Weight Loss: Are You Eating Enough?

by Catherine Ipcizade | More from this Blogger

12 Oct 2006 03:53 PM

So you want to lose weight, huh? Have you tried every "diet" imaginable only to wait and wait for the scale to go down? Do you give up after a few days or a week simply because you're so hungry you can't stand it anymore? If so, you might be surprised to learn that a major reason diets fail is because people don't eat enough.

It's true. And it actually makes sense. Think about it-most people sadly don't start diets with the healthiest mind frame. Perhaps they begin in a frenzy, desperate to lose a little or a lot of weight. Perhaps they've researched diets, had a little success then have suddenly seen the scale stall like flat tire on the highway.

Either one of these can cause dieters to head face-first into a diet disaster. Say for instance you sign up for a prepackaged meal plan; the kind where you eat their food for the first part (or all) of your weight loss program. But you soon find that buying additional fruits, veggies, and rolls isn't convenient. Besides, you rationalize, if you don't eat the added "stuff" you'll lose more weight, right? Or maybe you're diving into a liquid diet, but you decide to forgo the added snacks the plan recommends. Both of these scenarios could lead to health problems and a stall in weight loss.

Most diet plans for women are structured to give us a daily calorie allotment of 1,200 to 1,500 calories. However, if dieters skip the additional foods (ex. snacks, etc.) outlined in the diet plan, they may not be getting enough calories. At first they may lose weight, but eventually, their bodies will feel as though they are being starved and weight loss will stall indefinitely.

Unfortunately, this stall often leads dieters to further reduce their calories, thus making the situation even worse.

Whether you're trying out a commercial weight loss plan or are opting to go it alone, make sure you're getting enough calories to sustain your body's needs. When in doubt, ask a doctor how many calories you should be having per day. Healthy weight loss takes efforts. But in the end, the results are well worth it.

Learn more about Catherine Ipcizade

Cathy Ipcizade is 30 years old and currently resides in Southern California. Prior to coming to California she grew up in Arizona.

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