Misconceptions of Diets and Weight Loss

A diet is the type of food habitually consumed by a person. Restricting and limiting certain foods can also be referred to as a diet. Diets are often pursued with a prior goal in mind, such as losing weight or maintaining a healthy body. As the global epidemic of lifestyle diseases continues to increase, people have become more aware and attempt to improve their health to prevent disease in the future. Many popular diets that claim to help with weight loss and overall health have surfaced in the past decade, such as the Atkins Diet, Low-Calorie Diet, Ketogenic Diet, and Vegan Diet. The Atkins Diet is a low carbohydrate diet in which the intake of carbohydrate-rich foods is decreased, so the body can begin to burn fat for energy through the process of ketosis (New Diet: After Atkins, What's Next?). A low-calorie diet consists of decreasing the daily calorie intake to promote weight loss. The article The Ketogenic Diet: A Detailed Beginner's Guide to Keto defines a Ketogenic diet as a low-carb, high-fat diet. Vegan diets are very strict and all foods derived from animals, including eggs and dairy, are excluded. Many misconceptions surround these popular diets which lead to their ineffectiveness.

Common misconceptions concerning weight loss include cutting out all carbohydrates leads to weight loss, eating an excessive amount of low-fat or no-fat foods will not result in weight gain, skipping breakfast leads to weight gain, and dietary supplements (Wax, Zieve, and Conway, 2018). One of the most important factors in weight loss is diet. Weight loss is the result of a caloric deficit, which means decreasing the number of calories consumed. People often turn to exercise for weight loss as well, because weight loss also occurs from burning more calories than your the number of calories needed to maintain a person's normal weight (which varies for each individual).As rates of obesity and lifestyle diseases increase globally and nationally, more people become aware of their health.for energy through a process called 'ketosis'. The Atkins Diet gained popularity and became a huge trend during late 1990's (New Diets: After Atkins, What's Next?). The Atkins Diet gives quick but transient results, therefore it is proven to be ineffective in the long run. People that give the Atkins Diet a try find that they lose weight very quickly, but it neglects many essential vitamins, an entire food group, and is very difficult to stick to. According to a food-trends expert, Dana McCauley, the Atkins Diet is not a meaningful weight loss and very hard on the body. A low-calorie diet is a diet in which the amount of calories eaten is decreased to promote weight loss. An extreme form of the low-calorie diet is called the 500 calorie diet, which restricts you from eating more than 500 calories each day. A low-calorie diet is needed to lose weight effectively; however, during the low-calorie diet, only nutritional foods should be consumed. When doing low-calorie diets, more than often meal replacements like proteins shakes and drinks are used to ensure the body gets proper nutrition. During a low-calorie diet, the biggest concerns are malnutrition and muscle loss.

An extremely low-calorie diet is difficult to stick to because of dieters often eat foods with dense calories and approach their maximum amount of calories early on in the day. In the ketogenic diet, the body is driven into the state of ketosis, where fat is used as a source of energy, which makes it similar to the Atkins Diet. The ketogenic diet differs from the Atkins diet because a ketogenic diet consists of a higher consumption of fat compared to Atkins. Ketogenic Diets are very controversial because they come with many long-term health benefits, but also have drawbacks like fatigue and dizziness. A diet that has gained a lot of popularity in the last couple of years is the Vegan Diet. Vegan Diets are very strict and do not allow you to eat any animal products. A proper vegan diet can be very helpful in losing excess weight and offers many for energy through a process called 'ketosis'. The Atkins Diet gained popularity and became a huge trend during late 1990's (New Diets: After Atkins, What's Next?). The Atkins Diet gives quick but transient results, therefore it is proven to be ineffective in the long run. People that give the Atkins Diet a try find that they lose weight very quickly, but it neglects many essential vitamins, an entire food group, and is very difficult to stick to. According to a food-trends expert, Dana McCauley, the Atkins Diet is not a meaningful weight loss and very hard on the body.

A low-calorie diet is a diet in which the amount of calories eaten is decreased to promote weight loss. An extreme form of the low-calorie diet is called the 500 calorie diet, which restricts you from eating more than 500 calories each day. A low-calorie diet is needed to lose weight effectively; however, during the low-calorie diet, only nutritional foods should be consumed. When doing low-calorie diets, more than often meal replacements like proteins shakes and drinks are used to ensure the body gets proper nutrition. During a low-calorie diet, the biggest concerns are malnutrition and muscle loss. An extremely low-calorie diet is difficult to stick to because of dieters often eat foods with dense calories and approach their maximum amount of calories early on in the day. In the ketogenic diet, the body is driven into the state of ketosis, where fat is used as a source of energy, which makes it similar to the Atkins Diet. The ketogenic diet differs from the Atkins diet because a ketogenic diet consists of a higher consumption of fat compared to Atkins. Ketogenic Diets are very controversial because they come with many long-term health benefits, but also have drawbacks like fatigue and dizziness. A diet that has gained a lot of popularity in the last couple of years is the Vegan Diet. Vegan Diets are very strict and do not allow you to eat any animal products. A proper vegan diet can be very helpful in losing excess weight and offers many health benefits. For many vegans that are dieting to lose weight, they do not diet properly. A proper vegan diet must include lots of fruits, vegetable, and plant protein. For many going vegan consists of eating different forms of unhealthy foods which fit under the vegan diet, and still expecting results.

