WHICH DIETS ACTUALLY WORK?

 

There are lot of popular dietsout there. Investigating which ones are scientifically sound, and actually work. From the outside it seems like a simple equation your weight is determined by the balance between  the calories you burn. By changing what you eat or  activity level, you can tip this equation towards weight gain or loss.

Which brings us to our first category of diets: calorie restriction. 

Companies like weight watchers claim you can eat whatever you want, as long as you stay below a prescribed number of daily calories. Getting all your  calories from junk food is technically allowed, but from a health perspective, its important to think of the nutritional value of the foods too.

If you dont, you risk heart problems, nutrient defdeficiencies and chronic health issues. Calorie Restriction with optimal nutrition or CRON diets, generally reduce their caloric intake by 20% while still meeting the daily nutritional requirements. For example,  of having whole apple, a CRON dieter will just have the apple skin, which contains most of the nutrients.If used properly (and not excessively), calorie restriction can be a safe and effective tool for weight loss. 

Next up is Carb Restriction. Many diets like the South Beach Atkins, or zone diet suggest that carbs are the enemy of the fit body you have always dreamed of. The ideology claims that when more carbs are taken in than burned off, the liver converts them into fats. But for most healthy, reasonably active people, carbs are broken down to glucose  and transported to the cells for energy. Very little is actually turned into fat.

In response to excessive glucose, the body uses insulin to turn it into glycogen, which  is stored in the liver and muscles. This glycogen, may later be broken down in times of low glucose, to refuel the body. But the types of carbs you eat do matter those from simple sugars like honey, fruit or sugar are more readily turned into triglycerides or fat than complex carbs like whole grains and veggies.

If you consistently eat way more than necessary, and most calories are simple carbs then these will be converted to fat. Low carbs diets often have extreme restriction at first, no starches like bread or pasta, and no sugars including from fruits or even alcohol. This can lead to some intense side efffects, including constipation, dry mouth, bad breath, fatigue, dizziness and nausea.

In studies carb restriction dieters tend to lose weight faster, initially, compared  to those simply using calorie restriction, but rhis is likely due to water loss, which returns in later phases when you are encouraged to eat normally again. On top of this, the Atkins diet, for example, promotes caloric intake from high fat and  high protein sources, which means meats, cheeses, cream, butter and losing weight? 

Sounds pretty good right? But many doctors show concern ober the high intake of saturated fat that may lead to more 'bad' cholesterol and therefore an increased risk of heart disease. Some claim these kinds of diets are dangerous and unhealthy given that they promote the limitation of foods like carrots, sweet potatoes or apples that peovide the body with important  micronutrients and vitamin. 

Imstead people require supplements which rhe body is not able to absorb as effectively as vitamins, minerals and micronutrients in whole foods. Then there are High Protein Diets. The main principles is that protein rich foods are not as easilly broken down by the body and take more energy to digest than carb rich food.

This means you wont feel hungry again as quickly and you are more likely to run a caloric deficit than if you ate the same number of calories from carbs. The Paleo Diet for example suggest that 10,000 years ago agriculture was intoduced, and the human diet changed from hunter gathers eating primarily meat, wild frruits, veggies and nuts, to diets containing more grains.

And as a result, some beleive the human body isnt ddesigned to digest these processed foods like grains, dairy, and breads. Some also beleive that grains lead to inflammation related health problems, but this is largely untrue except in the case of people with celiac disease. But because of its straightforward guideines many find it easy to follow, and it does promote more nutrient absorption.

However, as paleo cuts out all grains and legumes, we lose an important source of dietary fibre necessary to keep our bowels running smoothly. Not to mention the high protein leads to nitrogen production meaning stinky farts! Add to that constipation which allows your digested material to ait longer in the large intestine and continuing to decompose and yup. Smelly farts.

Now there is another class of diets we might call the "Just Stop Eating" diets. Those looking to 'get slim quick'  might be tempted to only eat cabbage soup foe 7 days or do the 'Master Cleanse Diet' which only allows salt water in the morning and a concoction of water, maple syrup, lemon and cayenne pepper through the day and a laxative tea at night but these diets are exceptionally unhealthy.

Not only is most of your weight loss from water weight, but there are many side effects such as dizziness, fatigue, dehydration and nausea. The master cleanse   can ever lead to white tongue which some claim is the toxins leaving your body, but its actually due to swelling and a yeast infection of the mouth.

And after going through all that you are likely to gain any weight lost after stopping. Then of course there are straight up crazy diets. Like eating cotton balls dipped in  soup or juice ao that you feel full, which of course provides hardly and nutritional content and  can cause intestinal blockages which require surgical intervention. Or how about the sleeping beauty diet where you just sleep? You cant eat if you are always asleep the truth is most diets focusing on quick, dramatic resuts also have a yo- yo effect where you lose initial weight but slow down your metabolic rare so your body starts burning less calories.

And when you start eating again theres all the weight back and often more! After following contestants from the show ' The Biggest Loser' for 6 years some of which who had lost hundreds of pounds in 7 months scientists noticed something interesting. Not only did most of the participants in the study regain their weight, but their metabolic rates changed.

One man in particular nw burns 800 fewer calories a day than would be expected  for a man his size! This is 6 years after leaving the show, showing how extreme measures to lose weight while they may be successful at that time have long lasting impacts on your metabolism making it harder to keep off weight in the future.

The hard truth is that even using many of the principle diets about 97% of people  regain everything lost and sometimes more within 3years. If you want to lose weight, finding diet that works for you and keeps you motivated with small incremental changes is important. Of course a number on a scale doesnt measure how healthy a person is  though many struggle with this perception.