Jane Riley

LOW FAT LOW CARBOHYDRATION?
NO FAD NO FABRICATION!

After a few years of low carb mania, the detractors, the risks and the real benefit/cost ratio of this particular diet craze are being heard.

Ultra low fat, low carb, ultra low calorie, the grapefruit diet, the turtle soup diet or whatever seems to be in vogue, all have their heyday and then people disheartedly come back to the reality that these regimes just do not work.

For quick fixes or short term releif, some weight loss may occur with these programs. Long-term fat loss and healthy nutrition are not achievable with wildly skewed diet regimes.

Weight loss does not equal fat loss.

One of the main problems with ANY fad diet is that they are time limited. Sooner or later you will come off the program. Why? Simply, because it’s odd. The word diet used to mean, what you ate. It now more likely means what you don’t eat, - that is a restriction or a limitation. Are you prepared to spend the rest of your life with unnatural limitations? More pointedly, are you prepared to spend the rest of your life on a program that has built in diminishing returns, and significant health risks?

The yo-yo effect of fad diets has been well documented. Essentially, the facts are that with any extreme deprivation, be it caloric or exclusion of an essential component of proper healthy nutrition, any weight loss is mostly lean body muscle and water, with a smaller proportional amount of fat loss. The result is a lowering of the basal metabolic rate, which results in less ability to metabolize calories and also an overall percentage body fat increase! - Hardly the desired effect.

Muscle requires energy to live, and from your body’s perspective protein is a poor source of energy. Protein’s function is to repair a full-grown body, and to grow an immature one. Fat is considered by the body as a good source of energy for everyday life, for long slow duration type activities. Life is an aerobic activity. Complex and simple carbohydrates, rather than being evil are great sources of energy for very difficult tasks as well as for fast and powerful movement.

Then, there are the overlooked nutritional components of such plans. Severely restricting entire wholesome food groups from the diet makes no nutritional sense whatsoever. Neither does eating according to some mystical set of rules based on one’s blood type or one’s body type for example. Human metabolism follows some quite discreet biochemical rules just as a chipmunk’s or an elephant’s does. However we don’t see elephants or chipmunks being confused, simply because they didn’t read the latest book out there. They follow nature’s rules - eat good wholesome natural foods in an amount that will get you through the day, move around and get your exercise, and all will be well.

Fad diets and regimes are designed usually with one or two biological facts which are stretched way out of proportion, then an entire thesis is constructed around those one or two facts in order to become the new trend. This is done to create a new millionaire. The fads have little or nothing to do with nutrition or health, but much to do with money and selling books and potions and pills. Common sense and a little basic understanding can go a long way toward making sound health decisions.

Moderate and regular exercise with a balanced, calorically appropriate nutrition plan will result in long-term optimization of health, fitness and lean body mass goals. The results come faster and last forever, because the plan is sane.

By supporting lean muscle mass with adequate calories derived from good source lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and oily fats, as well as substantiating muscular tone with exercise, you will increase your metabolism, reduce your body fat and improve your overall health forever.

Balance was the keyword of wisdom among the ancient Greeks who sought the Golden Mean in everything. Balance is the key to living life well. If the plan is off to one side or the other, it simply will not lead you down the straight path to optimal health.