Dietitians just plain don't like low-carb or high-protein diets.
Whether it's The Atkins Diet, The Stillman Diet, The Scarsdale Diet or Eat Yourself Thin Like I Did by Nancy Moshier, a popular, new book that recommends a low-carb regimen, medical experts say these diets are not part of long-term weight maintenance.
"All of these diets, they are warmed-over versions of The Atkins Diet," says Heather Holden, RD, LDN, clinical dietitian at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. "Low-carb, high-protein, it doesn't matter what you call them, they don't work in the long run."
But some aspects of Eat Yourself Thin are useful, says Holden. In particular, the book's focus on calorie counting can be useful.
How Many Calories Do You Need?
---------------------------------------------------
"The best thing about the book is that it teaches people how to calculate an approximate basal metabolic rate," says Holden. "That's the number of calories your body needs every day to maintain a constant weight. The number is different for everyone."
The book, says Holden, tells readers to establish their ideal body weight and then multiply that number by 10 to arrive at the daily calorie intake. For example, if your ideal body weight was 130 pounds, you would multiply that 130 by 10 to get 1,300 calories per day.
"That is a very rough estimate of what you need to eat each day at your ideal weight," says Holden. "So that gives you a place to start. If you weigh 160 pounds, and your ideal weight is 130 pounds, then you start a calorie diary to see how much you're eating each day. Then you can get a better idea of how much you can eat every day to start working off weight to get closer to your ideal weight."
That much, she says, is useful. But the book goes on to tout the wonders of low-carb eating as the best way to maximize loss of body fat.
"That's the part you want to avoid," says Holden. "Low-carb diets provide quick weight loss but do not help you maintain weight loss."
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) says that both low-carb and high-protein diets are bad.
"These diets are not safe, they are not healthy, and they are not a good way to try to get healthy," says Leslie Bonci, RD, nutritionist with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Complex and a spokesperson for the ADA. "They provide short-term, rapid weight loss by causing the body to shed water weight and muscle. But that is no way to keep weight off for very long, and it's dangerous to your body chemistry."
Dangerous Process
-----------------------------------------
According to the ADA, low-carb diets and others like it trigger short-term weight loss through a process called ketosis. This process kicks in when your body is in short supply of carbohydrates, a prime source of energy for the entire body, but especially for the brain, which operates exclusively on carbohydrates.
During ketosis, your carbohydrate-depleted body grabs other sources, including ketones from stored fat or protein, to satisfy daily energy needs. This leads to ketoacidosis, a state similar to that seen with type 1 diabetes. This type of diet can have a negative long-term impact on health.
"Next time you talk to someone on one of these diets, pay attention to their mental state, how alert they seem," says Holden. "The lack of carbohydrates tends to make them seem a bit fuzzy mentally because the brain is not getting enough fuel. Is that any way to diet?"
New Research Supports It
-------------------------------------
But a study in the July 2002 issue of the American Journal of Medicine showed that the most famous of low-carb diets, the Atkins diet, does work.
Study participants lost an average of 20 pounds while on the Atkins diet for six months, but they were not followed longer to see if they kept the weight off. Most people also had improved cholesterol levels at the end of the study, even though the eating plan permits unlimited quantities of cholesterol-rich foods such as eggs and meat.
The study was funded by a grant from the Robert Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine. Duke researcher Eric Westman, MD, says he became interested in studying the Atkins diet after several of his patients lost large amounts of weight on it.
But though researchers were impressed by the weight loss, they say more study is needed to pronounce the carbohydrate-restricting diet safe.
Safe Dieting
------------------------
Here's how the American Heart Association says to take weight off, and keep it off.
Be active: try walking 30 minutes a day most days of the week.
To lose weight, most women should eat 1,200-1,500 calories per day.
To lose weight, most men should eat 1,500-1,800 calories a day.
A loss of one to two pounds per week is considered a healthy weight loss.
