March 29, 2024
Obesity

Dieting for weight loss : An Unhealthy practice

  • August 24, 2010
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Dieting for weight loss : An Unhealthy practice

Dieting and Weightloss: A vicious Cycle?

Body normally stores Reserve energy in form of fat, and utilizes it in time of starvation or hunger. Fat in fact is a good friend of human that can be worst foe as well. Obesity is one of the most concerning problem in the developed countries. Obesity itself is a social embarrassment, but above that it is the etiology to many problems in the future. The Body mass Index or BMI grading can be used to measure how fit you are. Calculate your BMI here.

In a program on Discovery channel, topic was “Obesity”, I found it rather informative and a way to raise public awareness about the possible consequence of Obesity. It also emphasized on  “ Dieting an Unhealthy way for weight loss”. As we generally think, the body loses fat after a fasting or Dieting, which is true but not completely, as body is prone to gain more weight.

The story about an Ex-Sumo Wrestler struggling to lose weight in his thirties was touching. How Obesity could affect your day to day living was shown through his story. He weighed more than 650 pound, which was like carrying 2 person with him all the time. That lead to the erosion of cartilage of his knee joint leading to a condition called Osteoarthritis. About 20 million American are living with osteoarthritis today, so I don’t think it is a new topic in USA. He fears he won’t make to the next decade if he doesn’t do something soon to lose his weight. He is under diet control and exercise. Losing 30 pounds was a light of Hope for him, but he needs to lose 300 pounds more to get to his target. He has Type 2 Diabetes and he’s under constant threat of many fatal diseases.

The ultimate decision he has to make, go through Bariaticsurgery “ A process where stomach size is reduced and part of intestine is bypassed’. It could drastically reduce weight but is not free from severe side effects. He thinks he won’t make it through the surgery so he denies undergoing surgery. It was in fact a touching story that left me thinking, he should have undergone the surgery, looking at the results of few other similar patients.

Female store fat in different parts of the body. Men store most of the fat inside their abdomen, surrounding the vital organs, Liver, Adrenals, and Intestine etc. This affects the endocrinal system in Men. Such type of Obesity is more prone to predispose Diabetes Type II. Obesity in men is more fatal than that in Women.

People undergo dieting as a therapy to lose weight. Body has tendency to maintain certain amount of fat as static reserve. When person is dieting, the body considers the stage of fasting as starvation. After the fasting, the body tends to restore the used fat. Moreover body takes extra precaution and keeps the static reserve of fat at a higher level than before.  So next time the person feels immense hunger and the food taken subsequently results in more storage of fat and weight gain. Person who periodically undergoes dieting, can ultimately fall into a vicious cycle of dieting and weight gain. So dieting is not at all a healthy way of weight loss. 

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4 Comments

  • I had watched the episode in Discovery as well.
    It actually showed 4 people with obesity.
    Nice article anyways

    • Thanks Alberto,
      I actually chose to write on the one who refused to undergo Bariatic surgery.
      I should be mentioning that Bariatic surgery is only for extreme cases of Obesity.

  • After having 3 babies, I have had my share of weight issues. When I finally decided to lose the weight, I just kept track of my calories and dropped the 50 lbs and have managed to keep it off. People are always asking what trick or special diet I used and seem disappointed when I tell them I just paid attention to calories. So simple and free, as there are many online calorie calculators and most restaurants post the calorie content of their food online.

    • Right Kate,
      Best way to lose weight is watch what you eat and exercise regularly.
      Slow but certain, people will realise this.
      Good that you chose right way.

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