Recently, the department has received numerous inquiries about fad diets: Do they work? Are they safe? Will they help me lose weight? Our nutrition department put together a couple of tips to watch out for when it comes to dieting.
1) Promotes a drastic weight loss in a short period of time. Losing more than two pounds per week can lead to muscle loss and slow down your metabolism. People who lose weight slowly and gradually are more likely to keep off the pounds because they lost fat, not muscle.
2) Recommends 1,000 calories or less each day. Generally speaking, most people need between 1600 to 2400 calories per day depending on age, gender, and activity level. Consuming too little can slow down your metabolism making it difficult to lose weight. To find out how many calories you need each day to reach and maintain a healthy weight visit My Pyramid Menu Planner.
Moral of the story: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The best way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is to lose gradually by balancing what you eat with how you move. Be active and eat your fruits and veggies! Visit our Nutrition Network to get more tips on eating healthy.
Very true. All the research I have done over the past year indicates what has been said in this post. More than 2 lbs a week can be dangerous to people and cause many other problems. A person should be very careful and research what kind of diet they should be on if it is a flash in the pan program.
Excellent post! We are always looking for quick fixes, but weight loss, along with so many other things in life, requires regular and consistent effort for best results. Nice to see an article from the AZ Dept. of Health Services on this topic that gets spammed with so much bad advice on the internet.
People this days only search for Magic pill and overnight weight loss success but the truth is that hard work need to be done to get the wanted results.And by the way I like your Pyramid Menu Planner,great post.
Victoria,
Thanks!
Fad diets come and go all the time and the only results they have to show is how badly they can affect the dieters health. If someone wants to lose weight there are two basic things he needs to do. Start exercising and eating healthy foods full of nutrients that the body needs.
It’s not merely that low-calorie diets slow metabolism. They can be downright dangerous, particularly when they are either so low in calories or carbohydrates that they cause ketosis. Ketosis leads to diuresis (water loss) and along with water, people lose critical electrolytes, especially potassium. People die from low-calorie diets.
2/20/2007· Jumping rope is a cardio-vascular exercise, which means it is great for weight loss and a healthy heart. It will help to develop your muscles and joints.