Home
>
Weight Loss
>
Simply Weight Loss -- Losing Weight is Easy if You Stop Dieting

Simply Weight Loss -- Losing Weight is Easy if You Stop Dieting

In theory, if you're starving, exercising less helps conserve energy. But obviously you're going to place finding food and eating at the top of your to do list. But dieters today do exactly what they shouldn't do...exercise less if they were to starve and start dieting when trying to lose weight.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System recently published their findings from a 21 state study with over 112,000 participants on how weight loss methods affect dieter's success.

Each participant was placed into one of four categories based on the weight control method they used.

1. Increasing physical activity
2. Eating fewer calories
3. Combination of fewer calories with exercise
4. None (not trying to lose weight)

For those who were trying to lose weight, the most common weight practices were eating fewer calories without other methods (32.3% of women, 24.1% of men) and eating fewer calories with exercise (33.8% of women, 19.9% of men).

Increasing physical activity as a sole weight-loss practice was reported by 3.4% of women and 4% of men.

The last statistic on exercising without dieting is where I get lost. It's hard for me to understand how only 3% of women and 4% of men use exercise as their sole weight loss practice. Is anything wrong with this?

Yes, we are wrong. The entire weight loss industry is wrong!

It all reminds me of a slogan from a few years ago, "Simply Weight Loss." It represented a return to diet basics. And that's when it hit me, a return to diet basics is what is wrong.

Dieting is Wrong

You're too heavy and you need to lose weight. The extra pounds pushing you above your ideal weight, resulted from a chronic state of positive energy balance...eating more calories (energy) than the body needs.

This is usually followed by the question, "Why doesn't my body just get rid of the extra energy?" I totally agree. Just get rid of all that extra energy, send it on it's way.

Unfortunately, the laws of thermodynamics are what mess things up.

The tough law to get around involves the whole idea that you can't create or destroy energy. It's constant. Since you can't simply destroy energy, you have no choice but to use the extra energy (packed into calories) or store it.

So, how does this make dieting wrong? Dieting only works in theory. In theory, dieting, which is synonymous with calorie restriction, causes total body energy to decrease in hopes of creating an energy deficit.

To make up for this deficit, the body will tap into energy stores to cover immediate needs. So, in theory, dieting causes weight loss.

Is this what occurs in dieters? Yes and no.

The Best Method for Using Stored Energy

Dieting, a.k.a. calorie restriction, slows down the resting metabolic rate, throwing the body into a state of energy conservation. This is not conducive of weight loss but instead is perfect for gaining weight.

Those dieters that do lose weight and keep it off, practice my concept of slow & low.

Now what? Exercise.

What is the best method for using the extra energy we didn't use in the past? Exercise. Start an exercise program first, one that centers on muscle tone and strength, then use dieting on an as needed basis to lower total body energy.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System published perfect statistics. We should be using exercise as a sole weight loss method more often.

To Healthy Living!

Michael Smith, MD
Chief Medical Consultant
Diet Basics Website

Dr. Michael Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a content based website dedicated to the on-line dieter. Please visit Dr. Smith at the slow & low and learn about things like, "Your Real Dieting Problem" and "Diet Shock." Dr. Smith's site is true cutting edge material. In an internet full of weight loss "experts" it's obvious when you find a real professional -- The Diet Basics Website.

efficient cleaning crew Northbrook ..

In The News:

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.

South Korean scientists create ultra-thin fabric muscles that turn clothes into robotic assistants, lifting 33 pounds while weighing under half an ounce.

Archer Aviation has acquired Hawthorne Airport for $126M to launch an LA air taxi network ahead of the 2028 Olympics, featuring AI-powered eVTOL operations and next-gen aviation tech.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Fake AI apps disguised as "ChatGPT" and "DALL·E" are flooding app stores with dangerous malware that steals data and monitors users without detection.

Fake buyers demand specific vehicle reports from unknown sites to steal credit card information from car sellers, but warning signs can help identify these scams before paying.

Android users can now manage apps across multiple devices more easily with Google Play Store's updated remote uninstall button in the latest update.

NASA's Perseverance rover discovers shiny metallic rock on Mars that could be a meteorite from an ancient asteroid, containing high levels of iron and nickel.

Holiday scams spike during Black Friday and Cyber Monday as criminals exploit your leaked personal data. Learn how to protect yourself from fake stores and phishing.

Commerce Department proposes TP-Link router ban over Chinese security risks. Learn how this potential prohibition could affect your home network and devices.