With summer just around the corner, I know many people will be trying to lose weight. A popular and seemingly “quick fix” are fad diets. They are all over the place. Whether they are low-carb, low fat, low-calorie, they all promise the same result: rapid weight loss. The premise is simple, follow this diet, cut fat, carbs, or whatever the particular diet requires and you’ll lose weight in no time. It seems too good to be true, and by the millions, people embark on these unreasonable and unhealthy diets, wanting the results they’ve been promised.
The truth is, these fad diets don’t work. If they did, there would only be one of them, and we’d all be on it. Diets that restrict certain foods or food groups are not only ineffective, but harmful to the body.
Carbohydrates are essential for the body, yet low-carb diets restrict you to eating as little of them as possible. Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy; they are your main fuel source that’s used by the entire body including the central nervous system, brain and heart. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple, and complex. Simple carbohydrates are your candies, cookies, white breads…while complex carbohydrates are your whole grain foods like oatmeal and wheat bread. As I’m sure you can guess, the complex ones are the ones you want to be eating more of. They take more time to digest so you feel full longer and they provide the body with essential nutrients. Simple carbs are digested much more quickly and you soon will be craving more.
Low fat diets are also unhealthy. Like carbohydrates, fats are essential for the body to function properly, but, as with carbs, its’ important to know which fats are better to eat than others. For weight loss, and overall health, it’s important to know the difference between the types of fats. Fat makes up about 60% of the brain and is crucial to its function. Fats are responsible for keeping the heart beating in a normal rhythm. Fat insulates and protects nerves, helping to increase their transmission speed. Even your lungs rely on fats to work properly. That being said, there are several different types of fat.
· Monounsaturated: these are your plant oils like canola, peanut, olive etc, and also includes avocados and almonds. People whose diet contains monounsaturated fats tend to have lower risk of cardiovascular disease. This type of fat contains omega-6 fatty acids which provide all sorts of benefits to the body. They are necessary for growth but, since the body is unable to produce them, they must be obtained in the diet.
· Polyunsaturated: these are your soybeans, and fish like tuna and salmon. Polyunsaturated fats have omega-3 fatty acids which are very similar to omega-6. This type of fat helps to lower risk for heart disease and cancer.
· Saturated: this type of fat comes from animal products like red meat and dairy products. Too much saturated fat raises your LDL (bad) cholesterol and increases risk of coronary artery disease.
· Trans: Trans fats are man-made. Adding trans fat (also called partially hydrogenated oils) to food, increases their shelf life. You find trans fats in processed foods like cookies crackers, fried foods, etc. trans fats are very dangerous as our body cant digest it so it clogs the arteries increasing your risk for cardiovascular disease. It also increases your LDL (bad) cholesterol while lowering your HDL (good) cholesterol.
Low calorie diets give the dieters an unhealthy fear of consuming calories. As emphasized above, calories from different food groups are essential to the body for so many reasons, yet many people starve themselves in an effort to lose weight quickly. When you deprive the body of the nutrients and calories it needs, you won’t lose weight. In fact, many people actually gain weight. When the body isn’t getting enough calories, the metabolism shuts down. Your body is trying to hold on to every calorie to prevent starvation. A slower metabolism means you’re burning fewer calories. Severely cutting your caloric intake will also leave you fatigued and lethargic, your body is working hard to complete necessary functions without the necessary fuel.
Another factor to weight loss and staying healthy all those fad diets fail to mention is exercise. The only healthy, safe, long term way to lose weight is through a combination of healthy eating and exercise. The surgeon general recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week, or 30 minutes a day most days of the week.
Weight loss and general health is a lifestyle. It is something you need to maintain. I’ve mostly discussed the nutrition aspect here, but if you have questions or would like a personalized training program for your exercise goals, you can email me at thenextmilefitness@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment