Why Diets DONT Work

One of the biggest scams ever successfully pulled on the American public is - somewhat appropriately - a 4-letter word. That word is, of course, Diet. By now you have seen advertisements for more diets than you can easily remember, and have also most likely seen an article or television show debunking some of those diets. Unfortunately, the art of shooting holes through the credibility of a diet plan is normally done by ANOTHER diet company, solely for the purpose of getting you to use their product instead. Well, this article has nothing to sell, nor really anything to gain, save the knowledge that hopefully the reader - that's you - will put down the Diet Madness Menu, and get a real world point of view on why diets don't work, and what you can do about it.

Eating, the Lost Art

If you are considering a diet, or have in the past, your primary motivation was most likely to lose weight. What if I was to tell you that in order to lose weight, you actually need to eat MORE than you have in the past? You would probably shake your head at that crazy idea, and think that it was some new fad that could in no way assist you in your weight loss goals. Of course, the fact that every diet you've ever heard of was at one point "some new fad" would probably never even cross your mind. Nonetheless, the fact remains that most people do need to eat more than they presently are in order to lose weight, but the trick comes in eating the right kinds of foods, in the right ratios of nutrients, and at the right times of day. Sound tricky? Perhaps, but I assure you, it is really quite simple. However, the purpose of this article is not to inform you of the benefits of eating, but merely to let you know that eating is indeed a very effective way to lose excess bodyweight, and to explain how diets keep that from happening.

Stating the Obvious

Although most people do not think of the "latest diet" in these terms, hopefully the following question will make you consider what is pretty obvious if you stop to think about it. If the new "Last Diet You'll Ever Need" was really that good at making you melt away pounds while sitting on the couch munching "Carbo Craze Chips" or was even remotely effective at burning off your spare tire while inhaling the sweet scents of "Aerospace's Aromatic Air Baubles", then why isn't everyone already thin??

Seriously - think about it. Every time you hear about the latest diet or the most up to date exercise device that only takes 20 minutes per day, they always say that you will never need another system! The advertised system - no matter how logical or even outlandish as it may seem - is always touted at being better than ever, and the last system you will ever need. Well, if that were true, don't you think that the manufacturer of that system would not only become wealthier than anyone in history, but would also become famous as the person who FINALLY solved the obesity problem in our world? Don't you think that person could also afford to advertise their product during prime time on TV, instead of late at night? Don't you think that system would become known throughout the world - throughout history itself - as a turning point in human development?

So, I'll ask you the same question again: If the solution is already out there, why do we need to keep coming up with new solutions?? The answer is, of course, very simple - these systems don't work, and the human populace is simply looking for a non-existent quick fix to getting rid of too many late night excursions to the local burger joint, or to the fact they should have taken stock in beer while they were in college. Then what does work? Human physiology.

Metabolism

Metabolism is defined as the rate at which your body processes food. In other words, how fast your body burns calories. The faster your metabolism, the more food you can eat without gaining weight. How do you control your metabolism? By eating a nutrient-dense meal every 3 to 3 ½ hours. This practice "stokes your internal furnace", for lack of a better analogy. Think of your body as an old-style locomotive that had coal shoveled into the combustion chamber one shovel at a time. If you didn't shovel in coal fast enough, the locomotive would slow down, and your body is no different. If you don't eat often enough, your metabolism slows down and you don't burn through calories very quickly. In addition, not only does your rate of calorie consumption go down, but your body starts storing almost everything that you do eat as bodyfat! So, in essence, every time you starve yourself in your honest effort to "stick to your diet", you are actually slowing down your metabolism as well as making your body more efficient at building padding for you to sit on at baseball games.

Muscle

"I don't care" you say. You believe that in order to lose weight you need to starve. Okay, that's wrong, but I'll explain why that thinking is flawed. Your body needs energy so you can live through any given day. The amount of energy that you need is determined by your Basal Metabolic Rate, and by your activity level for that day. For most people, this amounts to between 1,500 and 2,500 calories per day. Well, if your calorie-restricted diet doesn't allow you that many calories, your body will find a way to survive anyway. It does this by breaking down your muscle tissue and using it for energy. "So what?" you say. You don't care, as long as the scale says you are losing weight, right?

What if I told you that the ONLY place on your body that you can burn bodyfat for fuel is your muscles? What if I told you that the more muscle tissue you lose on a calorie-restricted diet, the fewer calories you can eat after the muscle loss? What if I told you that after losing 20 lbs on a calorie-restricted diet, your total bodyfat level will have dropped very little, if at all? What if I told you that by using muscle mass for energy, you have literally crippled your body's ability to burn bodyfat in the future, and that by the laws of Nature (which we can't change, by the way), you will absolutely put the weight back on, and probably gain more weight than you ever had before?

