Crash Diet is Not the Solution

You've probably heard of a friend-or that friend of a friend who successfully lost weight by subsisting on a meager amount of canned tuna and crackers-or eating some other terrifyingly miniscule amount of food.

The motivation can vary. From wanting to fit into that dress in time for a wedding-to the desire to trim some of those love handles for that beach outing a month from now.

The intuitive course of action when wanting to lose weight is to reduce food intake. Thus, crash dieting is a path often resorted to by many weight-loss wannabes. However, crash diets-which for most part consist of seriously depriving the body of needed nutrients and energy sources-is not a good long-term weight loss strategy.

While starving yourself for days on end may result in immediate weight loss, the weight is sure to get back on with a vengeance once eating habits normalize. This is because when crash dieting, our bodies learn to adjust by burning fewer calories. Once you start eating normally, you will need lesser amounts of calories to gain weight. The end result is that weight gain comes easier. In a nutshell, crash-diets wreak havoc on our metabolism. Chances are we binge on unhealthy foods after a crash-diet and gain all the weight we lost in no time. It may take time for the body to recover and realign with its normal metabolic rate.

Furthermore, crash dieting or "yo-yo dieting" can affect our vital organs which may not properly function without the needed nutrients. Rapidly gaining and losing weight puts undue stress on our organs. Starving ourselves also depletes us of muscle mass as our bodies cannibalize the muscles for nutrients.
 
Extreme deprivation may also cause unusual food cravings, irritability and depression. On the extreme end, this may lead to eating disorders, the most well known of which are bulimia and anorexia.

So while crash dieting may make us lose those few extra pounds fast, be assured that they will return with a vengeance and give us nightmares where we star as the marshmallow man, or woman, as the case may be.

Now that you have been acquainted with some of the more basic reasons why you should avoid subsisting on three leaves of lettuce a day in the hope of shedding fat in the least amount of time, remember that over-used cliché-slowly but surely-holds true for any weight loss program.

Weight loss must be done in a reasonably sensible manner. One of the most effective strategies is to take in five small, healthy meals a day. That will consist of breakfast, lunch, dinner and a mid-morning and afternoon snack. The rationale here is that small meals every two to three hours keeps the body's metabolism working in over-drive. Along with this, try to increase physical activity. Start with walking or a slow-jog thrice a week. Aim for modest weight loss. The faster you lose weight, the higher the likelihood you will gain in it all back and more.    

Examples of a healthy eating plan would be having a bowl of oatmeal, a banana and a two egg-white omelet for breakfast. For mid-morning snack, a slice of whole wheat bread with a teaspoon of reduced fat peanut butter. Lunch will consist of grilled salmon steak (or a medium size whole tilapia or milkfish), half a cup of brown rice and a side of steamed vegetables (or a side salad of tomatoes, onions and grilled egg-plant). An afternoon snack would be a heaping table-spoon of cottage cheese with a slice of your favorite fruit. For dinner, grilled chicken breast with half a cup of brown rice and steamed vegetables. Go ahead, mix and match. There are endless culinary choices that will leave us satisfied while supporting a weight-loss program.

One of the keys to healthy, successful weight loss is to eat the right foods at the right time. Crash diets and starving yourself are certainly not the answer.