Considering Health When Dieting
Dieting has long been a favored way to lose weight. Apart from exercising, it can be one of the healthiest ways to lose weight. However, there are diets that are only geared toward losing weight with no regard for the impact the diet has on the body. Dieting should always be undertaken with safety and effectiveness in mind. If the diet does not suit any exercise undertaken, the physical condition of the dieter and the dieter’s body type, it can have severe ramifications.
Caloric Intake
One of the main methods of losing weight via dieting is reduction of caloric intake. While reducing calories to lose weight is effective, the reduction should not be too great. The height, weight, age and exercise level of the individual must be taken into account before deciding on a caloric intake. The overall health of a person should also be taken into account. If there is an illness present that may be exacerbated by rapid loss of weight, it is prudent to speak to a physician before dieting. For individuals who are heavy, calorie intake should drop gradually. Use a calorie calculator or a doctor’s advice to decide the best calorie intake for safe weight loss.
Nutrients
When focusing on dieting, the focus should not only be on caloric intake. It should ideally be on what foods are being ingested. Unhealthy, fatty and sugary foods should be eliminated as much as possible. Not only do they contain a lot of calories, but they also undermine the health goals of a diet. Extra care should be taken to include grains, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and healthy meats into the diet as well. In cases where exercise is included in a weight loss plan, the body’s needs for that exercise should also be taken into account. Protein and calcium are just a few examples of such needs.
Water Intake
Another aspect of dieting that is important is water intake. Water is essential to healthy dieting and can also help an individual feel full when food intake is lowered. Water should ideally replace any liquid, unless the diet is a liquid diet containing drinks with lots of nutrients. Replacing other liquids with water helps ensure that calories ingested are from nutrient-rich foods. It also helps eliminate intake of unhealthy drinks like coffee and soda. This is not to say that one should intake more than the recommended amount of water, but rather that dieters should ensure that their water ingestion is not from drinks that contain sugar, calories and/or sodium.
Weight loss is something for which many people strive. However, it is not always necessary and should always be comfortable, safely gradual and healthy. This is crucial to maintaining a weight once the goal is reached. A diet is is very difficult for some so it is tempting to cut corners to reach goals faster. In the long run, this hurts the body, rendering the weight loss moot. If a diet results in being unhealthy, tired and underfed, the feelings it produces will make it even harder to stay on the diet as well.
