Why Restrictive and Unbalanced Diets Don't Work!

“There is no quick-fix for fat loss, optimal health, and longevity. If there were, I would have figured it out by now! But, the good news is that there is a way, and MY DIVA DIET can help you down that path.”

MY DIVA DIET is not interested in attacking any particular product or program by name. However, we do want to expose the truth about the $58 billion “health & fitness” industry (and rising). Many of the programs marketed today are basically gimmicks full of false promises, magic potions, and misleading propaganda. Most of these counter-productive systems result in yo-yo dieting and can be quite dangerous.

“No sensible diet will ever
compromise your physical or
mental health for the sake of
looking good.”

Our hope is that the next time another quick-fix diet system surfaces, you will know better than to believe the hype, or at least that you’ll think twice before you waste your time, money, and health.

Commonly used formulas for fat-loss diets:
Liquid Diets
• Most are low-calorie diets
• Less than 1000 daily calories translates to starvation
• Do you plan on living only on liquids for the rest of your life?

Low-Calorie Diets
• Any diet of less than 1000 daily calories will slow your metabolism and put you at a nutritional risk that could lead to health problems
• Reduced energy levels
• Decrease in water weight, not necessarily fat

High-protein, Low-carbohydrate, High-fat Diets
• Too much protein can put undue stress on your kidneys and other internal organs which could lead to health problems
• High amounts of calories from protein, if not used for their intended purpose, can convert to body fat
• Fat burns in the flame of a carbohydrate–thus you need carbs to help metabolize fat
• Carbohydrates are needed for energy and exercise
• Carbohydrates are necessary for brain function–without them you will inhibit your ability to concentrate, calculate, and coordinate, and your memory and moods will be affected
• High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets can put you into a state of ketosis, which is not healthy and can lead to loss of lean body mass
• Carbohydrates provide fiber, whereas fats and animal protein contain no fiber
• Low-carbohydrate diets often result in water loss, not fat loss
• High-fat intake converts easily to body fat and is unhealthy

Low-Protein, High-Carbohydrate, No-Fat Diets
• Protein is necessary for every cell in the body so a lack of protein can cause deficiencies and health problems
• Protein is needed for muscle growth, maintenance, and repair
• Excess carbohydrates can convert to body fat
• High carbohydrates can cause bloat and puffiness
• It is impossible to avoid dietary fats–fat is found in many foods naturally
• Some fat is necessary for health and vitality–too little fat can cause a deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids


“For a given nutrient, how much is too
much, just right, or too little each day?”

This question is where the real debate begins amongst fitness professionals and diet gurus. MY DIVA DIET has designed a simple chart of highs and lows for the average female. This chart is not intended for those with special circumstances, athletes, growing children, or pregnant or menopausal women.

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Paw Safe and Healthy
Dieting Ranges For Women *


Calories:
High: > 3,000 per day
Low: < 1,000 per day
Protein:
High > 150 grams per day
Low: < 60 grams per day
Carbs:
High: < 300 grams per day
Low : < 100 grams per day
Fat:
High: > 50 grams per day
Low: < 20 grams per day

One Meal per Day Diet
• Eating smaller meals throughout the day is important for utilizing calories more efficiently and creating a constant energy level; both are important in the overall fat-loss and better health equation • Eating one meal (or two) per day does not generate a steady blood glucose level • Eating one meal per day promotes over-eating especially if that one meal is eaten at night—starving all day causes you to eat everything in sight • Eating one meal per day promotes bad food choices because excessive hunger will cause you to be less selective with your food choices

One Type of Food Diet
• Too much of one type of food causes nutritional imbalances and deficiencies which can lead to health issues both short- and long-term
• All-fruit diets result in water-weight loss, not fat loss
• This type of diet can eventually lead to muscle loss, which is directly linked to your metabolism. Since more lean-body mass means a more active metabolic rate, you will lose fat more quickly by maintaining and/or increasing your LBM.

Processed, Packaged, and Man-Made Food Diet
• Nutritional value is reduced or eliminated when foods are altered from their natural state
• When you cut calories, you lose weight. However, if you only eat packaged, processed, and man-made foods, your weight-loss potential will be limited by food quality, and your health may be compromised
• Our bodies cannot properly metabolize most additives and preservatives
• Our goal is to lose fat, gain health, function and feel better, and live longer. Consuming unnatural foods is detrimental to this goal.

One Part of the Equation Diet
• Diet programs that tell you to JUST eat less, or eat better, or eat low glycemic foods, or eat only raw foods, or eat six meals per day, or just cut the sugar, or just exercise, etc. may be good ideas and very helpful to your goals of fat loss and better health– but they don’t give you the complete dieting picture.
• Providing only part of the diet equation is like presenting a puzzle with some of the pieces missing–will you ever complete the entire picture? NO!

“This is the bottom line on restrictive and unbalanced dieting, a.k.a quick-fix diets.”

#1 – Poor Health
Since most quick-fix diets restrict calories or do not allocate the proper nutrient ratio (protein,
carbohydrates, and fat), and even completely eliminate important vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they put you at a nutritional risk. This sets the stage for a number of health problems during your diet, in the immediate future, and further down the line.

#2 – Dehydration
Some quick-fix diets promote low-carbohydrate intake. However, most of the weight lost in this manner consists only of glycogen and water. Since the human body is over 60% water, this kind of diet may lead to dehydration. Dehydration can cause fatigue, crankiness, stiff joints, headaches, nausea, aches, electrolyte imbalances, and much more. Severe dehydration can cause seizures, coma, or even death. The other problem with water-weight loss is that women are deceived into believing that they’re losing fat. In reality, once carbohydrate intake resumes (even the good carbs) and the water weight is restored, women mistakenly believe they’ve regained all the “fat” they had lost on their diet programs.

#3 – LBM Reduction
Reduction in muscle mass is a common result of any type of low-calorie, low- carbohydrate, or starvation program. In fact, as muscle mass is lost, metabolism slows. A daily intake of less than 1000 calories is considered starvation, and the human body will automatically try to salvage body fat just for survival.

#4 – Decrease in Energy
When calories are restricted, especially carbohydrates, the body’s main source of energy is limited. This energy is needed for the body and the brain to function properly. Otherwise, you’ll begin to feel tired, cranky, and mentally slow. You also will not have the energy you need to be active and exercise. Calories do so much for your body–they provide energy, life, vitality, and so much more–why would you give that up?

#5 – Body Fat increases
• Any type of restrictive or unbalanced diet is a recipe for failure. The hype behind quick-fix diets is often unsubstantiated–they are based on gimmicks and full of false promises.
• Since most quick-fix diet programs offer ways to lose weight fast with no regard for health and safety, the results will always be questionable.
• After trying a quick-fix diet program, any attempt to resume normal, proper eating patterns often causes us to regain more weight than we lost.
• Regaining weight creates desperation, which often causes us to seek another quick-fix. This process eventually leads to chronic yo-yo dieting, which is a vicious, unhealthy, frustrating, expensive, and dangerous cycle.

The keys to fat loss, vibrant health, and longevity is a lifestyle of the PROPER DIET and exercise!
www.MyDivaDiet.com
Check out MY DIVA DIET's newest blog "notes from Super Diva". This gives up-to-date info on MY DIVA DIET; media, reviews, what others are saying, and more. Also more about the "diet villains" and occassional Diva Recipes–'FIT MEALS IN MINUTES"!