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In
their quest for a healthy body, people must wade through a sea
of information and misinformation regarding diet and nutrition. With new products, books and supplements coming out virtually
daily, it is easy to get lost.
The
health conscious consumer, armed with a few facts and theories,
can decipher many of the diets and ideas floating about in
fitness circles. The
information presented today is not intended to be complete or
all-inclusive. Rather,
it should serve as a compass to give your search some general
direction. Specific
information can be obtained from your doctor, personal or
athletic trainer or dietician.
The
concept of bioenergetics is central to any discussion of
exercise and sports nutrition.
Bioenergetics defines how the body takes in, uses and
stores energy. The
key concept to consider when dieting, exercising or training is
that any energy (food) taken in must be either used or stored.
Especially
lately, it should be emphasized that just because you eat
something does not mean that your body will get the food to the
right place. This
concept will be important shortly.
The
body has the capacity to store energy, primarily in the form of
fat. So, if your
energy output is less than energy input, the excess is stored.
The only way to get rid of stored energy, A.K.A fat, is
to convert it to another form of energy.
This is a really important point that is worth repeating:
if your energy output is less than your energy input
(over time) you will store energy primarily as fat.
If
one’s goal is to lose weight and/or fat, there are three ways
to go about this. Either
increase output while keeping input the same, decrease input
while keeping output the same or decrease both.
In other words, you can decrease food intake (decrease
input), exercise (increase output) or both.
Contrary to popular belief, there are no magical
pills, potions or creams that can change this equation.
The
best and safest way to maintain a lean body is a combination of
a healthy diet and exercise.
If we all had a nickel for every fad diet or pill that
promised to make the weight loss process easier, we could all
retire. This is not
to say that absolutely none of them work.
In fact, some probably do help you lose weight in the
short term.
There
are many problems with fad diets even if they are successful.
The most obvious one is that even if short term successes
are realized, the results will be fleeting if the initial diet
is not followed up with appropriate lifestyle changes.
Also, many of the fad programs do not take into account
the body’s need for balance in the diet. Everyone, especially athletes and active people, need the
right balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and
minerals in their diet everyday.
Many
patients are curious about “diet pills” and whether they
would benefit from such medicines.
There is quite a lot of controversy in medical circles
about the benefits of the various weight loss medicines
available. These
are decisions best left to you and your personal physician.
But something that virtually every doctor can agree upon
is that the BEST way to achieve your desired weight is to
exercise and eat a healthy diet.
Many
people are asking about a medicine called Xenical recently.
Xenical is a “fat blocker”.
As the name implies, it keeps a certain portion of fat
that you eat from entering your body through the intestine.
This point is brought up not to endorse or criticize Xenical but rather to point out that even this new medicine does
not violate the concept of bioenergetics.
The
take home message here is that no matter how hard you try, you
can’t cheat mother nature.
If you have specific questions about diet and/or
exercise, feel free to talk to your doctor.
He or she will be happy to help you on your way to a fit
lifestyle.
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