Common Misconceptions

Losing weight and going on a diet has become a trend, in its own way. People who are new to diets or hoping for weight loss are willing to try anything they hear. Many turn to dietary supplements like over-the-counter weight loss pills, prescription, and non-prescription weight loss drugs, and products like FitTea. In many advertisements for dietary supplements, people with a drastic weight change are shown over a period of time after using their product. What is often kept from viewers is the strict diet and exercise routine they are put on to ensure the changes in weight (Mayo Clinic, 2018). According to Over-the-Counter Weight Loss Pills, a 2016 study of long-term trials of prescription drugs for treating obesity revealed that dietary supplements were only effective when major lifestyle changes were made. Dietary supplements are merely tools that may help with weight loss (Mayo Clinic, 2018).

Many people trying to lose weight make carbohydrates their enemy. It has become a very popular belief that carbohydrates lead to weight gain. The reality is that there are two types of carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Foods like cookies and candy contain simple carbs and lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber (Wax, 2018). Complex carbohydrates are found in foods like whole wheat bread, beans, and fruit. Simple carbohydrates contain lots of glucose and it is better to not consume such foods; however, complex carbohydrates do not harm Lifestyle diseases account for 31 million deaths (53%) of death and disabilities today globally. Lifestyle diseases include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. A study by The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation in 2011 revealed that 34.4% of women and 33.9% of men in Monterey County are considered obese. The obesity rates for women in Monterey County are 1.5% higher compared to women in California, and obesity rates for men in Monterey County are 4.5% higher compared to men in California. It is apparent that obesity rates are higher locally than statewide; however, people worldwide are beginning to attempt a healthier lifestyle to prevent lifestyle diseases. New dieters hoping to make quick changes to their body turn to the different products of the diet industry. The growing weight loss industry is comprised of various services, venues and products including the diet soda market, health clubs, commercial weight loss programs, pills, foods, and other products that claim to facilitate weight loss (Ethan & Basch, 2016). In the United States, 33 billion dollars are spent annually in the diet industry and 40% of the weight loss products advertised make misleading or false claims (Ethan & Bach, 2016).

Diets

Dieting plays a key role in losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle. There are many different types of diets; the most popular diets used to lose weight include Atkins Diet, Low-Calorie Diet, Ketogenic Diet, and a Vegan Diet. The Atkins Diet is a low carbohydrate diet in which the body loses weight quickly because a major food group is cut out of the daily diet. The philosophy behind Atkins is that by lowering the intake of foods, the body will begin to burn fat health benefits. For many vegans that are dieting to lose weight, they do not diet properly. A proper vegan diet must include lots of fruits, vegetable, and plant protein. For many going vegan consists of eating different forms of unhealthy foods which fit under the vegan diet, and still expecting results. Common Misconceptions Losing weight and going on a diet has become a trend, in its own way. People who are new to diets or hoping for weight loss are willing to try anything they hear. Many turn to dietary supplements like over-the-counter weight loss pills, prescription, and non-prescription weight loss drugs, and products like FitTea. In many advertisements for dietary supplements, people with a drastic weight change are shown over a period of time after using their product. What is often kept from viewers is the strict diet and exercise routine they are put on to ensure the changes in weight (Mayo Clinic, 2018). According to Over-the-Counter Weight Loss Pills, a 2016 study of long-term trials of prescription drugs for treating obesity revealed that dietary supplements were only effective when major lifestyle changes were made. Dietary supplements are merely tools that may help with weight loss (Mayo Clinic, 2018).

Many people trying to lose weight make carbohydrates their enemy. It has become a very popular belief that carbohydrates lead to weight gain. The reality is that there are two types of carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Foods like cookies and candy contain simple carbs and lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber (Wax, 2018). Complex carbohydrates are found in foods like whole wheat bread, beans, and fruit. Simple carbohydrates contain lots of glucose and it is better to not consume such foods; however, complex carbohydrates do not harm your body or interrupt weight loss when consumed wisely but contain essential nutrients that the human body needs to function properly (Wax, 2018). Many foods labeled low-fat or no-fat are easily misinterpreted into the belief that they do not cause weight gain. These foods may not contain a lot of or any fat, but the products are often high in sugars and calories. Consumers are caught up in the belief that the product will not increase their weight regardless of how much they eat, because it is low in fat (Wax, 2018).

In most cases, consumers will overeat and go above the number of calories they need to remain in a caloric deficit, thus leading to weight gain. Eating a healthy breakfast helps manage hunger and prevents someone from reaching for unhealthy foods throughout the rest of the day (Wax, 2018). A popular belief building off from that idea is skipping breakfast leads to weight gain. Although breakfast can prevent dieters from eating unhealthy later on in the day, there are no scientific studies supporting the idea that skipping breakfast lead directly to weight gain. ... skipping breakfast or dinner might help people lose weight, (Macmillan, 2017). Whether skipping breakfast promotes weight loss is controversial because although some studies suggest that it does, skipping breakfast may increase the chances of other health problems. When looking at this myth from the perspective of calories in-calories out, skipping breakfast will not lead to weight gain as long as dieters do not consume too many calories. Weight Loss To lose weight you must eat fewer calories than you burn (Rettner, 2015).

There are different ways of losing weight, what works varies from person to person. Generally, to lose weight and make sure you do not gain it back, lifestyle changes are necessary. Making lifestyle changes to lose weight may not feel the most effective from the start because the caloric intake is being decreased slowly, but it is the best method for keeping off weight long term. Most dieters want to lose weight quickly and attempt quick and fast weight loss diets and do get results, however, those results are transient because as soon as the diet is stopped all of or more weight is gained back in the long run. All of the experts emphasized one thing: A person's approach to weight loss should be on that is enjoyable and can be maintained over the long term (Rettner, 2015). Many weight loss diets tend to be short-lived because people are deprived of their favorite foods, which makes it difficult to keep up with (Rettner,2015).

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