Is dieting an ineffective way to lose weight?

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  Harlene Flores
  Aug 28, 2011

  The key to losing weight is to ensure that your body uses more calories than what you ingest. Eating less or dieting can be an effective way to shed excess fat IF the total physical activity of your body enables you to burn more calories resulting to a deficit of calories. For example, you ingest a total of 1800 calories a day and you decided to diet and target only 1300 calories. Let's say that your normal physical activity burns about 1500 calories. This results to a deficit of 200 calories which may result to some weight loss. According to experts a deficit of 500 calories will result to a significant weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week. So no matter the type of diet that you choose, the important thing to consider is if it helps to cut back on the calories so that your body burns more than what it takes in.

  One thing where dieting can go bad is when dieters cut back on the calories too much as in the case with crash diets. The body needs essential nutrients that you may not be able to get when you follow a diet that leads you to eat too little. A minimum intake per day of 1,200 calories is recommended to be followed, preferably from foods such as lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, low-calorie foods, lean protein, soy products, fish, etc. Lastly, exercise is best coupled with dieting to ensure the body burns more calories.

  http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/loseweight.htm http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely