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-------------------------- Diet Red Flags
Title
------------ Diet Red Flags
Diet Red Flags
------------ The cabbage diet! The rice diet! The blood type diet! Atkins! South Beach! No carb! Low carb! Which is right diet?
People who want to lose weight are a very vulnerable group because they're very frustrated. Weight loss is hard, and everybody is looking for a silver bullet. They need to understand that "silver bullet" does not exist.
But how can you discern which weight loss claims are true or false? Here's some advice from Federal Trade Commission:
Does diet promote rapid weight loss?
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That's a clear signal it's unrealistic. When you start a diet, water weight is first to go. If you lose much more than two pounds a week, you are drawing from both fat and muscle mass. That is not good, because muscle is a big factor that controls your metabolism. If you lose muscle mass, your metabolism will slow down. That is how "roller coaster diet cycle" begins, and that is one reason why some diets just don't work.
The FDA recommends losing weight slowly and gradually, so you are losing one to two pounds per week. You need to tap into stored fat more efficiently, instead of burning water and muscle.
Does weight loss program involve eating just one food, or eliminating whole food groups?
-------------------------------------------------- If so then you are setting yourself up to fail. No one can stick to a diet that is constrictive. Most people who are overweight got that way from overeating. Constricting someone who has overeaten for years will rarely work.
Now, most people can do something short term, but there will be a time when mind can't do it anymore and your body's cravings will overtake your will-power. That is when binge eating occurs and often all progress that was made is erased.
Does program help you change long-term eating habits?
------------ If not, you will just get caught up in a never-ending lose-gain cycle, also known as "roller coaster" or "yo-yo" dieting.
Most diets are short-term fixes for a long-term problem. People who get slim and stay that way have changed their eating habits and attitudes toward food.
