Do You Need To Diet?

Years ago dieting to lose weight conjured up pictures of celery sticks for breakfast followed by a filling lunch of boiled vegetables and soup for dinner.Nowadays there is a whole plethora of different diet options ranging from Atkins to The Zone.. Many of them have some merit, indeed some of them actually work-for a little while anyway.

However, there are very few that are sustainable and some may even be detrimental to long- term health. The word “diet” suggests to many a strict regime of eating only certain foods and forgoing any real enjoyment at mealtime. With this mindset any diet is doomed to failure. Indeed most people find that once they have come off their diet and reverted back to their “normal” eating routine then the weight they have lost piles back and often increases. There are a number of reasons for this occurring. People who reduce their calorie intake dramatically will indeed lose some fat, however, their body will effectively cannibalise itself in order to maintain energy levels. This results in loss of muscle tissue. This will slow the metabolism down i.e. it won’t require so much energy. So, when normal energy consumption is resumed (diet is ceased) the excess will be stored as fat. This is rather a simple overview but you get the picture!

This storage is assisted by an enzyme called Lipoprotein Lipase which assists in storing the fat you consume into fat cells. If your body perceives that it is going into a famine mode, which is a natural response to a regular decrease in calories, it will produce more Lipoprotein Lipase encouraging more fat storage. Interestingly this can continue for months after you stop dieting!

The bottom line then is don’t diet. Choose a healthy eating lifestyle that can be sustained and enjoyed.