Risks of Fad Diets
“Lose X amount of pounds in one week if you follow this guide!”
Nowadays you see so many diets that can help you lose anywhere from 10-50 lbs in just a few weeks (sometimes less). Although that sounds great, it isn’t a plan that you can stick with forever and more times than not, people gain that weight back right away after they go off the diet. Losing weight that fast can be unhealthy for your body.
According to Dr. Griebeler, an endocrinologist and obesity specialist, “When you lose weight too quickly, your body slows down its calorie-burning process”. Slowing down that process causes your metabolism to go into survival mode because your body doesn’t want you to starve.
Your metabolism is your body’s calorie-burning process that converts what you eat and drink into energy. Once you go back to eating a regular diet, your metabolism can’t keep up and the pounds come back.
This is why it’s important to make small, gradual changes to your diet and exercise for the best results.
Importance of Physical Activity & Exercise
Slower weight loss combined with exercise allows your body time to loose fat while keeping your muscle mass. This keeps your muscles’ calorie-burning power intact.
A healthy weight loss doesn’t just consist of what you eat. You also need to engage in some sort of physical activity if you want maximum results. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 days of muscle strengthening per week.
Exercise could be as simple as going for a 30 minute walk every day to get your body up and moving. Weight lifting is essential for increasing muscle mass too. When you have more muscle mass, you:
Burn more calories
Create a stronger immune system
Improve your energy levels
Strengthen your bones and reduce your risk of fractures and osteoporosis
Reduce stress
Finding the Right Balance
When thinking about your diet plan, is it something you could do for the rest of your life? It might be easy to cut X amount of calories a day, but never having one of your favorite desserts again? Not so easy.
The best diet one can have is one that you will stick to. The Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Research Center found that it takes 66 days to form a new habit. Choose a diet that allows you to have an occasional slice of pizza or your favorite candy. This will be much easier for you to stay on track to a happier and healthier life for months and even years.
Utilize MyPlate
MyPlate is a guide for portion control. This is an easy way to get you started and help maintain a healthy diet. Here's how it works:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MyPlate
This is the current nutrition guide published by the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
Fruits: focus on whole fruits
Vegetables: vary your veggies
Protein: vary your protein; seafood, meat, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds
Grains: make half your grains whole grains
Dairy: move to low-fat or fat-free dairy
We can help!
It can be tricky figuring out where to start. Weight loss and diet change should happen gradually over time. Although fast results seem appealing and are fun for a while, it isn’t what’s best for long term results. Remember, small changes lead to big results.
Schedule an appointment TODAY to get started on your weight loss and nutrition goals with the help of our board certified Family Nurse Practitioner!
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