An Overview on Dieting

The practice of dieting or the regulation of food content has always been the means to achieve a certain body weight or type, whether it is to be slim, healthy or bulk up. Needless to say, there are a countless number of diets out in the market, all promising drastic and life changing results! However, it must be noted that while one diet may work for one individual, it may have fruitless results for another, owing to variations in metabolism, health and lifestyle.
To reduce body weight, many weight loss diets call for the reduction of the intake of food, or of certain food types-unfortunately, most people find it difficult to maintain such diets over long stretches of time. These diets normally begin with extreme cut backs of calorie intake coupled by rigorous boosts in physical activity. In fact, there is much opinion that losing weight rapidly, not only prevents one from losing more weight over time, but makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the shed weight, and in fact contributes to further weight gain in the long run!
Not all diets are designed for weight reduction however- many athletes are encouraged to ‘beef up’ to increase their power through a higher mass so that they may gain an advantage on the sports field. These diets are often accompanied by severe workouts to convert those new calories into productive muscle mass.
Further, individuals who have suffered illnesses that have caused life-threatening weight loss are often put on weight-gain diets to restore standard levels of muscle, body fat and nutrients required for crucial and regular bodily functions.
Unless a child is diagnosed as clinically obese and as such authorized by a doctor to embark on a weight losing diet, it is essential that the growing child receives nourishing and adequate nutrition, which is essential in the vital process of cell building during the child’s formative years. A well-balanced diet not only ensures an active lifestyle, but promotes a healthy body image, catering to both the child’s physical and mental well-being.
Regardless of age however, the body requires energy to lose weight- which invariable means that we need some fat to lose a lot of fat! It is imperative that this basic concept is understood to battle the cultural obsession with being thin- an obsession that has resulted in the onslaught of debilitating diseases like anorexia, nervosa and bulimia. Prolonged fasting can pose extremely dangerous due to the effects of malnutrition and should only be practiced under expert medical guidance. Rapid weight loss can result in fatigue, depression, a reduction in sex drive, muscle atrophy seizures, and even in extreme cases- death. Consequently, what should always be the primary goal of a health- conscious individual is proper fitness and balanced nutrition rather than a myopic focus on weight loss through calorie restriction via dieting.