Why Diets Make You Fatter — And What to Do About It via AlterNet
Stumbled upon this article yesterday. It pretty much sums up the current state of weight control science. TL;DR:
- Fad diets work. But most of the time, the weight goes back once you stop i.e. yo-yo dieting.
- Caloric restriction (eat less, exercise more) will make you lose weight. Duh. That’s why fad diets work: follow a regimen that takes away 3500 calories from your weekly calorie intake = lose one pound a week.
- “Eat less, exercise more” isn’t as simple as it seems. You have to take into account a lot of factors in order for you to manage your weight to healthy levels. (And yes, it’s not just about losing weight.)
So while stuff like Paleo Diets (gluten is evil!) might work, weight control (and personal fitness as a whole) is still very much trial and error. Don’t be excited about the latest fad, but at the same time, don’t be discouraged if the results don’t appear as fast as you expect it to show.
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Yoyo pic from XuliánConX via flickr
