Diet-The Four Letter Word
DIET- The Four Letter Word
Diet can best be defined as the usual food and drink by a
human or animal. This means that everyone has a diet some are healthier than
others. With all the infomercials and
fad diets we are subjected to on a daily basis our society has created a
negative connotation when the word diet is used. The mention of the word makes some people
cringe and think of painstakingly restricting calories, cutting carbs, lowering
fat intake or maybe even no fat at all.
When diet is concerned it is best to apply the age old adage any thing
that sounds to good to be true probably is.
Sure, everyone knows someone who lost 25lbs in two months by restricting
carbohydrates, a liquid diet etc etc. As
for the person that lost 25lbs in two months there are several things to consider. The average person can expect to lose about
1-2 lbs of body fat per week without losing lean body mass. Lets say the person lost 2lbs of fat per week
which is more the exception than the norm.
This translates to 8 lbs of fat loss in 2 months however we still have
17lbs to account for. The remaining
weight was lost from a combination of water reduction and losing muscle. Many may argue, “we’ll the eight pounds of
fat loss is still excellent!” The problem is this method causes you to be
susceptible to gain the weight back. The
reduction of water weight we will gain back through hydration. The bigger is with the muscle loss one pound
of muscle burns approximately 70 calories a day. In this example if 12lbs of muscle was lost
that means metabolism will slow down by 840 calories a day! The likelihood of gaining the weight back is
very high. Now think back to the friend
or coworker you know that lost the weight quickly and chances are the same
thing happened to them. The best
approach is making a lifestyle change.
Results won’t come as quickly but they odds of the results changing are
much higher. Making a small change every
week and making that change a habit is great plan. Start simple for example one 8oz serving of
coke contains 100 empty calories with no nutritional value. If you must have your caffeine switch to diet
instead. Another good switch would be to
switch to a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a cheeseburger when dining out
this can trim 60 calories and 7 grams of fat.
Water has many benefits and should be a constant in every diet. A good guide for water would be to consume a
minimum of your body weight times 55% in ounces daily (200lbs 110 oz). These
are just a few tips to start a healthy diet.
A good read on the topic is Eating For Life by Bill Phillips. When sifting through media onslaught of diets
and options remember to apply the adage If it sounds to good to be true it
probably is.
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