Dieting Techniques Weight Loss Groups Fad Diets Grapefruit Diet

Dieting is the practice or habit of eating (and drinking) in a regulated fashion, usually with the aim of losing weight. It is also used in some cases to gain weight or to regulate the amount(s) of certain nutrients entering the body.

1 Dieting techniques

Most typically, "dieting" means eating in a carefully planned way in an attempt to reduce excess body fat and decrease bodily measurements, such as clothing size.

There exist a (sometimes confusing) multitude of weight loss techniques, many of which are ineffective. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another, due to metabolic differences and lifestyle factors.

1.1 Weight loss groups

There exist both profit-oriented and non-profit weight loss organizations who assist people in their weight loss efforts. (Examples of the former include Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig ; examples of the latter include Overeaters Anonymous and a multitude of non-branded support groups run by local churches, hospitals, or like-minded individuals.) These organizations' customs and practices differ widely, but most all of them leverage the power of group meetings with regards to counseling, emotional support, problem-solving, and the passing along of useful information. Some advocate certain prepared food or special menus, while others train how to make healthy choices from menus and while grocery-shopping.

1.2 Fad diets

Many 'fad' diets become widely popular for a short period of time, only to fade out. Although some fade from popularity due to being ineffective, some merely lose the public's interest. Judging their nutritional merit can be especially difficult given that most diet proponents locate medical professionals to back up their work. Examples of such fads include the grapefruit diet, low-fat diets, and Atkins.

Most fad diets overlook the basic nutritional idea of energy balance discussed in greater detail above. The energy you take in (in the form of calories in food, whether fat, protein, or carbohydrate) must be less than the energy you burn in order to lose weight, so that your body burns fat to make up the energy deficit. If you take in more energy than you burn, your body will tend to store this excess energy as fat.

1.2.1 Grapefruit diet

On the grapefruit diet, the consumption of grapefruit with each meal was said to increase the metabolic rate, burning fat and enabling rapid weight loss. The grapefruit diet was eventually found to be entirely ineffective.

1.2.2 Low-fat diets

Low-fat diets were popular during the '80s and '90s, encouraging people to eat foods low in fat (or without fat altogether) and instead eat foods high in carbohydrates. The diet worked on the principle that of the three main macro-nutrients (fat, carbohydrates and protein), only fat was the one which would cause weight-gain. This failed as people ended up eating excessive amounts of low-fat foods rich in carbohydrates, and so did not lose much weight, or even gained it due to the energy from the carbohydrates.

1.2.3 Atkins

Atikins is not strictly a fad diet, since it is an approach that is still quite popular.

1.3 Medical diets

Medical conditions often require the use of a special diet that either contains or lacks certain chemicals. For example, a person who has diabetes is often on a diet designed to carefully regulate their blood sugar level, sufferers of celiac disease must follow a glutenGluten is an amorphous ergastic protein found combined with starch in the endosperm of most cereals. It constitutes about 80% of the proteins contained in wheat and is composed of the proteins gliadine and glutenine. Gluten is responsible for the elastici-free diet, the lactose-intolerantLactose intolerance is the name given to the condition (found in the majority of humans) in which lactase, an enzyme needed for proper metabolization of lactose, is not produced in adulthood. Biology The normal mammalian condition is for the young to lose omit milkMilk most often means the nutrient fluid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals (including monotremes such as the Australian platypus). It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborns, before they are able to digest more diverse foods. and dairyOxford, New York, July 2001 In many northern-hemisphere countries a dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk (mostly from cows, sometimes from buffaloes or goats) for human consumption. The end product of such processes are kno products, and people with kidney disease must follow a strict low- sodiumSodium is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Na Natrium in Latin) and atom number 11. Sodium is a soft, waxy, silvery reactive metal belonging to the alkali metals that is abundant in natural compounds (especially halite). diet to ease the strain on their kidneys.

Treatment for mild hypertensionArterial hypertension or high blood pressure is a medical condition where the blood pressure is chronically elevated. Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks and heart failure, and is a leading cause of chronic renal includes a diet rich in fruitIn botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. In cuisine, when discussing fruit as food, the term usually refers to just those plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy, examples of which would be plum, apple, and ors, vegetableVegetable is a nutritional and culinary term denoting any part of a plant that is commonly consumed by humans as food, but is not regarded as a culinary fruit, nut, herb, spice, or grain. In common usage, vegetables include the leaves (e. lettuce), stemss, and fat-free dairy foods, and low in fat and sodium, to lower blood pressure.

1.3.1 Very Low Calorie Diets

The Very Low Calorie Diet, or VLCD, is a special diet to be undertaken with medical supervision. It offers rapid fat loss over a short timeframe, but can be dangerous for some people. It consists of the consumption of a special powder mixed in with 200-300 ml of water to be taken three times a day. The drink, similar to a milkshake, provides approximately 1914Kj (456 Cal) of energy per day when consumed at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It contains all necessary vitamins and minerals, although there is a risk of overdosing on selenium if a person consumes more than they should (more than three times per day). VLCDs should only be used for dieting when a person's body mass index exceeds 30. In addition, at least two liters of water must be consumed per day and a person should consider using fiber supplements regularly. Without this, the person risks severe constipation.

VLCDs can be very successful, but only when used over a six- to 12-week period. Because the body is essentially starving, it is burning up its fat stores and lowering its metabolic rate. As soon as the diet ceases and normal food is consumed again, there is an immediate increase in weight. Short-term use of VLCDs (one to four weeks) will have little, if any, benefit for the dieter, as the increase in weight will negate the weight lost in the first place. Once the full course of the diet is finished, it is up to the successful dieter to maintain their current weight, via exercise and sensible eating, otherwise they will put on weight again. VLCDs put a great deal of strain on a person's body, and should only be undertaken with medical consultation.

1.4 Potentially hazardous dieting techniques

Yo-yo dieting is particularly dangerous and ineffective, because it decreases the metabolism, leading to an immediate weight gain once the caloric restrictions are eased.

Many over-the-counter (OTC) and prescribed medications have been proven to be extremely hazardous to the health and consequently withdrawn from sale, so consumers need to be wary.

While anyone can lose weight by famining (temporarily stopping one's food intake altogether), it is an extremely dangerous practice. When concentration camp survivors, who involuntarily suffered famine as a result of the horrendous living conditions, were examined by doctors, what little weight they had was mostly fat, with practically no muscle.

The only "safe" method of weight loss is to eat a sensible healthy diet with a moderately decreased caloric intake from your normal diet, and to increase exercise gradually until weight loss results. It should be noted that people may follow these guidelines and not actually lose weight, but may see health improvements.

2 Related topics

3 External links

Nutrition

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