People who lose weight gradually are more likely to keep the weight off.
Eat no more than 30% of your total calories from fat.
Include at least five servings of fruit and vegetables in your diet each day.
Examine your eating habits -- keep a written journal of what and when you eat.
Weigh yourself only once a week.
Eat breakfast to curb binge eating.
"There are still a lot of things we don't know about food and nutrition," says Holden. "Nutrition is a relatively young science, but we do know that you can trick the body's mechanisms in the short run. In the long run, however, those short cuts catch up with you in the form of weight gain."
Source: WebMD
You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included.
Original URL (The Web version of the article)
------------
weight loss: carbs? or no carbs?
About The Author
----------------
Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone and related health benefits. He has created and edits numerous web sites about this subject. Michael is a staff writer for weight loss: carbs? or no carbs? and several otherwebsites. If you would like to contact Michael you can e-mail him at weight loss: carbs? or no carbs? If you would like to know more about Weight Loss, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health topics please visit us at weight loss: carbs? or no carbs?.
This little known secret has been used by bodybuilders for... Read More
In recent years, carbohydrates have been labeled as the nutrition... Read More
To understand how surgical procedures aid the grossly overweight person... Read More
Obesity is quickly becoming the number one health issue confronting... Read More
I'm sure you already know that weight loss and improved... Read More
If you've been on a low carb diet for any... Read More
Ephedra and Ephedrine consumers are still under the assumption that... Read More
Let's face facts; obesity is ripe today in America and... Read More
Mindfulness is all about paying attention. It's amazing what can... Read More
When you hear a doctor or a personal trainer say,... Read More
The importance of drinking water is mentioned in almost every... Read More
Since the reintroduction of Ephedra based products on about April... Read More
As a woman, your body is very complex. Throughout every... Read More
Cut the Calories, Bring Out the BikiniSummer's almost here and... Read More
This year, we all made some of the typical New... Read More
A common question among weight loss professionals...If fad diets don't... Read More
Believe it or not, losing a little or a lot... Read More
I would like to introduce you to an incredible new... Read More
I just read this conventional diet tip ? and we've... Read More
Low carb diets, though popular, have met with much controversy.... Read More
How was it for you? Did you get through the... Read More
An article published in http://www.inch-aweigh.com mentioned, "If you are eating... Read More
How would you like to eat all you want and... Read More
It can happen with one bite. The moment those refined... Read More
The cost of a tummy tuck is something to consider... Read More
Dowagiac cheap limo service ..Well, to begin with, there isn't really any one Mediterranean... Read More
When women talk about their biggest obstacles to successful weight... Read More
Why Making Small Changes in Your Eating Habits Adds up... Read More
Weight Loss ? Basic Lessons for Sustained SuccessWeight loss is... Read More
Obesity is a disease that affects approximately 60 million people... Read More
If you have been dieting and haven't lost weight, stop!... Read More
Cellulite happens to us for many reasons. Some reasons-- like... Read More
How would you like to eat all you want and... Read More
There are a lot of "crash" diets out there that... Read More
For many years, herbalists believe that Cayenne is the most... Read More
If you're thinking of going on a diet to lose... Read More
Natural therapies uphold the importance of minerals, vitamins and herbs... Read More
Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. A... Read More
Some of you will not like what I'm going to... Read More
There are lots of dieters, trying every sort of plan... Read More
In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More
Finding Mad Cow in Oregon puts a new wrinkle in... Read More
There have been endless numbers of fad diets over the... Read More
Do You Sometimes Eat Because You're Afraid You'll "Miss Out"... Read More
Although every dieter knows that keeping food records is a... Read More
I have been seriously working on losing weight for about... Read More
Living a powerful, healthy, fit and trim life is a... Read More
"Hey, you have reduced now, compared to the last time... Read More
I would like to introduce you to an incredible new... Read More
It comes as a surprise to many consumers that the... Read More
Weight Loss |