn more calories.The body burns calories to convert into energy. When food is first broken down in the body, it is stored as fat or glycogen for future energy use. When the body needs energy, glycogen will be broken down before fat mass.
How to Increase Your Metabolic Rate
Muscles tend to be areas in which more calories are actively burned off. This is because muscles are more metabolically active. So, it is important to build up more muscle mass. This will encourage a faster metabolism rate and faster burning off of calories.Thus, regular exercise is key to raising metabolic rate. It will keep your body active and encourage the development of muscle. All of this contributes to weight loss.
In addition, eating multiple small meals a day is also an effective way to raise your metabolic rate. Eating several times a day encourages calories to be converted to glycogen instead of fat storage.
Losing weight is never easy or fast. There is no such thing as a quick solution. By living a balanced lifestyle, not only will you be able to lose weight the healthy way, your state of mind will be a lot better.
