Quick fixes for weight loss are everpresent in our economy. It should be noted, of course, that if any of these things really worked, we wouldn't have 2/3 of our populaton being overweight. I read a good line somewhere after the Atkins craze started dying down: "If Atkins really worked, there would be a bunch of skinny people walking around the mall."
The human body represents millions of years of evolution; built in are a variety of physiological measures to make sure it survives. Unfortunately, trying to lose weight goes against the grain of some of these mechanisms.
When someone engages in long-term calorie restriction (a diet), the body - imagining a declining food supply - will slow its metabolic rate. Over time, the body works to readjust its fat stores close to the original levels. This process takes longer than people think. For example, let's say a person goes on a diet for three months and loses some weight. Over the next nine months or longer, the body will slow its metabolism and the person will slowly gain weight. After a year, very little weight has been lost.
This is why researchers shouldn't even bother studying short-term diets. Low-carb diets, low-fat diets, high-protein diets - they will all show some weight loss over a couple of months, yet none will show signficant weight loss over the course of a year. This recent study demonstrates this fact: no matter which diet people were on, the weight loss after a year was the same - about 5 pounds.
Exercise is the number one factor in detemining your weight. However, most people underestimate how much exercise is necessary to lose weight. In the next few days, I will post about what research studies have shown in regards to the level of exercise needed for weight loss.
