DANGER diets

As we are all going to be bombarded with the latest’ must do and will do everything for you’ diet here is a cautionary note. Although, not all diets are necessary bad for you any diet that promises rapid weight loss is probably best avoided. The problem is that the body likes gradual change so if you force it to lose weight quickly you lose some fat but also a lot of muscle tissue which holds a lot of water. Muscle is about 70% water so a lot of the initial weight loss is actually water leading to dehydration and lower performance. Muscle is easy to lose but hard to gain and partly controls your metabolism- the more muscle/tone you have the greater your metabolic rate. Diets that cause muscle loss will lower your metabolism over time which will lead to weight/fat gain. Some of the muscle loss can be slowed by the correct exercise and additional protein in the diet but over time your metabolism will slow. Diets, avoid them and lose weight slowly, which should be around one-two pounds per week for sustained weight loss- which you will keep off. Eat well with plenty of vegetables, fruit and good quality proteins and yes fats. Exercise at least 4 times a week and include resistance training. Sleep and recover well- for more information and a tailored individual programme let me know.

Kevin- 4 Jan 2011