Nutrition Notes
The Truth about Diets
Meg Burnham, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN
We live in a society bombarded by messages about dieting. From your co-workers to your gym buddy, it seems everyone is trying a new way to lose weight. The truth is simple, in order to lose weight, you must consume fewer calories from food while increasing the amount and intensity of your activity.
No one diet or weight loss method is right for everyone. The key is to choose a method that is safe, fits into your lifestyle, avoids rigidity, and promotes healthy eating habits that you can maintain for life.
Steer clear of diets, pills, and products that seem too good to be true or make the following claims:
- Rapid Weight Loss – Healthy plans aim for a loss of no more than ½ pound to 1 pound per week. If you lose weight quickly, you’ll lose muscle, bone and water. You also will be more likely to regain the pounds quickly afterwards.
- Rigidity – Ditch diets that allow unlimited quantities of any food, such as grapefruit and cabbage soup. Avoid any diet that eliminates or severely restricts entire food groups, such as carbohydrates.
- Specific Food Combinations – There is no evidence that combining certain foods or eating foods at specific times of day will help with weight loss. Eating the “wrong” combinations of food doesn’t cause them to turn to fat immediately or to produce toxins in your intestines, as some plans claim.
- No Need to Exercise – Plans that state there is no need to exercise or restrict exercise increase your risk of losing muscle mass, decreasing your body’s ability to burn calories. There is no avoiding it, you need to exercise.
Want more nutrition information? Call (815) 444-2900 to speak with one of our Registered Dietitians today!
Why Choose Us?
Health Bridge Fitness Center exists to make a difference in people’s lives. As an affiliate of Centegra Health System, our goal is to provide an educated approach to the fitness, health and well being of the community we serve.
