The Dangers Of Dieting May 2nd, 2008

photo credit: Apollo-Jack

When people want to lose weight, they immediately think of “dieting”. However, most dieting techniques are so unhealthy and dangerous, that it’s not even worth trying! listen, anything that requires you to starve yourself for an extended period of time, or promises that you will lose like 15 pounds in a week will undoubtedly have long term repercussions. Steer clear.

There is a such thing as a “good diet” and a “bad diet”. Bad diets are what you usually hear about in the tabloids and on the news when it comes to celebrities. They usually want to get thin quick, so they go to extreme measures to do so. A celebrity might eat a leaf every four hours, but if they manage to lose 10 pounds in a week, everyone will want to try it! What happens when you starve yourself in such a manner is that, in the long run, you will slow your metabolism and burn fat slower. When you eat, your metabolism converts the food into energy and the necessary nutrients that you need to survive. This process itself requires energy, so it burns calories. By starving yourself, you are actually storing the calories that you would be burning through metablism, and stored, unused calories turn into fat.

Instead, by eating 5 - 6 small meals a day, your body is constantly working to turn that food into productive products for your body. In other words, your body is constantly burning fat because it is constantly metabolizing food! This doesn’t mean you can eat crappy meals five times a day, though. This is where “good dieting” comes into play. “Good dieting” includes adding all the recommended food groups into your everyday eating habits. This includes your fruits, vegetables, grains, and the such. By dieting smart, you can enhance your experience in the gym and create considerable gains in a shorter amount of time. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re going to lose ten pounds in a week. That’s just ridiculously unhealthy and potentially fatal. What it does mean, though, is that you can see that smaller waist and thinner arms quicker if you combine a healthy diet with a consistent workout regimen.

WebMD has a comprehensive list of healthy diets that you can read about and choose for your particular lifestyle and goals.

Tags: lose weight, diet, pounds, metabolism, burn fat, nutrients, energy, calories, food