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Can You Eat Too Little & Still Not Lose Weight?

Dieting is a multimillion dollar industry. There are too many diets to choose from, and not all are healthy. Americans have some of the worst eating habits. The American diet consists of a large portion of processed, and high in fat content foods. Eating too many of those foods will greatly inhibit your weight loss efforts. The key to losing weight is knowing what to eat, and how much to eat. A good place to start is with the food pyramid.

  1. Food Pyramid

    • The food pyramid consists of six groups. There are whole grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats and proteins, and healthy fats. Healthy fats were recently added to the pyramid. These fats are canola and olive oils to be used only in moderation. You should consume more foods from the bottom of the pyramid than from the top. A diet that consists of more whole grains, fruits and vegetables will provide the most effective weight loss.

    Metabolism

    • Metabolism is the body's way of converting food to energy. Those with a high metabolism will burn more calories and fat. A lower metabolism will cause the body to burn less calories and fat. If you eat more calories than you burn, your body will convert the extra calories to fat. Everyone has a different metabolic rate. Knowing what your rate is will help you lose weight and keep it off.

    Eating Too Little

    • If you do not eat enough food, your body will go into starvation mode. Starvation mode is where your body will actually stop burning calories. This is a form of self-preservation. You should consume at least a minimum of 1,200 calories a day to keep this from happening. Eventually, if you continue to starve yourself, you will lose weight, but you will also begin to lose muscle. This is a very dangerous position to be in. Starvation will also affect your heart. It is important to understand that eatting too little is just as bad as eating too much. Either way, you will not lose weight.

    Exercise

    • Exercise is also an important aspect of any diet. Dieting alone rarely ever works. Exercise will increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories. You can begin exercising by simply walking. Start out slow, and work your way up to 30 minutes a day.

    Effective Dieting

    • Dieting is all about what you eat, and how much you eat. You cannot expect to lose weight when your diet consists of refined sugars and fatty processed foods. These foods burn quickly and leave you hungry more often, which leads to overeating. A healthy diet will consist of whole grains, unsaturated fats, fruits and vegetables. This is not to say that you can never enjoy some of your favorite foods, but it should only be done in moderation.

    Solution

    • The solution to losing weight is to understand that everyone is not alike. Some people will lose weight quicker than others. If you stick to a proper diet and exercise plan, you will lose weight. It may only be 1 to 2 lbs. a week, and then weight loss could slow for a period. The key is to not stop. You will succeed if you stick to it. There is no miracle weight loss solution. No pill, book or potion will help as much as eating the right foods and exercising.

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