It seems
that when it comes to losing weight people want a quick and easy solution, and
this is exactly what fad diets like The Atkins or Zone Diet present
to them. These diets give them a plain and simple answer. All the dieter needs
to do is restrict their intake of one or
more macro-nutrients such as carbohydrates or fat and they will be shedding
pounds in no time. These diet's call for a restriction of total caloric intake
and an increase or decrease of certain macro-nutrients. But
why is there a difference in where these calories are coming from
(carbohydrates, fats, or proteins)?
The answer,
according to recent studies is that there may be no difference at all.It had
been thought that cutting carbohydrates from ones diet could be
most efficient in causing weight loss but this is not something that
has been agreed upon by scientists and appears to be more of a myth created by
fad diets. In a study done by Pennington
Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge several hundred obese subjects were
assigned to four different diets each with differing combination of
macro-nutrient restriction. These diets all cut 750 calories a day. After the
completion of the study it
was conclusive that it made no difference to restrict carbohydrates, fats,
or protein. So this mean that when your aunt was on the low carb,
high protein Atkins Diet she could have just lowered her intake in carbs,
protein, or fat and still shedded the same weight as long as her caloric intake
went down.
This study
shed light on how simple it can be to lose weight without buying into intense
fad diets that are only a temporary fix. As long as an individual is dedicated and
monitors their caloric input and output, weight can be lost. When attempting to
lose weight here are some important things to remember:
1. Count
calories, but don’t over obsess (treat yourself once in a while)
2. Include
exercise as a part of your weight loss regimen
3. Don’t starve
yourself or skip meals
Find more great dieting tips here!
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