As a Registered Nurse, I am very concerned about the current diet
fashion, which encourages KETOSIS to achieve ideal and rapid weight loss. This is probably the biggest 'con' promoted by the diet industry.
Ketosis is a metabolic state that is unhealthy because there is an imbalance in the body. Due to the absence or lack of carbohydrates in the diet, the liver has no more glycogen available to provide your blood with glucose. Fat is broken down and used to supply energy to your body cells, but as a result of this unnatural process, ketones are created, and the body goes into starvation mode.
If you go for more than 24 hours without eating, your body will start producing ketones as a result of your fat stores being utilised. In theory, this sounds like the perfect solution to easy weight loss, but unfortunately it is not. This system is flawed and dangerous, as it causes damage to your body and your inner organs. There is also a high likelihood of rebound weight gain once the diet is over and you revert to your previous eating habits. Actually, statistics have shown that most people on ketogenic diets regain all the weight they've lost within six months to a year!
As I point out in my book, 'The Magic of Sensible Dieting', rapid weight loss is not only dangerous but also ineffective, especially in the long term. Ketosis results when the body does not receive enough nutrients that it can convert into energy needed to function properly. 'Good' carbohydrates are actually essential for enhanced health, energy and fat burning, as they allow you to build muscle, while enabling you to reach peak athletic performance. Low-carb, high-protein and high fat diets like the Atkins Diet and other similar diets, are based on the ketogenic technique and they do work - but only in the short term. On top of that, you lose a lot of water initially, which gives you the illusion of even more dramatic weight loss - due to your body being depleted in fluids and electrolytes, which can cause further problems.
Once your body enters ketosis, you also begin to lose muscle, which is bad news, as all your hard work at the gym will be for nothing. You can't build muscle without supplying your body with energy in the form of healthy carbohydrates. Developing your body's muscles helps boost your metabolism, so you can burn fat more easily. Eventually, you will become extremely fatigued, weak, irritable and depressed while on the ketogenic diet, which only works because it makes you sick. The problem is that once you enter starvation mode, it becomes even harder to lose weight, as your metabolism slows down and weight loss almost comes to a halt. This is how nature helps us survive food shortages and famines, which were frequent during our evolution as humans.
Ketosis can damage your heart, which is also a muscle. In the long term, ketogenic diets can lead to liver and kidney damage. Eating too much protein puts a lot of strain on your kidneys, and research has shown that it shortens your life span. By exceeding your daily protein needs every day, you will destroy your kidneys, while not necessarily becoming slimmer. The ketogenic diet is also bad for your liver, which is not only the main detoxification organ, but also the biggest energy burning organ in your body. If you liver suffers, your metabolism will be affected negatively. Another setback is the risk of osteoporosis when eating large amounts of protein, as this type of diet causes calcium to leach from your bones, leaving them brittle and prone to fractures, especially as you age.
In my book, I recommend that you include complex carbohydrates in your diet, to satisfy your hunger and energy requirements. Complex carbohydrates are the body's natural fuel and contrary to popular belief, they do not make you fat. They will help you slim down and retain a healthy body shape, as long as you stay clear of all sugars, including honey and other sugar substitutes. Stay away from white bread, white pasta and white rice. Most manufactured products like biscuits and cakes contain lots of white flour, refined sugar and transfats, so stay away from them. Stick with fresh fruit and vegetables instead, as well as whole grains, beans, lentils and brown rice. Healthy carbs are also rich in fibre, which is another advantage.
The 'keto' diet can do more harm than good, even though it seems promising at first glance, and most people like the idea of being able to eat as much protein and fat as they like, while losing weight at the same time. But there is a price to pay and the price is way too high!
I hope this article has helped you understand why these diets are not good for you. For a diet that works, you can purchase a copy of my book, available as a softcover or ebook - just click on the lick at the top left of my blog or google your favourite online book retailer, like Amazon or Book Depository.
With my best wishes for your success and wellbeing,
Bella
Diets fail for many different reasons, and one of them is hunger: an uncomfortable sensation that we humans are biologically designed to avoid. This complex process is regulated by numerous hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain. We get hungry for physiological reasons (when our body needs nourishment) and psychological reasons (e.g. stress or boredom). There is a difference between real 'stomach' hunger and so-called 'head' hunger, although drawing the line between the two is not always easy. Psychological reasons can influence physiology, like when you're in shock and cannot eat, even though your body needs energy. Regardless of the origin of your hunger, here are some proven strategies to help you beat this painful feeling and stay on track with weight loss:
1) Don't cut calories too low.
The stricter your diet, the more you will be likely to experience hunger, so it's important not to cut your food intake too low. This is the main reason why diets fail: because they are too restrictive. When we're not allowed to have something, we want it more, so it's also important not to eliminate certain foods completely. Anything in moderation can't do much harm, especially if you don't consume it regularly. The occasional treat won't ruin your diet, but consistently overindulging in ice cream for example will sabotage your efforts. Strict diets not only make you hungry, but your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows down, which means you'll burn less calories and lose weight more slowly.
2) Eat more complex carbohydrates.
Refined sugars are a no-no for obvious reasons, especially as they are followed by a surge of insulin followed by the inevitable 'crash' as your blood sugar suddenly drops and leaves you exhausted and ravenous. Slow carbohydrates like whole meal breads, whole meal pasta, brown rice, oats, quinoa, lentils and sweet potato are excellent for weight loss, as they don't have this effect. On the contrary, they give you sustained energy and make you feel full. They are 'low GI', which means they are broken down and absorbed slowly, keeping your blood sugar on an even keel. They also influence your mood positively as they have been linked to an increase in the brain of the feel-good neurotransmitter Serotonin.
