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Lose
Weight Quickly?
Science
And Common Sense
The quickest solution to lose weight
is not the best one. To understand why, let us review a few basic facts about
energy metabolism, and dieting. As is often the case,
science confirms what common sense tells us...
Sources Of Energy
Through
the process of digestion, carbohydrate, protein, and fat
from food are broken down in the body and eventually
converted to glucose. Glucose is the fuel the body
needs uses for energy. Fat is the most concentrated form of
dietary energy, 225% as fattening as carbohydrate and
protein. Alcohol also is a source of energy, but in contrast
with fat, carbohydrate, and protein, it is not a source of
nutrients. It provides only "empty
calories."
Energy
Stores
When the
body take in more energy (in the form of calories) than it
needs , the extra calories are stored in two ways:
a) as glycogen, a form of glucose, in the muscle and the
liver
b) as fat tissue throughout the body. Glycogen can rapidly
release glucose. It is the store of immediately available
energy. Once it is depleted, extra sources of energy
come from the oxidation of fat and, as a last resort, from
the breakdown of protein in muscle tissue.
Metabolism
Metabolism
is the sum of all the activities in the body concerned with
growth, repair and maintenance. It governs the rate at
which the body burns calories.
Factors
which influence metabolism include: 1) Amount of Fat
and Muscle in the Body...Simply put, our bodies are made
of fat tissue and lean body mass (LBM) which includes
muscle, water, and skeletal mass. Muscle tissue is
very metabolically active, Fat tissue is not.
Muscle burns nearly 90% of the calories we use in a
day. The more muscle tissue, the higher the metabolism
and the more calories needed. 2) Sex...Women
normally have a higher proportion of fat--17% to 24%
compared to 10% to 16% for men. This contributes to a
naturally lower metabolism for women than for men and a
lower caloric requirement for women. 3) Body
Type and Heredity ...These cannot be modified.
4) Age...The basal metabolic rate generally decreases by
6% for every decade beyond the age of 25. But the
decrease can be slowed down through regular exercise. 5)
Eating Habits...A low fat , high carbohydrate diet
helps retain muscle and lose fat. 6) Physical
Activity... Increases muscle tissue and decreases fat.
Losing
Weight - Why People Regain
Scientists
are in agreement: crash dieting is not the best way
to lose weight and to maintain the weight loss. There are
many physiological reasons for this.
In
starvation (For example when you fast) 68%
of the weight loss is from lean tissue and 32% is from fat
tissue. On lower calorie diets Fifty-four percent of
the weight loss is from lean tissue, 46% from fat.
When calories are in short supply the body calls upon its
energy stores. The fat stores are bypassed at first
because they are the long range survival stores. The
other energy stores are in the muscles as glycogen or
glucose and water. Through the breakdown of glycogen
the glucose is used up for energy and the water
eliminated, accounting for most of the weight loss.
Relatively little fat is lost. If caloric restriction
continues, muscle tissue also is lost, along with water.
These type of diet plans are prone to fail because when
people go on severe diets and lose weight the body
reacts as it would to a period of famine. It slows its
basal metabolism rate. The body needs fewer and fewer
calories and losing weight becomes more difficult.
On
a moderately reduced calorie diet, like the Personal Diet,
some lean tissue is lost (33%), but most of the lost
weight is fat (67%). If exercise is included, lean
tissue loss will be minimal (20%) and fat tissue lost
maximal (80%). This will help protect against gaining the
weight back. Should
you seek an expert's help with your diet planning?
Start
Today!
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