Tag Archives: diet

Extreme weight loss diets may not be as safe as you think

  By admin | February 9, 2012 - 12:31 AM | obesity
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You may be thinking of losing weight fast. Apart from reading about effective exercises that help you lose weight fast, you may have come across many weight loss diets that claim to save your time by helping you lose weight rapidly. Some of the normal weight loss diets seem beneficial but are very hard to follow. This is one of the major reasons why you choose to follow an extreme weight loss diet.

What is an extreme weight loss diet?
An extreme weight loss diet is basically a solution that many people come up with to lose weight. Some people are unhappy with the way they look and they wish to have a toned and agile body. They think that starving themselves will help them lose extra pounds and look good.

These diets look like a quick solution to your problem but they are only short term and their side effects stay for a long time. Diets that help you lose weight within a week or two are not designed to make major changes in your lifestyle and so you come back to your normal shape and size once the diet it over. You have to avoid certain foods if you follow these diets and that may not be very healthy and safe in the long run.

Loss of muscle tissue
You cannot lose weight too fast, because your body is not designed for that. If you take the risk of losing weight rapidly, you may not only lose weight but also decrease your muscle tissues ,which is not good for the body. If you wish to lose fat, you have to make gradual changes in your diet and lifestyle.

Imbalance of metabolism
When you follow a rapid weight loss diet, your body slows down its metabolism to save energy. When you skip meals, your caloric intake reduces and the body will tap in the fat reserves for more energy. This slows down the metabolism and weight loss becomes very difficult because of this.

Other health risks
Crash diets and yo-yo dieting can cause a lot of health problems which may even prove to be life threatening. Cases of cardiac arrest and death have been reported because of extreme dieting.

Extreme weight loss diets are not as safe as you think. It is highly recommended that you make lifestyle alterations to change the way you look.

It is easy to cut the calories without dieting or feeling deprived

  By admin | February 19, 2010 - 1:54 PM | About weight loss, General
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‘Dieting’ does not necessarily mean eating less to lose weight; although, this word is primarily associated with weight loss. But the word ‘diet’ also describes the food that you normally consume on a day to day basis. The aim is to improve your day to day diet by incorporating gradual but permanent changes so that you lose weight while still remaining healthy; restricting calorie intake may not always give you the desired results.

Low calorie and fad diets could have serious health implications — insufficient vitamin and nutritional intake, lethargy, reduced metabolism, hormonal effects and even dehydration. Dieters are commonly known to experience intense feelings of hunger and deprivation; this then leads to ‘binge’ eating over time.

Here are a few tips on how you can cut calories sensibly without ‘dieting’ or feeling deprived.

  • Research shows that recording exercise and food intake is one of the best predictors of successful weight loss
  • Understand your eating patterns as well as eating triggers
  • Learn how to make sensible nutritional changes
  • Read food labels as this is the key to healthy portion sizes
  • Measure portion sizes
  • Hold the fat; fats from olive oil and canola are healthy. Similarly, nuts are nutritious and healthy to eat but in moderation
  • Limit the amount of oil used by using non-stick pans
  • Skimp on butters, dressings and creams, using just enough for taste
  • Blot out the fat from greasy foods
  • Spice up foods, flavour with red peppers or chilli peppers; this helps boost metabolism

It is believed that making changes to your diet, that is, replacing high-fat and high-calorie foods with fruits and vegetables that are high in volume, fibre and nutrients, can in fact make you feel full faster. Similarly, whole foods are low in calories but loaded with good health

Alcohol is a favourite pastime for most people; but alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, as well as lowers self-control when a person eats after drinking in excess. So it makes good sense to limit your alcohol intake or drink in moderation after a meal.

Water is the elixir of life! Drinking water throughout the day helps curb your appetite, burns calories and gives body at least 10 minutes more energy for exercise. Lowered water levels in your body can slow down your metabolism.

For a healthy lifestyle, follow a diet that is easy to stick with, try incorporating some or all of these easy strategies to reduce calories without giving up the pleasures of eating.