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Why Diets Don't Work
Author: Aaron Potts
One of the biggest scams ever successfully pulled on the
American public is - somewhat appropriately - a 4-letter word.
That word is, of course, Diet. By now you have seen
advertisements for more diets than you can easily remember, and
have also most likely seen an article or television show
debunking some of those diets. Unfortunately, the art of
shooting holes through the credibility of a diet plan is
normally done by ANOTHER diet company, solely for the purpose
of getting you to use their product instead. Well, this article
has nothing to sell, nor really anything to gain, save the
knowledge that hopefully the reader - that's you - will put
down the Diet Madness Menu, and get a real world point of view
on why diets don't work, and what you can do about it.
Eating, the Lost Art
If you are considering a diet, or have in the past, your
primary motivation was most likely to lose weight. What if I
was to tell you that in order to lose weight, you actually need
to eat MORE than you have in the past? You would probably shake
your head at that crazy idea, and think that it was some new
fad that could in no way assist you in your weight loss goals.
Of course, the fact that every diet you've ever heard of was at
one point "some new fad" would probably never even cross your
mind. Nonetheless, the fact remains that most people do need to
eat more than they presently are in order to lose weight, but
the trick comes in eating the right kinds of foods, in the
right ratios of nutrients, and at the right times of day. Sound
tricky? Perhaps, but I assure you, it is really quite simple.
However, the purpose of this article is not to inform you of
the benefits of eating, but merely to let you know that eating
is indeed a very effective way to lose excess bodyweight, and
to explain how diets keep that from happening.
Stating the Obvious
Although most people do not think of the "latest diet" in these
terms, hopefully the following question will make you consider
what is pretty obvious if you stop to think about it. If the
new "Last Diet You'll Ever Need" was really that good at making
you melt away pounds while sitting on the couch munching "Carbo
Craze Chips" or was even remotely effective at burning off your
spare tire while inhaling the sweet scents of "Aerospace's
Aromatic Air Baubles", then why isn't everyone already thin??
Seriously - think about it. Every time you hear about the
latest diet or the most up to date exercise device that only
takes 20 minutes per day, they always say that you will never
need another system! The advertised system - no matter how
logical or even outlandish as it may seem - is always touted at
being better than ever, and the last system you will ever need.
Well, if that were true, don't you think that the manufacturer
of that system would not only become wealthier than anyone in
history, but would also become famous as the person who FINALLY
solved the obesity problem in our world? Don't you think that
person could also afford to advertise their product during
prime time on TV, instead of late at night? Don't you think
that system would become known throughout the world -
throughout history itself - as a turning point in human
development?
So, I'll ask you the same question again: If the solution is
already out there, why do we need to keep coming up with new
solutions?? The answer is, of course, very simple - these
systems don't work, and the human populace is simply looking
for a non-existent quick fix to getting rid of too many late
night excursions to the local burger joint, or to the fact they
should have taken stock in beer while they were in college. Then
what does work? Human physiology.
Metabolism
Metabolism is defined as the rate at which your body processes
food. In other words, how fast your body burns calories. The
faster your metabolism, the more food you can eat without
gaining weight. How do you control your metabolism? By eating a
nutrient-dense meal every 3 to 3 ½ hours. This practice "stokes
your internal furnace", for lack of a better analogy. Think of
your body as an old-style locomotive that had coal shoveled
into the combustion chamber one shovel at a time. If you didn't
shovel in coal fast enough, the locomotive would slow down, and
your body is no different. If you don't eat often enough, your
metabolism slows down and you don't burn through calories very
quickly. In addition, not only does your rate of calorie
consumption go down, but your body starts storing almost
everything that you do eat as bodyfat! So, in essence, every
time you starve yourself in your honest effort to "stick to
your diet", you are actually slowing down your metabolism as
well as making your body more efficient at building padding for
you to sit on at baseball games.
Muscle
"I don't care" you say. You believe that in order to lose
weight you need to starve. Okay, that's wrong, but I'll explain
why that thinking is flawed. Your body needs energy so you can
live through any given day. The amount of energy that you need
is determined by your Basal Metabolic Rate, and by your
activity level for that day. For most people, this amounts to
between 1,500 and 2,500 calories per day. Well, if your
calorie-restricted diet doesn't allow you that many calories,
your body will find a way to survive anyway. It does this by
breaking down your muscle tissue and using it for energy. "So
what?" you say. You don't care, as long as the scale says you
are losing weight, right?
What if I told you that the ONLY place on your body that you
can burn body fat for fuel is your muscles? What if I told you
that the more muscle tissue you lose on a calorie-restricted
diet, the fewer calories you can eat after the muscle loss?
What if I told you that after losing 20 lbs on a
calorie-restricted diet, your total bodyfat level will have
dropped very little, if at all? What if I told you that by
using muscle mass for energy, you have literally crippled your
body's ability to burn body fat in the future, and that by the
laws of Nature (which we can't change, by the way), you will
absolutely put the weight back on, and probably gain more
weight than you ever had before?
If I told you all of that, would you still want to burn muscle
tissue for energy while starving yourself to stick to your
diet, paying $8 a bag for Carbo Chips, and $20 a session for
Aromatic Air Baubles?
On the other hand, perhaps the laws of Nature don't apply to
you. In that case, be sure to tune in tonight - I believe the
"Lose Weight While You Eat Butter Fried Bacon" diet is going to
be featured on a new infomercial. It is, after all, The Last
Diet You Will Ever Need!
About The Author: Aaron Potts is the owner and creator of
Fitness Destinations. Aaron's experience in the health and
fitness industry includes one on one personal training in many
different environments, maintenance of several health-related
websites, and authoring of many fitness-related products for
consumers and fitness professionals.
http://www.fitnessdestinations.com
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