DIET— A dirty four letter word!
When most people plan to lose weight, they start by deciding to “go on a diet.” That assumption alone indicates that it is a temporary change and that eventually they will “go off the diet.” The problem is that the same bad habits that caused the initial weight gain will still be there ready to cause the weight gain again. To make matters worse, dieting alone results in a loss of lean mass.
The body’s natural reaction to calorie restriction is to lower metabolism so that one will have energy stored when it is really needed. Therefore, your body actually starts to need less food. Even a slight increase in the food you eat will lead to weight gain.
What is one to do?
1) Make permanent lifestyle changes in your eating habits.
2) Set a goal weight and estimate the calories needed for the goal weight.
3) Establish an eating plan that will work to lose weight and then maintain it without having to change eating patterns again.
4) Include a gradual reduction in calories along with a consistent exercise
program. Of course, if you want to gain even more weight than you’re interested in losing, dieting and then going off the diet is probably the best way to do it.
