I believe that calories are the first thing people take into action when they begin their fitness plans. Many people think that "starving" themselves is the best way to lose weight.
Flaws with low calorie diets:
What people dont realize is that doing this puts your body into what is called starvation mode where your metabolism slows enormously. It is also extremely difficult to workout. I remember plenty of times when exercise felt impossible because i was too low on food. But on the other side, even more times when i felt slugish from eating too much.
I believe that you should eat enough that you dont feel slugish when you work, but that the meals are fitting to your diet. Never fast or processed food!
Which diet is the best?
There is none. You see ads everywhere for the best diets and wonder, which one is the RIGHT one? The reality is, for the most part, they all have an element of truth. find one and stick to it. It all depends on your body type. I will say this though. If you are a runner or extreme "cardio-holic", lay off the low carb. Good garbs in pastas, breads, ect. are a solid base of energy that lasts a long time. If you are a lifter, obviously, you need protein. Lay off low cal or vegan type diets. Read lower too see what some experts say about calorie counting.
Very Low-Calorie Diets (VLCD) Article from
Very low-calorie diets slow down metabolism.
If you don't eat enough your body will hold on to what little food you give it. This will make losing weight difficult, and increase your risk of gallstones and gout.
Very low calorie diets often make you feel hungry and deprived, thus causing you to quit dieting and binge.
Research shows that a diet of 1,000 calories or less used over several months results in a percentage of water and muscle loss rather than just fat loss.
It is not a good idea to reduce your calorie intake to less than 1,250 a day, or follow any kind of low calorie diet plan without first consulting your doctor.
Diet Advice
For healthy sustained weight loss, choose a diet that follows the Food Pyramid Guidelines and offers diet support, exercise advice and weight loss motivation.
My take again, Are there any positive results to a low calorie diet?
I suppose. I have seen it work, but results are very short term and usually comes back to bite you in the butt when you cant maintain it. At the same time, the diet does produce fast results, but at the end of the day it's always better to be smart. Eat Smart. Workout. The only true way to lose weight.