3) Eat more fruit.
If your stomach rumbles and it's still a while before your next meal, have an apple, a pear, a banana or a cup of berries. This is often all you need to quell your hunger. I don't know how fruit got such a bad name when it's actually good for your health and very satisfying. The fructose contained in fruit works to refill liver glycogen, sending a signal to the brain, thus making you feel fuller. This is why people who include moderate amounts of fruit in their diet report feeling less hungry. This is an addition to the other benefits of fruit: fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants. Of course we are talking about whole fruit here - stay away from juices!
4) Eat more fibre.
Fibre is quite miraculous, and totally devoid of calories. It adds bulk to your food and makes you feel full, while lowering the GI of your meal. It delays stomach emptying, and you tend to feel satisfied for longer. By adding volume to your meal, fibre contributes to stretching your stomach, and the brain thinks you're full. How do you increase your fibre intake? Focus on soups, vegetable curries, stews and stir fries. Have lots of salads. Besides eating fruit and vegetables, it's essential to stick to unrefined products like whole meal cereals, breads and pasta. Remember to have pulses and legumes as they are 'nutritional powerhouses', and to add nuts and seeds to your meals.
5) Eat more fat.
Low-fat diets tend to leave people hungry. Fat contributes to lowering the GI of your meals, and like fibre it slows gastric emptying. Dietary fat helps you feel fuller for longer between meals, as you food sits in your stomach longer. Adding fat to your dishes also makes them more tasteful. Without fat, food often tastes like cardboard. Fat makes food more palatable, and thus more satisfying, which plays a big role as people tend to abandon diets that are tasteless. Avoid cooking or frying in fat though. Instead, add fat towards the end of your cooking, by drizzling olive oil or adding a bit of fresh butter to your dish. If you need to fry something, use coconut oil: it's the only oil that remains stable when heated. Most other oils, including vegetable oils, become toxic at high temperatures, as their structure is altered by heat. To add 'good' fats to your diet, it's a good idea to consume nuts in moderation. It has been proven that people who include nuts in their diet (about a handful a day) are less hungry than those who don't. Eating nuts also increases your life span.
6) Drink more water.
Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day helps reduce hunger pangs. Water makes you feel fuller. It stops you from eating large quantities if you consume it before a meal. Water works well in conjunction with fibre, which acts like a sponge, increasing the bulk of your food and stretching your stomach. Another reason for drinking more water is that thirst is often mistaken for hunger. You might feel hungry, when in reality you're simply dehydrated. Before grabbing something to eat, fill up on water. Make it a habit to carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go, and sip some water throughout the day to replenish your body cells. Water is great if you suffer from stress and headaches. Water not only helps keep hunger at bay, it also stimulates your metabolism and assists your kidney and liver. You liver is your major detoxification and energy-burning organ, and drinking water will help it work efficiently.
7) Exercise moderately.
Moderate exercise has been shown to stabilise blood sugar levels and regulate hunger pangs, especially if you do it on a regular basis. Exercise is a natural antidepressant. It lifts your mood, which is important, as you tend to eat more sugar and junk food when you feel low. When you feel better about yourself you also tend to stick to your diet, as you're more likely to take better care of yourself. Exercise can be relaxing and it takes your mind off your problems, while alleviating stress and boredom. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and motivates you to stay on track.
8) Avoid 'diet perfectionism'.
In my book 'The Magic of Sensible Dieting', I devote a whole chapter to this destructive mindset. Diet perfectionism is sure to make you fail, because it is impossible to be perfect all the time when you follow a weight loss programme. While you need to adhere to certain guidelines like eating a wholesome breakfast, avoid eating late at night and eating several small meals a day, you also need to have a flexible approach to dieting if you want to succeed. If you feel guilty and miserable just because you had a piece of chocolate cake, you might believe that your diet is ruined and eat the entire cake, and abandon your diet altogether. This type of rigid dieting is bound to fail. You will possibly put on more weight in the long term, rather than losing it.
The truth is that small deviations don't do much harm in the context of a long-term healthy eating approach. If you've dieted for the last five days and decide to have a handful of cookies, because you really fancy them, it won't do you much harm. But if you decide that you're a worthless piece of crap without willpower and eat another 1000 calories of cookies to punish yourself, you're turning this slight deviation into a big problem. Always include periods of 'free' eating (on the weekend for example) and include your favourite treats in your diet, without going overboard of course.
9) Welcome hunger instead of trying to avoid it at all cost.
Hunger is not as bad as it seems. Hunger means you're burning energy and shedding excess weight, which is what you want after all. To feel slightly hungry after a meal may also be a sign that you're getting used to eating smaller quantities and that your stomach is 'shrinking'. It takes time for your body to adjust to this new way of life. If you're used to eating a lot of junk food and switch to a diet based on fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, healthy carbs and lean protein, your body will be in shock for a while. Give yourself enough time to get used to being healthy! The body is a marvellous machine, and even if it has been abused for a long time, it longs to be healthy and to be looked after properly. Your body doesn't work against you. It works for you, but you need to give it a chance.
It can be good feel hungry sometimes. Before a meal, it means you need to replenish your energy stores. Hunger can be healthy, and to experience it shows that you're in tune with your body's signals. Overweight and obese people often forget what real stomach hunger feels like, due to overeating all the time, and they need to learn to identify true hunger signals, which are not the same as a desire to eat because something looks appetising. Make a decision not to be scared of hunger and welcome it instead. After all, there are a lot of healthy foods you can eat to satisfy your body's needs as well as your taste buds.
I would love to read your comments and suggestions on this article!
With love,
Bella