If I told you all of that, would you still want to burn muscle tissue for energy while starving yourself to stick to your diet, paying $8 a bag for Carbo Chips, and $20 a session for Aromatic Air Baubles?

On the other hand, perhaps the laws of Nature don't apply to you. In that case, be sure to tune in tonight - I believe the "Lose Weight While You Eat Butter Fried Bacon" diet is going to be featured on a new infomercial. It is, after all, The Last Diet You Will Ever Need!

Aaron Potts is the owner and creator of Fitness Destinations, a content-filled health and fitness website for consumers as well as professionals in the fitness industry. Aaron's experience in the health and fitness industry includes one on one personal training in many different environments, maintenance of several health-related websites, and authoring of many fitness-related products for consumers and fitness professionals. http://www.fitnessdestinations.com

---

Choose to Lose - The Simplicity of Weight Loss and Understanding Emotional Eating

Permanent Weight loss is not about Diet. If you are... Read More

Buyer Beware: Purchasing Fat Burners and Other Supplements Online

Each month I receive hundreds of e-mails from consumers who... Read More

Diet Fads: Supermarket Sheep

Eighteen or twenty years ago, I was into high protein,... Read More

Struggling with Weight? ? Get a Dog

Just about every one of us struggles with our weight... Read More

Weight Loss Secrets -- It?s About Perspectives!

Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More

Proven Strategies to Effectively Burn Fat Out Of Your Body! Part 1

It is much safer to your long term health to... Read More

4 Surefire Ways NOT To Lose Weight At Your Health Club

Everyone has their own individual reason for joining a health... Read More

5 Ways To Make Protein Benefit You

Imagine this ... What if you could ?Increase the rate... Read More

Dash Diet -- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)

Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure. Blood pressure... Read More

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

In order to lose weight, your body must burn more... Read More

Healthy Recipes for Low Carb Success

Using healthy low carb recipes are an important part of... Read More

Plot Your Weight Loss Course

I'm sure you already know that weight loss and improved... Read More

Negative Calorie Foods & Weight Loss

You gain weight when your calorie intake is more than... Read More

Solution to Obesity

First of all we need to find out a reason... Read More

Weight Loss: Why Do We Gain Weight?

There are many factors that cause us to increase body... Read More

Thirty Hints & Tips to Achievable Weight Loss

Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started,... Read More

Top 10 Weight Loss and Fitness Myths

WARNING: Don't weight train until after you've lost weight! No,... Read More

BuildingMoreThanBodies: Best Proteins For Burning Body Fat and Building Lean Muscles and Strong Bone

Lean turkeyLean ground beefChicken breastFish, halibut, orange roughy,More fish, shark,... Read More

Diet Pills and Consumer Fraud

Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come... Read More

How to Lose Belly Fat: Latest Secrets from the Research Labs, Part 1

In this series of articles, you will learn exactly how... Read More

3 Guilt Free Fat Burning Food After Dinner Snacks

Want an after dinner snack? Jealously watching your family consume... Read More

The Best Carbs For Low Carbers

With the popularity of low carb diets such as Atkins,... Read More

Cafeteria At Fault for College Weight Gain

College weight gain is at an all time high, and... Read More

FAT LOSS: The Truth On Fat Loss And How To Achieve It!

Fat Loss in GeneralThis morning I conducted a search engine... Read More

Weight Loss With Ionamin: Gentle Plan, Mighty Results

You know you have will-power. You can change a diaper... Read More

New Weight Loss Plan -- Resistance Training

My last article, Make Diets Work, concluded that dieting the... Read More

Causes of Childhood Obesity

Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat.... Read More

Lasting Weight Loss: No Discipline Required

"I'd love to lose weight, but I don't have the... Read More

The Public Stoning of Gastric Bypass Patients: When Things Get Ugly

Recently a woman went public in her online diet community... Read More

Foods That Help Burn Fat

Foods that are high in fiber and protein are the... Read More

No Thanks, Sweety: Im Losing Weight

Dealing with your sweet-tooth can be one of the greatest... Read More

WLS Patients Take Too Long to Order Food: What?s That About?

Families who dine out with their loved ones who've had... Read More

Is Losing Weight The Same As Losing Fat?

Contrary to common belief, your weight is not really the... Read More