A Low-Calorie Diet May Not Work - Know How it Will Be Effective For You

Diets that are low in calories may not absolutely work for some. A person who weighs 247 pounds went on a liquid diet that contains around 900 calories a day. When he lost 55 pounds, he switched to a 1,200 calorie-weight watchers plan. However, after three and a half months, instead of losing weight, he added 36 pounds.

The scenario above was not uncommon. Many people share the same sentiment on their low-calorie diet. According to Dr. David Katz, this holds true for two reasons. First, the person may have adhered to low-calorie diet; however, without realizing it, he consumed extra calories from other food sources such as sauces, dressings and spreads. This is the most common trap for this type of diet. This is also one difference between low-calorie diets and liquid diets. In a liquid diet, there is only one source of a meal; whereas, in low-calorie diet, the options of foods are diverse.

The second possibility is that however small the 1200-calorie diet is, it may already be a great amount for your body to burn. And this is particularly true to people who have slow metabolism and are not living an active lifestyle. Also, genes play a factor in determining your metabolic rate. So that no matter how hard you try to accelerate your metabolism, if your genes do not permit it, then the efforts are futile. However, there are other diet approaches that are remotely effective in either increasing or decreasing the number of calories burned while not doing anything at all.

Time and again, diet experts emphasized the need for getting involved in activities that would allow the body to burn more nutrients for energy. By having faster metabolism, the body is effective in shedding off the excess weight. For people who have serious weight issues or thinking of shaping up, weight training and strength training are the effective approaches.