Maintaining a perfect body image has become a new fad among today’s generation. To look good and attractive and also physically fit has almost become a need not only socially but also owing to its health benefits. Now every doctor recommends their patient to be physically active until his or her health does not permit that. Dieting, slimming, weight loss, are all the different terms leading to one common goal and that is a physically fit body. To achieve this one needs to follow a healthy diet and a lifestyle consisting of lots of physical activity. The practice of restraining oneself from certain food categories is termed as dieting. In most cases dieting is used in combination with physical exercises to lose weight or to maintain a stable body weight.
Diets to encourage weight loss are normally categorized into 4 types- low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie, and very low calorie.
Low-fat diets are basically reducing the percentage of fat in one’s diet. Calorie consumption is reduced as less fat is consumed. Diets of this type include NCEP Step I and II. A meta-analysis of 16 trials of 2–12 months’ duration discovered that low-fat diets led to an average weight loss of 3.2 kg over regular eating.
Low carbohydrate diets like Atkins and Protein Power are comparatively high in protein. Low-carbohydrate diets may be ketogenic that is they restrict carbohydrate intake amply to cause ketosis.
Low-calorie diets generally produce an energy deficit of 500–1,000 calories per day, which may lead to a 0.5 kilogram (1.1 lb) to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) weight loss per week. Some of the most frequently used low-calorie diets include DASH diet, Diet to go, and Weight Watchers. The National Institutes of Health examined 34 randomized controlled trials to establish the usefulness of low-calorie diets. They discovered that these diets decreased total body mass by 8% in the short term, over 3–12 months.
Very low calorie diets generate 200–800 calories per day, preserving protein intake but restricting calories from both fat and carbohydrates. They force the body to starve and produce an average weekly weight loss of 1.5–2.5 kilograms. Diets of this type follow a cycle in which only 200 calories are consumed the first day, 400 the second day, 600 the third day, 800 the fourth day, 1,000 the fifth day, and so on and then the cycle repeats. These diets are not advisable for general use as they are associated with unfavorable side effects such as loss of lean muscle mass, increased risks of gout, and electrolyte imbalances. People trying these diets must be watched closely by a physician to avoid complications.
Detox diets claim to get rid of unwanted toxins from the body and may not cause weight loss. Most of these Many of these contain herbs and other homeopathic remedies, like dandelion root and celery and other juicy low calorie vegetables.
Loss of fat, water and muscle in the body leads to weight loss. People facing obesity problems generally focus on reducing the amount of body fat. Reducing even 10% body fat can lead to slimming and thus have a drastic impact on a person’s body shape.