This fortnightly feature was published on October 4


A diet alone will never give you the expected results. To be effective , a diet should be coupled with some form of exercise, advises Anup Deb Nath

Dieting the right way

IN an attempt to lose weight, most of us rely on diets. Some prefer slightly restrictive, long-running diets while others like drastic, short-term diets.

A diet alone will never give you the expected results. To be effective , a diet should be coupled with some form of exercise. A diet will not necessarily work for you just because it did for your best friend. You will have to select one that you can stick to you also need to be aware of the pitfalls and benefits of each diet plan. Keeping a brief run-down on the nutrition and calorie content of different foods good for dieters is a must.

Dieting tips, if kept in mind, can help you reach your goal faster.

From a metabolic point of view, protein is digested more efficiently in the earlier part of the day. Try to eat eggs, fish and cheese early in the day, if possible.

Try to keep your glycogen levels up. This will not only make you feel better and more energetic but actually represent far more in terms of actual weight lost. If you lose 1 kg of glycogen, you will lose 4 kg overall because you will also lose 3 kg of water. This equals about 4,000 calories. The weight thus lost can easily be regained over a weekend of overeating. On the reverse side, if you lose 4 kg of fat, though the scales will register an identical loss it will add up to 28,000 calories. This weight is difficult to regain for several weeks even with overeating.

Studies have shown that weight lost by dieting alone, without any form of exercise, will be lean tissue or muscle and not fat. This proportion rises with the severity of the diet and almost half the weight thus lost is lean tissue. Ideally you should select a strategy whereby you lose as near as 100 per cent fat and keep (or even add to) the muscle. This is possible with a nutritious, well-regulated diet and ample activity. Both of these should be sustained while losing weight as well as afterwards.

Severe diets may show a weight loss while they are in progress. Once they are over and willpower fails, binge eating results. This can make you put on much more weight than you lost in the first place.

Cut down on your salt intake. This will help in cutting down on water retention and give you health benefits as well. Excess salt intake can lead to high blood pressure, a major contributory factor to coronary heart diseases. Cellulite is also said to lessen with reduced salt in the diet.

Under-nutrition can lead to overeating. If all you eat in the day is junk food, then you may have to eat as much as 1,000 calories or even more over the basic 1,600 calories just to give your body the primary nutrients it needs. Hunger is influenced by the quality as well as the quantity of food we eat. If the quality of what you eat is inadequate then the body will continue sending messages of hunger until the shortfall is made up.

Diets should not only mean eating less in quantity but eating well while you do so. A good diet is one that keeps your interest up and boredom away. This type of diet has the best chances of lasting as well as succeeding.

Dieting when taken to an extreme, becomes fasting. Fasting, it is believed, helps in clearing the mind as well as cleansing the system. It is certainly not recommended as a long-term strategy. During a fast, almost 65 per cent of the weight lost is lean tissue, and not fat. In fasting some weight gain is inevitable once the fast is broken. Prolonged fasting can lead to protein, mineral and vitamin deficiencies as well as severe health disorders.

Juice diets are very popular with many dieters. This, undoubtedly, helps you to lose a great amount of retained water and fluid in the body. Unfortunately along with this you tend to lose other important minerals, potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Try to select a short-term, well-balanced juice diet that helps to avoids this loss.

Diets which consist of 750 calories or less, in a day rarely work. The glycogen levels in the body drop so low that the lost weight is regained almost immediately. Which is why people who go on crash diets (or even fast), eat as little as 1,000 calories a day, find they are regaining weight.

When you diet one of the first things cut off is fat such as butter and oil etc. As vitamin A is largely found in these, it is best to increase your intake of carrots, oranges and spinach which will help in replenishing the lost vitamin A in the body.

Some good foods for those on a diet are:

Lentils or the good old dal is one of the best foods for those on a diet. They not only provide you with proteins, carbohydrates and iron but are fat-free as well.

Beans, an excellent source of fibre and high protein, as well as folic acid, keep cholesterol levels under control.

Carrots are a rich source of beta-carotene. Corn, high in fibre, is almost zero in fat. Potatoes contain twice as much potassium as a banana, as well as vitamin C and iron are great ways to keep your body nutritionally fit while you diet.

Among the fruits there is papaya, which is great for those on a diet. It gives you potassium, vitamin C as well as beta-carotene. Straw-berries, a great source of vitamin C and beta-carotene, and bananas the richest source of potassium, help to keep your muscles from going into cramps. Take care to see that your diet is nutritious and well-balanced.