Weight Control Summary

Phoenix Fitness Hamilton, Fitness Consultant Leslie  says “don’t diet”… There are several disadvantages of severe calorie-restricted diets, including a loss of lean body tissue, possible malnutrition, metabolic disorders and a general feeling of fatigue.  High fat diets are very dangerous because they may result in malnutrition, and also because they reduce muscle mass.  Research on high protein diets has shown that they are not effective in reducing body fat and weight.  Excessive protein in the diet may upset water balance in the body.

One well-documented change that occurs during weight loss through dieting is the sustained reduction in resting metabolic rate.  Repeated cycles of weight loss and weight gain cause the body to increase its ability to conserve energy by slowing metabolism.  This ultimately leads to a greater difficulty in losing weight on future diets, and makes it easier to regain any weight that is lost.  This is the so-called yo-yo effect.  One explanation for the yo-yo effect is that when obese people lose weight, their fat cells actually become more efficient at storing fat.  This research supports the setpoint theory and explains the great difficulty obese people encounter in keeping the weight off without regular exercise.

In conclusion, the most effective and practical way to lower the setpoint and lower body fat is through a combination of regulare exercise, eating a diet without excessive calories that is high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat and sugar, and eating frequent, smaller meals, especially before mid-afternoon.  In light of the effects of proper food management on the body’s setpoint, it is not enough to be aware of  the total number of calories you eat:  the source of those calories and time of day when they are eaten is equally improtant.   Thus, a  “diet” should not be used as a method of achieving rapid weight loss, but rather as a permanent change in eating habits to ensure peoper weight management over an entire lifetime.

I invite you to book a complimentary Nutrition Consultation with me.  Call (905) 577-0626 or book with the front desk.

Leslie Wade