Does anyone think diets are good/healthy?

[Jonny_]

I personally hate the things... I don't even see it as healthy. Cutting out important food groups is not good for your organs, blood and so on. And going on diets can actually lead to weight gain, if you are on a diet were you are eating at set times during the day, then radically chance that, to something were you barely eat at all, all that encourages your body to do is store every single bit of energy as fat since it isn't getting a constant supply of glucose, sucrose, fructose... etc.

Anyway how many people actually look at the diets of most athletes? Yes they eat good food, but they eat a lot of calories... Michael Phelps is known to have a high calorie intake, around 20,000 I believe and he is hardly fat. I myself eat approximately 14,000 calories a day despite the recommended being a mere 2,500... You can preach to me about metabolism and heart problems you think it would cause. But if you exercise you don't get those problems as you are using every ounce of your intake.

So I guess I'm saying exercise is a much better way to lose weight and be healthy. Although I'm not suggesting we live on cake for every meal.

[ShesMygirl]

Diets and weight problems are mostly created by people who make money from making people feel bad about how they look.

My wife had MAJOR weight related problems when I first met her.

Her goal was to be around 90lbs...at between 5'7 and 5'8.

Why? Becuase that's whay guys want of course.

Take a look at any of the womens magazines. Count the adds. Now subtract the ones that have nothing to do with how to look or be perfect. Not much difference eh?

They print articles about what she ought to look like, or how she should dress ect...then they sell add space for things to make her look that way...and of course she is going to buy into it, because that's what guys want...right? They wouldn't lie about it would they?

Funny that. When a poll is done, guys want a women around average build.

Wanna know how to diet? Journal what you eat, and how you excercise. Track your weight over a few months as well.

You are in a sinking boat...you toss out water with a bucket. You reach a point where you are keeping even. Now simply a bit more bucket work and you are gaining on the problem.

That is how simple the balance between food and excercise is...it just takes patience, and diligence. Knowledge is power. Learn about the things you eat and make healthy choices.

Sadly we live in a "bic" society. Everything has to be quick. Instant gratification. Throw it away and get a faster newer one.

It's only when we force ourselves to slow down, that we begin to get a grip on reality.

I would like to point out a flaw in your thinking. If the intake isn't enough your body CAN'T create fat, and it's even worse if you are exercising. What little your body has to work with is being burned up in the effort to slow the process of eating itself. It's one of the reasons why being underweight is more unhealthy than being overweight.

Most underweight women out there suffer from constant headaches, low energy, dizzy spells, brittle nails and hair, extreme cravings, and problems with balance...all symptoms of malnutrition.

[Jonny_]

I didn't mean to say too low, I meant to say if you lower the amount you eat... I mean that if you eat a lot and go down to a medium amount your body will store as much as possible.

[ShesMygirl]

Your body doesn't begin to store energy that way until you are cutting back in a MAJOR way.

Then it can only produce stored fat for energy as long as the limited amout of calories are available........in starvation diets that is a vary small amount of time, so that type of fat production is rarely even noticed.

Your theory is sound, but it is missing the supply of calories needed to turn it into a problem. Even with no excercise there can't be enough fat produced to matter.

[here4you]

Michael Phelps eats 20,000 calories because he's an athlete i.e. he swims how much a day?!

I'm sure you don't do as much physical activity as Phelps.

And I understand where you are coming from about cutting important food groups out but everyone's body works differently some people need more carbs then protein for example vegans. They need A LOT of protein because they don't eat any eggs or meat.

When going on a diet I think people should consider all the junk they put into their body e.g. fast food and soda.

THAT needs to be taken out of people's diets and if you read the ingredients list on some of the things you eat you will see all the preservatives and different types of simple sugars (sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, basically anything that ends with -ose lol)

and you can't expect to eat McDonalds and train really hard and to be healthy.

I mean if you want to healthy then you should eat right AND exercise

I know how it is because I have a high metabolism. I pretty much can eat anything and not gain a lb but my mindset changed when I went to the doctor 4 years ago and she told me I had high cholesterol because I ate junk food 24/7. So now I try and eat healthy and watch my fast food and soda intake

and if you think about it everyone has a 'diet'

a diet is just your eating habits but the meaning changes when you say healthy diet.

[Jonny_]

Yes that was sort of the point (about phelps) I don't swim tons or hours of the day. But I actually do a lot of weightlifting and gym times as well is jogging, sports the odd time during the week and a lot of walking. I'm currently waiting on my job opening up... A job which I need to be in shape for... so I do exercise alot. My sister went along the vegan route for a while, she ended up with an iron deficiency and was advised to stop by her doctor.

[here4you]

Thus she needs a good diet.

Not a vegan diet.

[Jonny_]

Exactly, she has been back on an omnivore diet for a while now... Some blood pressure issues, apparently not related to her salt intake.

[here4you]

So would you say a healthy diet is vital in one's life?

[Jonny_]

I think you need a happy medium... Sure eating healthy is fine, but we all enjoy some things which are bad for us. Which isn't as bad in moderation.

[here4you]

I agree.

[sweatgirl]

we live in a world where fast food is cheaper then going to a restaurant where we can get a piece of baked fish or a salad with protein. when one chooses to try and loose weight they need to change their way of thinking. one needs to look at it as a life style change that will stick with them. there is no point in eating foods that you don't like, but to find foods that are low in calories and fat. if one really needs to make a life style change they must add exercise to their life at least 4 times a week. genetics play a big role in the way one looks. if you don't have a healthy diet you can exercise all you want, but you will most likely still have a little extra weight on you.

example:I use to run marathons and some of my clients thought they could eat what ever they wanted, but they quickly learned that they couldn't.

[nermalinda]

Diets are evil! But eating healthy like avoiding processed junk for and eating lots of vegetables is obviously healthy.

The thing is, whatever you eat can be considered a "diet", but cutting out entire food groups or starving yourself is never healthy.

[Killfest400]

Depends. If dieting is something like "I'll just have bread and water twice a day for a month", then yeah, it's a sh*tty diet.

If it's what it SHOULD be, which is just improving what you already eat, then diets ARE healthy. I'm currently working on cutting out most (if not all) of my soda intake. I've already switched to eating whole grain breads, getting more fiber, intaking more lean protein, and eating less sugar. It may not be considered a "diet" in the traditional sense, but it is changing around my eating patterns for the better.

And yes, more exercise is generally healthier. A combination of improved diet and more/better exercise is the way to be healthy.

[Mardyy]

Diets are what you eat basically, it does not mean that you don't eat anything at all. So to answer your question, you just need to eat a healthy "diet" not cut down to a low calorie diet which will not give you energy. Why not do some research online and research about healthy foods. Most people think diet is cutting down on what you eat and most of them don't even eat anything at all! A diet is supposed to be a way you eat, if you eat healthy like; vegetables and other healthy foods, you can basically eat anything you like.

[Longshot]

Michael Phelps actually was eating "only" 12,000 calories per day. Exercise is always best. I don't think cutting out food groups is good. Better to just reduce intake of fatty/fried foods.

[Jonny_]

Ah right, thanks for the correction, I haven't read the article since the last olympics... So it's abit vague.

[ixi10]

I think some diets are healthy as long as you don't take it to the extreme. It's never a bad thing when someone tries to eat healthy and lose some weight

[Anonymous]

Diets rnt heathy unless you went to a doctor and they helped you pick the best way for you to lose weight