Just Sit There And Diet!

It’s amazing that the approach that most people take to weight management is still extreme dieting. Rather than moderate levels of calorie reduction coupled with increased levels of exercise (which will “burn” even more calories), many still feel that a “diet” is their method of choice. After all, it requires no physical effort and all one has to do is sit there. And many who “diet” will feel that they are being almost heroic by denying themselves the nutrients that will keep them healthy—or even alive. It’s sort of a psychological paradox with emphasis on the “phycho”. In addition, most individuals want to lose their excess weight right away—right now—TODAY, despite the fact that they may have been slowly gaining their excess poundage over a period of weeks, months or years. Sadly, there is little difference between this type of extreme dietary response and what is known as “fasting”. The body handles extreme caloric reduction and “fasting” (eating no food) in similar ways.

When the body adjusts to extreme dietary restriction, glycogen (a source of fuel for the body that is stored in the liver, converted to glucose and used by the muscles for energy) rapidly becomes depleted. This causes a cascade of events in the operation of the body not the least of which is a gradual (or even not so gradual) reduction in the performance of the nervous system. This can happen within a few days. The body cannot take the glycogen stored in the muscles since this glycogen is reserved by the body for use only by the muscles. And that great source of energy stored in the body and known as fat cannot be used since the body lacks the enzymes necessary to convert fat to glucose.

But the body CAN convert protein to glucose and, therefore, begins to “use” lean tissue (muscle) as a source of energy. This is why extreme diets fail in the long run because lean tissue is a major source of calorie EXPENDITURE (the more lean tissue, the more calories burned). By losing lean tissue via the process described above, the calories normally “burned” or used by the muscles is reduced because there is less muscle (lean tissue) to be supported calorically. When the extreme diet is over—and they ALL fail eventually because they simply cannot be sustained over time—excess fat weight is regained at an even greater rate than before because there is now LESS calorie burning lean tissue (muscle mass). This is yet another reason why most, if not all, weight reduction programs that do not include regular exercise are doomed to failure and this is especially true if the “diet” is extreme in terms of daily caloric (nutritional?) intake. So keep caloric restriction to no more than 10% of previous levels (unless under medical supervision) and ALWAYS include regular exercise as part of the solution. If the weight loss is more than two pounds per week, chances are some of the weight loss is NOT fat but, rather, calorie burning lean tissue.

I’m Dr. Paul Kennedy and that’s the “Be Fit, Stay Fit” Topic of the Week. Good luck with YOUR program. I KNOW you can do it!

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