WHY DIETING CAN ACTUALLY MAKE YOU FATTER
You can now see the great irony in the weight-loss world today: Dieting can
actually make you fatter in the long term. Because most of the best-selling
popular diets today promote very low calories and ignore proper training, they’re
actually causing the very problem they claim to cure.
Let’s see how these biological and psychological responses to extreme diets
affect real-world results. Chris is a typical dieter with a goal of losing 20 pounds.
Before the Diet
200 pounds body weight
36 pounds (18 percent) body fat
164 pounds lean body mass
Like most people, Chris was told that the best way to lose body fat is to slash
calories, so he went on a 1,500-calorie-per-day diet (which is semi-starvation for
an active man of his size). In the first week he lost 5 pounds and was very happy,
even though he suspected a pound or two was water weight. The second week he
lost 4 pounds. In weeks three through six he lost 3 pounds per week for a grand
total of 21 pounds.
Chris now weighs 179 pounds and he lost weight steadily without hitting a
plateau (although the weight loss did slow down). Judging by the scale alone, he’s
reached his goal. If we look at the numbers more closely, however, we find that
he hasn’t been so successful after all.
After the Diet
179 pounds body weight
26.5 pounds (14.8 percent) body fat
152.5 pounds lean body mass
21 pounds weight loss
9.5 pounds fat loss
11.5 pounds lean body mass loss
By rating his results in terms of body composition instead of scale weight, it
becomes clear how Chris has failed. Fifty-five percent of his weight loss came
from lean body mass. The drop in lean body mass decreased his metabolism, so
he is now burning fewer calories each day than when he started. This has set him
up for a relapse.
Even if he doesn’t give in to hunger and binge, but simply goes back to the way
he used to eat, his body no longer burns calories as efficiently as before.
Therefore, the number of calories that used to maintain his weight now makes him gain weight. As the weeks pass, the weight slowly creeps back on until he
affect real-world results. Chris is a typical dieter with a goal of losing 20 pounds.
Before the Diet
200 pounds body weight
36 pounds (18 percent) body fat
164 pounds lean body mass
Like most people, Chris was told that the best way to lose body fat is to slash
calories, so he went on a 1,500-calorie-per-day diet (which is semi-starvation for
an active man of his size). In the first week he lost 5 pounds and was very happy,
even though he suspected a pound or two was water weight. The second week he
lost 4 pounds. In weeks three through six he lost 3 pounds per week for a grand
total of 21 pounds.
Chris now weighs 179 pounds and he lost weight steadily without hitting a
plateau (although the weight loss did slow down). Judging by the scale alone, he’s
reached his goal. If we look at the numbers more closely, however, we find that
he hasn’t been so successful after all.
After the Diet
179 pounds body weight
26.5 pounds (14.8 percent) body fat
152.5 pounds lean body mass
21 pounds weight loss
9.5 pounds fat loss
11.5 pounds lean body mass loss
By rating his results in terms of body composition instead of scale weight, it
becomes clear how Chris has failed. Fifty-five percent of his weight loss came
from lean body mass. The drop in lean body mass decreased his metabolism, so
he is now burning fewer calories each day than when he started. This has set him
up for a relapse.
Even if he doesn’t give in to hunger and binge, but simply goes back to the way
he used to eat, his body no longer burns calories as efficiently as before.
Therefore, the number of calories that used to maintain his weight now makes him gain weight. As the weeks pass, the weight slowly creeps back on until he
finally regains all the fat he lost.
Six Weeks After the Diet Ends
200 pounds body weight
41.1 pounds (20.5 percent) body fat
158.9 pounds lean body mass
Chris now weighs the same as when he started, with one difference: He has
less muscle, more fat, and a slower metabolic rate than when he began. He has
“damaged” his metabolism and it will now be harder to lose weight than before.
The same thing happens to women. The difference is that women have
naturally higher body fat levels, lower total body mass, lower calorie needs, and
different hormonal concerns. It’s not a stretch to say that fat loss is harder for
women than men, and women are more susceptible to metabolic damage than
men.
Six Weeks After the Diet Ends
200 pounds body weight
41.1 pounds (20.5 percent) body fat
158.9 pounds lean body mass
Chris now weighs the same as when he started, with one difference: He has
less muscle, more fat, and a slower metabolic rate than when he began. He has
“damaged” his metabolism and it will now be harder to lose weight than before.
The same thing happens to women. The difference is that women have
naturally higher body fat levels, lower total body mass, lower calorie needs, and
different hormonal concerns. It’s not a stretch to say that fat loss is harder for
women than men, and women are more susceptible to metabolic damage than
men.
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