Below is a new article from Croix Sather, author of the book Better Body Better Life, and who ran across America in 100 days and most recently became the 6th person in history to complete the Badwater Solo Self-Contained Crossing Ultra-marathon, running 146 miles through Death Valley while pushing a 270 pound cart.
Breaking Down Today?s Most Popular Diets and How to Successfully Lose Weight
By Croix Sather
Most diets are an all-or-nothing deal. They are not about constant improvement and a healthy way of living. Some diets cause rapid weight loss, which isn?t necessarily a good idea, either. We are bombarded with pitches for weight-loss gimmicks and fads every day. Ads about the newest machine, pill or diet that will make you thin with no effort are everywhere. Then some people are convinced low-fat is the way to go, while others say low-carb is the best approach. It is no wonder that people are confused and flustered about what to do.??
Let?s look at some of the more popular diets out there today and see why they don?t work, and then talk about how to really be successful.
Protein Diets
High-protein diets are the latest rage. They go by many names, but they all follow a similar formula. They severely limit the consumption of carbohydrates. Advocates of protein diets claim that a body deprived of carbs will burn excess body fat and weight loss will follow. Some of these plans allow unlimited portions of any type of meat, fish, eggs and cheese. A high-protein diet does not permit most carbs such as bread, pasta or potatoes. Weight loss is often substantial in the early period, but the lost weight is water, not fat. Weight loss will then ensue, if and only if the person consumes fewer calories than the body needs.? However, the weight loss includes muscle and water, not fat alone.
When a protein diet is discontinued and carbs are reintroduced, many dieters balloon back to their previous weight or higher. The rebound is not because of the carbs but because of the regain of water weight and continuing to consume excess fatty protein. When limiting vegetables, fruit and grains on a high-protein diet, you also limit nutrients and antioxidants that are crucial for life.
Fasting
Fasting fails to promote weight loss because the body goes into a ?self-preservation? mode and reduces the number of calories (energy) it burns. When the body is deprived of energy sources, it ?anticipates? a shortage in the future and slows the metabolic rate to conserve energy. Repeated fasting causes the body to build up resistance, making weight loss even more difficult after each successive fasting session.
Fasting, or starving yourself for immediate weight loss, can have even more severe side effects that include: vitamin and mineral deficiency, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, liver and kidney damage and bad breath. Long-term effects can be organ damage, heart damage, muscle loss, and in severe cases, death.
Vegetarian Diets
There are many variations of vegetarian lifestyles. Many people choose not to consume animal foods for health reasons or because of their moral or ethical philosophies. Without care and precise compensation to acquire the needed amino acids from acceptable protein sources or complementary sources, a vegetarian diet can cause the body to become deficient in some critical nutrients. The brain, blood, muscles, tissues and all cells in the body require protein for metabolic activity.
That said, a vegetarian lifestyle is an excellent way to live, and possibly the healthiest lifestyle if managed properly. However, a restrictive and improper vegetarian diet will cause significant health issues.
Possible side effects of a vegetarian diet: vitamin, mineral and various nutrient deficiencies; poor development of the fetus and inadequate milk production; liver and kidney damage; loss of muscle mass; headaches, dizziness fatigue and nausea. External signs of a shortage of protein are dry skin and hair, weak nails and a frail overall appearance.
Liquid Diet Meals
Popularized by celebrities, these diets were all the rage in the late 1980s. In the 1990s, sales plummeted as the same celebrities who promoted the products couldn?t keep the weight off. Now liquid diet meals are enjoying a resurgence in popularity due to the potential for rapid weight loss. But fast weight loss means fast regains and then some. Another issue is the quantity of nutrients supplied. Some liquid meals do not provide the proper amounts of nutrients or calories. If meal replacement shakes are the only food consumed, the effects can be severe.? Each meal replacement shake is different, and each contains a different mix of nutrients. There is no consistency between manufacturers, and there are few regulations.
Conversely, some shakes, especially those protein shakes aimed at athletes and bodybuilders, can provide ten to 1,000 times more of some nutrients than they body needs. This sort of nutrient overconsumption can have a toxic effect on the body. The body may build up toxic levels of nutrients, leaning to organ malfunction with prolonged use.??
High-Fiber Diets
20 to 30 grams of fiber a day is ideal, but is more a good thing? Excessive fiber in the diet can cause constipation and dehydration. Bulk fillers (which are high in fiber) reduce hunger by absorbing fluids and then swelling inside the stomach. This can cause obstructions in the intestinal tract, sometimes even requiring surgery to be relieved. Need I say more?
The Last Word on Dieting
Any diet that minimizes or eliminates intake of any type of nutrient will cause havoc with prolonged use. Switching from diet to diet is even worse. Whether it?s high-protein, low-carb, grapefruit, corn flakes or cabbage soup, that fad diet will not be effective in the end, and it may cause severe side effects.
Being Successful
Don?t count calories. Count portion sizes. The palm of your hand is a built-in measuring device sized to fit the body it is attached to. The size of a serving should be equal to the surface area and the thickness of the palm (excluding fingers).
Your plate should be divided into three, similar-sized potions of vegetables (usually green nutrient sources), protein (typically lean meat), and carbohydrates (typically wheat and grains or fruit). Each third of your plate is a palm-sized portion of each food type.
As a point of reference, these three servings will fill an 8-inch appetizer plate comfortably. To be successful at body-fat loss and weight management, the foods on that plate need to be lean, low in fat, low in calories, and quality foods in appropriately sized portions.
The habit of overeating makes the maintenance or loss of weight impossible. Twenty minutes must pass before the stomach sends signals to the bran to acknowledge food consumption. That delay allows people who eat fast to consume too much before their brain says, ?Enough.? A health-conscious person eats slowly and pauses between bites by putting down their fork, chewing and then swallowing each bite before eating more.?
Croix Sather is a certified holistic fitness practitioner and author of the book Better Body Better Life. He is also known for his 100 day run across America and for being one of only six individuals to ever complete the Badwater Solo Self-Contained Crossing Ultra-marathon, running 146 miles through Death Valley while pushing a 270 pound cart filled with supplies. To learn more, visit http://croixsather.com/ and http://badwater-solo.com/
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