Lose Weight Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Lose Weight With A Registered Dietician

By Myfawny Craighter

The general public has many misconceptions about the best way to lose weight. Any trained dietician knows that the rule of thumb is: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"

Weight loss products promise to help people shed weight "twice as fast" with their magical ingredients. Quick fix cures say people can drop pounds by simply cutting out the carbohydrates or cutting out the fat in their diets.

Some weight loss programs even say you can lose excess weight based solely on modifying portion sizes, without cutting out any favorite foods or even exercising! "I think the biggest misconception of healthy weight reduction is the idea of a quick fix," says Diet Technician Katherine Andrzejewski of Buffalo, New York.

Cleanses May Cause Dehydration And Nutrient Deficiencies

For example, Miss Andrzejewski says there are these "Detox or Cleanse Diets" that promise to make dieters lose extra pounds fast, with up to ten pounds shed in one week. "A lot of these cleanses are dangerous because they can cause dehydration and nutrient deficiencies," she says.

"They may also leave the client feeling fatigued and famished." She explains that you’ll ideally want a calorie deficit of 3,500/week to lose one pound. To lose two pounds, you can take off up to 7,000 calories, whether with diet or exercise.

Need A Lifestyle Change Rather Than A Fad Diet

"Anything more than that can be detrimental because of deficiencies in major nutrients and vitamins," she adds. Healthy weight reduction requires the appropriate amount of nutrients to keep the body functioning and metabolizing at its best.

Unfortunately, many fad diets out there never take overall body health into consideration. This is why you often hear of people losing weight fast but packing the pounds right back on when they’ve finished "dieting." It really is a lifestyle change, any professional dietician will say.

Cutting Out An Entire Food Group May Lead To Health Consequences

"The most harmful diet is anything that completely cuts out an entire food group," according to Andrzejewski. "The Atkins diet is a big one that can be extremely harmful to the body," she explains.

"The Atkins diet cuts out carbs, which are usually replaced by high-fat foods. It can lead to heart disease, hypertension and ketosis, and even extra ketone bodies in the urine."

Ketosis May Lead To Kidney Stones And Kidney Failure

Some natural weight loss experts say ketosis is a dangerous metabolic state that can lead to kidney stones and kidney failure since the body is burning too much fat for energy, rather than a healthy mix of carbohydrates and fat.

This can, in turn, put undue stress on the liver and contribute to the destruction of muscle tissue. Advocates of low-carb diets reject this belief, but in 2004, the Canadian government ruled that food cannot be promoted as "reduced carb" or "no carb" because they did not feel this diet was a safe, healthy way to lose weight.

A Food Dairy And An Exercise Log

Lastly, Katherine Andrzejewski has some advice for new clients who want to lose weight. "I would suggest keeping a food diary and an exercise log. A food diary is good way of showing the client the amount they eat at certain times of the day.

They may not eat that piece of cake after dinner because they know they have to write it down." She adds that another useful tool is www.mypyramid.gov, which will show the client the amount they are eating from each Food Pyramid group.

Set Small, Achievable Goals

"It is an easy start to see if they are eating enough or too much from each food group." People considering a health food weight loss diet should also review their options and set small goals to begin. "A goal to lose twenty pounds can seem overwhelming," she explains.

"Start small; maybe trying to losing five pounds in a month." Naturally, she also recommends speaking to a registered dietician to get a detailed weight loss plan, along with other helpful nutritional advice.

This Article was about Lose Weight.

Please Note: All information given on this site is for general information purposes and is not to replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis given by a qualified medical doctor, a dietitian/nutritional expert or any other medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see your medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.

About the Author:
Myfawny Craighter is an author of articles on weight loss, diet, nutrition and eating disorders including Diet Information, Weight Loss Success, Body Fat, Fat Scales, Special Diets, Herbal Weight Loss, Eating Disorders, Binge Eating.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.

Did You Know?

Natural weight loss supplements and methods have been around for quite some time. And they are very popular. Many people do not want to take prescription medications but know that exercising alone is not going to take the pounds off their frames.

The right supplements or bars, in conjunction with exercise and diet, can be a winning combination for getting your body to its proper weight. It is not going to happen overnight but it will happen if you stick with it. The pounds may come off slowly but over time it will add up.