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Advantages and disadvantages of dieting :How to choose a diet?

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This post gives an overview of the disadvantages and advantages of dieting and diets .We also answer the question is dieting healthy for you and if you have to choose a diet how to make a healthy choice.

Is dieting good for you?

For people who are overweight ,the call to reduce weight to realize their optimum weight and body composition will need interventions which are very demanding and all too often not successful in making needed loss.In order to achieve this status they would need adopt a lifestyle change which includes a healthy diet and exercise .Since a large percentage of Americans are couch potatoes or have a job which demands 10 to 15 hours a days the latter of the two may be difficult to adopt that where dieting comes into play. Dieting is the removal of small portions of food or specific kinds of food to lose weight but they often get the bitter end of the stick since research has shown that 90% of the diet plan on the market are either ineffective or potentially unhealthy over a long term period ,some are associated with great expense , strange techniques ,pills and hormones.But does this means dieting is not good for you no it doesn’t ,once a diet involves some form of exercise regimen and a balance diet it perfectly fine .

Disadvantages of dieting

The disadvantages of dieting doesn’t represent every diet ,there are a few healthy diet which  have more advantages.You should also note that a diet is what you eat, right now you are on a diet but how you eat determine if you will lose or gain weight.Here we go:

  • decrease in metabolism (many plans provide very low calories to allow weight http://www.healthandrecoveryinstitute.com/soma-carisoprodol-muscle-relaxant/ loss this result in your body storing fat rather than burning )
  • can be unhealthy since you lose many micro nutrients
  • more weight gain after the diet if there is no exercise involved in the plan
  • extreme hunger
  • muscle lose (depends on the type of regimen you can lose water weight and muscles instead of fat)
  • dehydration (the body can lose a lot of sodium which hold water ) 
  • can not eat out (some strict diets)
  • state of Ketosis ( the body burns it fats for energy)
  • kidney failure (high protein diets can strain your kidney
  • high cholesterol (also cause by high protein diets)
  • kidney stones ( high protein diets)
  • Monotonous (you can easily become bored eat the same foods over long term)

Advantages of dieting

The science of weight loss is simple we need to expend more calories than we consume daily ,3500 calories equals to one pound of weight which means we need to to eat 3500 calories less than you normally would to lose one pound .
  • given the above information the first advantage of dieting is ,it restricts calories in order for us to lose weight at a faster rate.
  • improves our self control.
  • reduce blood sugar levels
  • reduce blood pressure
  • reduce cholesterol
  • reduce our stress and improve our mood
  • increase in energy
  • reduction in fats

Advantages and disadvantages of popular diets

Type of diet
Advantages
Disadvantage
Examples
Limited food choice diet
1. Reduce the number of food choices 2. Limited opportunity to make mistakes 3. Very low in calories for first few days,
1. Deficient in many nutrients,depending on the foods allowed 2. Monotonous difficult to adhere to 3.eating out and eating socially are difficult 4.very low long term success 5.No scientific basis for these diets
1.Cabbage soup diet 2. Lemonade diet 3.Bananas and milk diet 4.Fit for life diet 5.Kempner rice diet.6Caveman diet
Restricted calorie balanced food plans
1.Sufficiently low in calories to allow weight loss 2. Nutrient balanced 3.Palatable 4.Include readily available foods 5.Reasonably priced 6.Easy to cook meals 7.May have point system 8.Help you develop new eating habits
1.Do not offer immediate and large weight loss
1. Weight watchers diet 2.Jenny Craig diet 3. Prudent diet(American heart association) 4. Overeaters anonymous 5.South beach diet
Fasting starvation diet
1.Very quick weight loss
1.Nutrient deficient 2.Danger of Ketosis more than 60% muscle loss and less than 40% fat loss 3.Long term results are rare 4.Lower metabolism rate (result in an increase in fat storage after retiring the diet)
1.Cabbage soup diet 2. Lemonade diet 3.Bananas and milk diet
Type of diet
Advantages
Disadvantages
Examples
Premeasured food plan
1.Provide prescribed portion sizes -little chance of too small or too large a portion 2.Total food program 3.Some provide adequate calories (1200) 4.Nutritionally balanced or supplemented
1.Expensive 2. Precludes eating out 3. Often low on bulk 4. Monotonous 5.Long term success rate low
1.Nutri-system 2.Carnation Plan
Protein-sparing modified fast (less than 50% protein 400 cal)
1.Safe under supervision 2.High quality protein 3.Minimize loss of lean body mass
1.Decease BMR 2.Monotonous 3.Expensive
1.Optifast 2.Medifast
Low-calorie,high protein supplement diets(prepared liquid formula or premeasured power to be mixed with water)
1.Rapid weight loss 2.Easy to prepare 3.Palatable for the first few days 4.Fortified with recommended amount of nutrients.
1.Usually prescribed at dangerously low calorie intake 300 to 500 cal 2.Over priced 3.Low in fiber and bulk ,take in small amounts at a time
1.Liquid protein diet 2.Cambridge diet 3.Oxford diet 4.Genesis 5.Last chance diet
High-Protein,low-carbohydrates diets .Usually include all the the meat,fish,poultry and eggs you can eat.Occasionally permit milk and cheese in limited amounts .Prohibits fruits,vegetables and any bread or cereal products
1.Rapid initial weight loss because of diuretic effect. 2.Very little hunger
1.Too low carbohydrates 2.Deficient in many vitamins 3.High in saturated fats,cholesterol and other fats 4.Dangerous for people with kidney disease 5.Expensive 6.Side effects such as bad breath and gas 7.Difficult to eat out
1.Atkins diet 2.Air force diet 3.Dr Stillman’s quick weight loss diet 4.Mastering the zone diet

Choosing a diet

How to recognize a sensible diet?

  • The diet plan should be a combination of an exercise program ,a balanced diet where you can get your micro nutrients
  • Choose a diet which suits your lifestyle . A stay a home mom can choose a diet which involves cooking a balance diet such as weight watcher . A women who work about ten hours a day should not choose a diet very low in calorie it can result in snacking or catabolizing.
  • Stay away from plans which allow fewer than 1200 calories a day .
  • Diet which promises weight loss without any effort or some secret formula most often than not are unhealthy diets or they just trying to get your money.
  • Choose a regimen which have been approved by reputable nutritionist or institution.
  • Beware of diets which promotes vitamins,pills ,shots ,gadgets or brand name foods. eg HCG diet
  • A good plan should teach you how to keep off the weight. 
  • Plans which insist you must a eat some type of food on a particular day are inflexible plans ,they are difficult to follow .

The best diet plans

These diets were selected by usnews who gather the best nutritionist to study the most popular diets. The reason these diets were considered the best because the work over a long period and were healthy for our body.
  1. The DASH diet
  2. TLC Diet
  3. Weight Watchers
  4. Biggest Loser
  5. Jenny Craig Diet
  6. Raw Food Diet
  7. Mediterranean diet
  8. Vegetarian diet

The worst diet plans 

These diets are very popular because they allow you to lose weight fast but not over a long term period and most of the disadvantages of dieting can be link to these diets.
  • Lemon diet
  • Cabbage diet
  • Caveman diet
  • Acid alkaline diet

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