When Dieting Becomes Too Much

By Cyndi Waters (aka Cyndi Schoenhals)
Fitness Writer

You may visit my web site and wonder why I advocate the "I Hate Diets! Weight Loss Program." The first (and probably foremost) reason is that I truly DO hate diets! I LOVE food! I love to eat! And, to deny myself that marvelous pleasure would be sinful, in my opinion. (I do, on the other hand, believe in "responsible" eating.) Another very good reason that I promote the "I Hate Diets! Weight Loss Program is that there is evidence to prove that dieting is actually detrimental to one's health.

The Woes of Dieting

In the world of modern (fad) dieting, one diet may lead to another and another and another...Overweight individuals in our society often want to lose weight and often are initially successful at doing so. All too often, however, the pounds are gained back, and then some! These individuals try, once again, to lose the weight with yet another diet. When even more weight is eventually gained back, the overweight individuals become discouraged, as their health becomes more at risk.

Sometimes, instead of getting more and more overweight, dieting leads to other eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulemia. Some individuals who have struggled to be thin simply stop eating altogether. They literally starve their bodies. Others eat, but when the meal is over, they sneak off to throw up what they've eaten. Or, perhaps, they resort to using laxatives to keep the weight off. All of these individuals put their health, and often their lives, at risk.

Reasons for Weight Problems

Part of the problem goes wayyyy back to our ancestors. Those who preceded us were blessed with genetics that helped them to survive in a world that was NOT crowded with fast-food restaurants and easy-to-obtain meals. They actually had to go out and grow crops or hunt wildlife to provide food for their families. They were active all day, from the moment they woke up until they went to sleep at night.

In times when food was scarce, the human body would hold onto a little extra fat to help it survive the lack of food. Today, the human body still has that basic genetic makeup. So, when a person diets to try to shed pounds, those genes kick in and alert the body of possible starvation. Although, initially, weight may be lost, the body will eventually begin to retain fat to protect it from the next diet attempt. This is why so many people who have dieted time and again, end up weighing more than they did before they tried that first diet!

Unfortunately, even though we still have the same basic genetic makeup as our ancestors, we have become a sedentary society...unlike that of our ancestors. We often continue to eat as if we were going to get up and be active all day. But, instead of being active, we tend to sit most of the time...either at our jobs or at home, watching movies or playing video games. And, what we do eat tends to be so high in calories that we consume many more calories than our bodies require. The extra calories become extra fat.

Of course, if you deny your body sufficient caloric intake for long enough, the fat WILL disappear...and, along with it, the muscle, bone, etc. In fact, your body will begin to eat itself in order to survive. To be healthy and lean, a healthy and happy medium needs to be achieved!

Responsible Eating

It's okay to count calories. In fact, you should try to eat within the range of calories needed for your body size and build. But, dieting...or denying yourself food in order to lose weight...is not the answer. CHANGING your diet to include balanced meals from all the basic food groups is the responsible way to eat and to maintain a lean, healthy body. For those who are physically able, regular exercise is also a must for staying in shape.