WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT CALORIE RESTRICTIVE DIETS and THE SLOWING DOWN OF YOUR METABOLISM

WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT CALORIE RESTRICTIVE DIETS and THE SLOWING DOWN OF YOUR METABOLISM

Part 1 of 4

Most diets are doomed to fail on Day 1 because You and I (the dieters) start the diet with the wrong premise or outcome in mind. We say to ourselves, "I want to lose weight" but we never qualify that  statement (what kind of weight) and some of us never quantify our weight loss either (how much do I need to lose or how much am I willing to lose). 

An analogy I often use when initially consulting with a new weight-loss client is likening dieting to taking a trip. When you decide you want to take a trip, first you make up your mind WHERE you want to go (say California). Then you choose HOW you are going to going to get to your destination (car, plane, bus, or train). Thirdly, you decide WHAT you are going to do on your trip (sightseeing, amusement parks, famous restaurants, hiking, skiing). Lastly, you decide WHEN you are leaving and how long you will be away (committing to a diet start date AND committing to diet for a certain length of time: 14, 21, 30, or more days). 

So WHY are most diets doom to fail on Day 1? Most dieters set themselves up initially for failure because they start out their diets with the wrong premise or outcome in mind. Ninety-nine percent of us start a diet by saying, "I want to lose weight" but what kind of "weight" do you want to lose? Is it water weight, lean muscle, or FAT? You think that's an absurd question; don't you? It really is not. 

Starting a diet with the idea of losing weight without clearly defining the kind of weight you want to or need to lose DOESN'T allow the you "the dieter" to lose the kind of weight most of us desire to be rid of which is FAT. Without qualifying the type of weight we want to lose, you will probably 95% of the time be dieting the wrong way--like wanting to get to California the next day but choosing to take the train as your mode of transportation. It's not going to work!

Most dieters seek the help of a dietitian to lose weight because many health insurance companies will pay for you to consult or work with a dietitian (a dietitian will create a diet with a certain amount of calories 1,200 for women and 1,600 for men usually with a macronutrient ratio profile of 45-65% of calories coming from carbohydrates, 20-35% of total calories coming from fat, and 10-35% of total caloric intake coming from protein.) Many doctors recommend that their overweight and obese patients see a nutritionist in order to have the nutritionist prescribe certain medications, diet pills, or vitamins and minerals (only nutritionists can prescribe meds and vitamin/mineral supplementation legally.) 

Only the smallest percentage of those who are overweight and/or obese are given the correct referral to a WEIGHT-LOSS SPECIALIST, a certified professional who has obtained the education, work experience, and expertise in bringing about the loss of FAT weight loss in patients/clients. This is partially the reason why America has sixty-six percent of its population currently considered medically overweight (a BMI of >25 and <29.9), 34.9% of Americans are labeled medically obese (a BMI of >30/), and 1 out of every 20 Americans are medically described as extremely obese (a BMI of =40 or >40).

So, what kind of weight do you want to lose? The correct answer probably is FAT. You don't want to lose just water weight and chances are you do NOT want to lose your lean muscle mass, but the sad truth is YOU PROBABLY ARE GOING TO LOSE MOSTLY WATER WEIGHT, 25% of your LEAN MUSCLE MASS, and some fat (hopefully) before you have gotten frustrated and quit your diet altogether.

Most dieters are given calorie restrictive diets by their dietitians and nutritionists or they have put themselves on a diet based upon reducing total calories consumed. Clinical research shows that calorie restrictive diets bring about a weight loss of 25% from lean muscle mass and a 75% weight loss from fat. That means if you lose 10 pounds, 7.5 of that weight is from fat and 2.5 pounds is from a loss of lean muscle. Losing lean muscle causes a reduction in your metabolic rate due to the fact that you have LESS active muscle to burn or use up the energy you eat in the form of food (kilocalories). 

Do you realize what this means? This means that most people who lose weight via calorie restriction reduce the total amount of calories they can consume after they stop dieting. For example, if Kathy used to consume 1,800 calories before she started her calorie restriction diet and lost 20 pounds (5 pound of which was lean muscle), Kathy must reduced her total caloric intake by 50-65 calories PER DAY in order to maintain that 10-pound weight loss. If Kathy goes back to eating the way she used to, she will regain ALL HER WEIGHT BACK in about 54 days. And so will YOU if you lose weight using a Calorie Restrictive Diet.

Better news for dieters coming in future parts of this 4-part blog about LOSING FAT and not losing lean muscle mass or water weight.

Thx for reading,

-Bell Gia