In Search Of Healthy Weight Loss
Is healthy weight loss a realistic goal? There are certainly plenty of programs and diets out there intended to help you lose weight
, but are they healthy? And if so, do they actually work? The sad fact is, most of them are marginally healthy, at best, and most of them have a 90% and greater failure rate, especially when you look at the long-term results.
Lets look at three popular weight loss diets as evidence. The HCG diet has had a huge rise in popularity during the past couple of years. The program is twofold: first, you get a shot of a hormone every day (which is, by the way, expensive). Second, you consume no more than 500 calories per day.
My immediate problem with the diet is this: how on earth does anyone really know if the shot is necessary? Its a no-brainer that anyone restricting their diet to 500 calories a day is going to lose weight. In fact, if they keep it up long enough, they will shrivel up into nothing and literally starve to death!
So the bigger problem is this serious caloric restriction. Even if you were eating 500 calories a day of raw, grass-fed beef or of dark, leafy greens, two very nutrient-dense foods, you would end up extremely deficient in most nutrients. This leads to a weak immune system and a much higher risk for developing degenerative disease if you dont, as I mentioned, starve to death first.
As it is, the HCG diet does not tell you what to eat, just how many calories you are allowed to eat. So most people keep on eating their usual junk food, in a limited amount, which is even worse.
But really, how long would you be able to keep up a diet of 500 calories per day? And once you got off the program and started eating your regular diet again, what do you think would happen to your weight?
I rest my case.
Next, lets look at commercial weight-loss programs, such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig. Do they facilitate long-term, healthy weight loss? While they are considerably healthier than the HCG diet, they are based around deprivation and counting calories (or points). They also allow encourage, even the consumption of processed and pre-packaged foods. And most people who lose weight with such programs regain the weight, and then some, after getting off the programs.
How do low-carb diets stack up? People do initially have success with these kinds of eating plans, like Atkins. And they can be relatively healthy, depending on how they are structured. They have a definite advantage over either of the other two kinds of diets in that calorie counting is discouraged and eating to satisfaction is encouraged.
But there are also several problems with low-carb. First, most such plans reduce carbs to fifty grams or less per day, which eventually leads to brain fog and low energy levels. YOUR BODY NEEDS GLUCOSE TO FUNCTION, and forcing your body to turn protein and fat into glucose is very inefficient and requires a lot of energy.
Second, long-term low-carb dieters frequently encounter problems with thyroid hormone levels. Third, eliminating starchy and sugary whole foods like potatoes, yams, fruits and grains can make you feel deprived after a while. Finally, high levels of saturated fat can lead to serious health problems, particular cardiovascular problems, in some individuals.
But dont despair! There are ways to lose weight where you dont deprive your body of nutrients and you dont have to feel hungry or compromise your overall health. The ideal healthy weight loss program combines regular cleansing because your body stores toxins in fat cells with consumption of a high-quality whey protein, which is the protein most effective at building muscle.
It also includes the entire spectrum of nutrients necessary for optimum health, allows you to eat to satisfaction, and provides healthy foods that taste delicious. Last but not least, the ideal program will work, for both the short and long term.
Such healthy weight loss programs are hard to find, but they are out there. Do your due diligence to find one and watch those pounds start melting away!
by: Emily Josephine
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