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THE WOES OF DIETING
Millions of Americans are either on a diet or
will start one at some point in their life. Weight loss and health are the
primary motivators. And for every person on a diet there’s a scam, a magical
weight loss pill, an exercise gizmo, or an attractive new membership offer
at a weight loss center. Let’s peruse some of the issues that dieters must
face.
First and foremost it must be understood that
no diet in the world will create sustained weight loss without exercise.
Your body has a built in survival mechanism. When you diet, the drop in
calories creates signals to the brain. Your brain does not know that you
want to fit into that new bikini by summer. It thinks you’re starving to
death. To combat this, it lowers your metabolic rate so calories are
expended at a reduced pace. That is why after the initial weight loss in any
diet, (which is mostly water), your body hits this wall where continued
weight reduction is difficult and incremental at best. To counter this
biological reaction you need to maintain an increase in your metabolic rate.
Hence, exercise.
Second, be leery of diets that eliminate or
almost eliminate one of the three key nutritive substances of food, namely
carbohydrates, protein and fat. Your body needs all three, (yes, even small
amounts of fat), to function normally. Eliminate any one and you will
develop metabolic problems and even illness. “No carb” and “No protein”
diets are dangerous fads not based in orthodox science. They are aimed at
depleting your finances more than your girth. Weight loss is facilitated by
calorie reduction, not nutrient depletion.
Third, it would be advisable to take a
multivitamin, especially if you plan to diet. Even unrestrained eaters do
not consume perfect combinations of foods that ensure the intake of every
single nutrient. For dieters this task is even more arduous. Moreover, if
your nutrient requirements are assured by a daily supplement, than you are
at liberty to make food selections based on calories, without the added
criteria of vitamin content.
Weight reduction pills are limited in their
effectiveness and very often dangerous to your body. Most contain
amphetamines, i.e., drugs that speed up your metabolism. They increase the
rate at which you burn calories and reduce the appetite. But, you can
develop a tolerance to these medications and also cause collateral damage to
your internal organs. Like most short cuts in life, diet pills come with
hidden costs and don’t produce long term results.
The bottom line is this. Losing weight and
keeping the weight off means a continual process of curtailing calories
while simultaneously maintaining a sufficient activity level. It’s not so
much the foods you eat per se, but the overall number of calories you are
taking in vs. the number you are burning. You could eat nothing but
vegetables but if you were consuming more calories than you were expending,
you would gain weight.
Nevertheless, most dieters seek to reduce
their consumption of fatty foods. Fat is the nemesis because it has the
highest calories per gram of the three main substances in food. While
carbohydrates and protein contain four calories per gram, fat contains a
whopping nine. The problem is fat is what makes many foods taste good and
avoiding it renders dieting so depriving and difficult. It’s a cruel and
ironic twist of fate that the very substance that makes food taste juicy and
delicious can also be so malevolent. Every good thing comes at a cost.
Alcohol by the way contains seven calories
per gram. But I wouldn’t be in a rush to forgo that glass of Bordeaux with
dinner. There is a mountain of evidence to show that moderate alcohol intake
reduces cholesterol and has other health benefits. Moderate means no more
than one or two drinks at a time. Go beyond that and the benefits of alcohol
backfire. Skip the extra pat of butter and enjoy one glass of vino instead.
(One tablespoon of butter has 100 calories and 11 grams of fat. One
five-ounce glass of wine has approximately 120 calories and no fat).
Returning to the fat problem, the issue
becomes twofold: 1) avoiding excess fat and 2) discovering alternative means
to replace the lost flavor. Avoiding excess fat can be achieved by:
• Switching to more lean meats such as fish,
turkey/chicken breast, and pork. (Because of modern animal husbandry pork
contains far less fat than it used to).
• Trimming as much fat and/or skin from the meat that you do consume.
• Use olive oil in place of saturated fats like butter. Remember, not all
fats are created equal. Polyunsaturated fats like vegetable oil, and
monosaturated fats like olive oil, although still containing nine calories
per gram, also provide health benefits. They have been shown to lower bad
cholesterol and olive oil in particular has been implicated in reducing
cancer risk and improving blood pressure.
• When a recipe calls for a dairy product high in fat, switch to the next
lower alternative. Heavy cream contains 36 – 40% fat, light cream 18 – 30%,
half and half 10.5%, milk 4%, low fat milk 1-2%, and skim milk between .1
and .2%
• Use tuna packed in water instead of oil.
• Avoid bottled salad dressings. Make your own at home. The traditional
vinaigrette calls for a 3-1 ratio of oil to vinegar. But nothing says you
can’t drop it to 2-1. You’ll still get good flavor with less fat.
• The next time you make eggs, have two egg whites and only one yolk. Most
of the fat in an egg is in the yolk. The white is a very low calorie source
of good protein.
• You can also make homemade pasta without the egg yolks. In certain
sections of Italy pasta is kneaded from flour and egg whites.
• Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwich.
• Use low-fat versions of yogurt, cheese, milk, chicken broth, etc.
• Try switching to black coffee instead of cream and sugar. For that matter,
try lemon in your tea instead of milk.
• In general, avoid processed food. Although less convenient, you have far
more control over foods made from scratch than ones in a box or a can.
Here are some tips for adding flavor in place
of fat to food:
• Use fresh herbs and spices.
• Use hot peppers.
• Use vegetable broth in place of chicken or beef broth.
• Try lemon with herbs and seasonings on vegetables instead of butter.
• Use more aromatic vegetables like onions and garlic.
• Employ cooking methods that do not require added fat. Thus, instead of
sautéing, pan-frying, or deep-frying, substitute steaming, boiling, roasting
or baking wherever possible. Here’s one good example. Instead of breading
that chicken breast and cooking it in oil, rub the outside with lemon or
Dijon mustard. Then sprinkle it with your favorite herbs, salt, and pepper.
Bake it at 375 and you will produce a delicious no-fat exterior, especially
if you remove the skin.
• You don’t need oil to marinate foods. Use Worcestershire sauce, mustard,
vinegar, vegetable broth, soy sauce, citrus juices or hot pepper sauces.
• Learn to make vegetable purees and use them as a sauce or condiment.
• Switch to fresh fruit with low fat yogurt for a delicious, healthy
dessert.
In closing it is important to remember that
many individuals will need to watch their diet and exercise indefinitely.
Biochemistry varies from person to person. Many people are naturally heavier
because of their metabolism, not because they are lazy or chronically
overeat. For these poor souls it is a lifelong struggle.
Moreover, there are countless people who are
not obese, yet wish to weigh less than their natural body equilibrium. They
too will have a never ending battle counting the calories and visiting the
treadmill. And that is what is at the heart of sustained weight reduction:
mustering up the diligence and the fortitude to make dieting and exercise an
inherent part of your life.
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