How not to Diet : Eating Sensibly for Healthy Weight Loss

When one loses weight by dieting drastically, it can be very harmful for the system. Here are some important advises for you on the best possible course and these tips also teaches you how not to diet.

Practicing sensible eating habits, losing weight and losing it for good sounds ideal. It is not very difficult either. All that is required is some common sense and a little reassurance that it works. However, a lot of people who try to lose weight go in for drastic dieting on one hand and then go in for binges. That is the worst kind which will do more harm than good.

High protein diets are those in which you eat protein almost exclusively. Very lean meats, chicken, fish, cottage and canned cheeses and eggs make up the bulk of such a diet. This diet is also called the water diet as you are required to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

You do see rather spectacular results from this diet, often during the first week or ten days. It can be quite effective for people who want to lose just a few pounds quickly.

However, this diet must be supplemented with vitamins, because this kind of limited eating doesn't provide you with all the nutrients you need. Also, an exclusively protein diet sets up certain chemical reactions in your body that can be dangerous, especially for people with diseases like diabetes. This diet is also boring and difficult to stay on as the food that you can eat is limited.

Generally, a high protein diet that excludes almost all carbohydrates and concentrates only on proteins should not be tried, unless your doctor recommends it and supervises you while you're on it.

These diets are called low or minimal carbohydrate diets because they encourage the dieter to eat protein and fats (as contrasted with high protein diets that don't allow you to eat fat), but almost no carbohydrates. You can eat fatty meats like steak, bacon, fish, poultry, eggs, and some dairy products. Putting yourself on one of these diets will automatically force you to eat fewer calories because carbohydrates are high calorie food. They are also food most readily turned into fatty tissue.

This kind of diet does reduce calorie intake and cause weight loss. It provides you with plenty of bodybuilding protein, plus some fats for energy.

However, with this kind of diet, one can experience a sharp drop in blood sugar with accompanying feeling of mental inefficiency, irritability and fatigue. A doctor's advice and supervision is essential. Also, carbohydrates cause the body to hold water. Thus, when you cut down on them, the body dumps a lot of water, resulting in a quick weight loss but, after a few weeks, the water loss isn't so dramatic and if you are not discouraged, you will lose weight - just more slowly.

This type of diet suggests you eat one type of food almost exclusively like grapefruit, bananas or ice cream. These diets are imbalanced and ineffective, except for the fast weight loss of an Initial few pounds. If prolonged, this diet can cause serious health problems. Mind you, if this diet works, it is only because you are tired of the food and so aren't eating much of it.

Fasting means not eating or eating almost nothing. It should never be attempted without medical supervision. This type of diet is very dangerous, so much so that you ultimately end up with so many problems that weight loss will seem small compensation. It is an extreme treatment and some doctors use it to treat very obese patients. However, even they modify this diet with dietary supplements.

Most doctors feel that the most successful diet is a well-balanced one, low in carbohydrates, high in proteins and limited in fats. The resultant weight loss is not as dramatic as in other type of diets, but is steady and your health isn't risked. This diet even changes your eating habits in the long run, causing you to eat more healthily and sensibly. Mind you, just dieting for serious weight loss is not enough. Exercises along with the good sense dieting is the best bet for you.