For the comfort and high standard of living, the humanity is paying the price – its health. It is difficult to argue with that, especially now, when the official WHO data is given: fifty percent of earthlings suffer from overweight. And no matter how we tried to convince ourselves and others that the whole thing is only a slow metabolism, the fact remains – there are practically no fat people in the countries with a low standard of living. This means that the main cause of obesity is still overeating. However, nutritionists believe that people do not gain weight as much from anything as from diets! What do they mean? Should we restrict our diets? And what diets are really effective?
According to the theory of optimal weight (set-point), our weight ranges 3-5 kg but remains about the same for 25-50 years. This is assuming that we are healthy and leading an active lifestyle. The trouble is that most of us are trying to keep weight at a level lower than physiological. A strict diet or starvation and we reach the desired 50 kilograms. And then again struggling with overweight and bouts of overeating. It is proved that diets shift the set-point upwards, so after each new attempt to overthrow some kilograms sharply, the weight automatically stops at the higher level (“Losing Weight”).
When a person for the first time in his/her life decides to reduce weight and go on a diet, usually a reducing of the number of calories consumed is happening. For example, a man ate 3,000 calories a day, moved to 2400, and his weight dropped for 12 kg in 3 months. But in order not to increase the weight again, he must now adhere to the new norm – 2400 calories per day. But all the holidays and birthdays come and all the calories over and above those of 2400 are no longer burned (unless, of course, along with an increase in calories, physical activity does not increase). In other words, a person gradually begins to eat more and gains weight again. And then he took a step back again, though not to the original 3000 calories a day, from which he started, but only to 2800. And now, in order to reduce weight, it is already necessary to eat only 2000 calories. And the next time even less. A man sits on a diet, eats a little, but still cannot lose weight. And it is a sad consequence of endless diets, which only take into account the calorie foods. We either need to count calories during all lifetime, or to eat a balanced and, most importantly, the best food for us personally. In other words, the more diets you go on – the poorer and slower your metabolism becomes (“Preventing Weight Gain”).
In fact, everything is quite simple – our intelligent body is guilty in all, the mechanism of which is aimed at self-preservation at all conditions. When we suddenly begin to starve (go on a diet), at the beginning we really lose weight. But then our body "understands" that there is something wrong and therefore it is necessary to keep its reserves, spend less fat, and even switch to an economical mode of expenditure of calories. Metabolism slows down, every calorie eaten becomes very valuable and lays in fat’s deposits. Researchers found that even our muscles, performing the same physical activities, consume fewer calories during the period of fasting, than during the usual diet. There is evidence that under cyclic gaining-losing of weight, it becomes harder and harder to lose weight. The point here is, apparently, that dieting decreases muscle mass, and then when weight gains again, it is not recovered completely (if you do not do specific exercises). Over time, less muscles are left, and metabolism slows down because muscle tissue spends more energy than fat. During rapid diets, more muscle tissue is lost than during gradual. The main consumers of calories are the muscles exactly – the smaller their volume is, the easier you gain an excess weight. Generally, developed muscles and metabolism are a reliable guarantee against the gaining of the excess weight (“Weight Control”).
The harm of diets is that when a person returns to the usual diet, the body begins to accumulate calories with redoubled force. Nutritionists call this phenomenon a "yo-yo effect". Moreover, the greatest harm comes from the diets based on the consumption of a particular product. With this type of diet, you can get rid of the extra kilos in a short period of time. Fat of the areas of accumulation is able to leak into the bloodstream and liver and enhance the increase of concentrations of low-density lipoproteins in the blood. And this, as we know is a direct path to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. Diets can cause no small damage also to the nervous system. Incorrectly chosen diets can lead to the loss of ability to think clearly. Offbeat diet can cause the development of neuropsychiatric disorders (“Yo-yo effect not bigger after crash diet”).
According to specialists, the majority of people going on different diets, return to the previous weight over the next 6 months. In the end, after a rigid diet, a person is not only rolled back to the beginning but even aggravates the situation! Because not only the total weight but the ratio of fat and muscular mass is important for appearance. The greater the percentage of extra weight in the form of fat – the worse both for health and the appearance. In general, the graduality is important in losing weight – there is no need to try dumping twenty kilograms in a couple of weeks. People often gain extra weight for several years, and even decades, and trying to lose a lot in a hurry before the summer. The diet should be moderate, without excessive restrictions. In general, the idea of diets is controversial enough, ideally, you need to start following the new healthy lifestyle rather than using temporary solutions. To preserve muscle mass during dieting you can use the training in the gym. High loads are not needed, as your body feels the lack of calories, so you only need to maintain the muscles at the same level. But the best guarantee against the loss of muscle mass is a moderate and balanced diet (Sanders).
Choosing the right way to lose weight, you should not only think about getting rid of the extra kilos, but also about the safety of each diet. It is best to avoid extreme "fast" diets, as well as any unbalanced feeding systems that adversely affect the metabolism, the digestive, and cardiovascular systems. In order to avoid damage of diets, it is recommended to give preference to a balanced diet, accompanied by physical exertion. Any rigid diet should not last more than a week, otherwise it may cause serious harm to the body. If you have health problems and any chronic diseases, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Works Cited
“Dieting: Information for teens”. Paediatr Child Health. 2004 Sep; 9(7): 495–496. Web.
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“Losing Weight”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2015. Web.
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“Preventing Weight Gain”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2015. Web.
Accessed 08 May 2016 at <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/prevention/index.html>
Sanders, Elizabeth. “Dr. Sanders’s Health Tips”. Department of Government, Cornell
“Weight Control”. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Web.
Accessed 08 May 2016 at
<https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightcontrol.html>
“Yo-yo effect not bigger after crash diet”. Maastricht University. 28 Jan 2016. Web.
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