Why Severely Restricted (tai chi for beginners) Calorie Diets Don't Work

Written by Webmaster

Monday, 17 November 2008

By Roy Gutierrez

Your calories are lowered too low and you are hungry most of the time. Your bodyweight starts to drop.Your
body lowers the rate at which it uses calories in an attempt to regain your lost weight. Your body thinks it is being starved. Your body sensing starvation switches to hoarding fat for survival and learns to function on fewer calories. Your body is now looking for an alternative source for energy. Your body adapts by burning muscle for fuel, which lowers your ability to burn fat for energy. Your body is now less efficient at providing you with energy and creates
a craving for sweets and fats. Your body has learned to
function on less.

The end result of this process is now you are always feeling tired and lethargic. How long can you keep this up? You have lost some weight. The problem is the weight is from lean mass and water. In most cases when you embark on this style of dieting you make it harder for your body to function as it should. You are reducing the rate at which you burn calories when at rest.

Finally you give in and resume your old eating habits, only now you are less equipped to burn calories because you have lost some of your muscles. Most of the weight you lost will be regained - and more.

This is the unavoidable result of restricted calorie diets, "quick-fix" diets or liquid diet programs. Your body needs a certain amount of calories to create adequate energy so you can function optimally. Keep in mind however that the calories need to be expended not stored as fat. When you exercise you are using the calories which will create a negative caloric intake for the day provided you are doing enough of the right exercises. Exercises such as moderate to brisk walking. Strength trainning exercise should also be included. The goal is to challenge your muscles at a level that is suited to your fitness level.

Eat to satisfy your metabolic requirements, so your body does not perceive starvation. Eat a little extra to have the energy to exercise. It's what your body wants. Only by eating to satisfy your energy requirements then exercising to build and maintain your lean muscles will you create the proper environment to become an efficient calorie burning machine that burns fat for energy. Get in the habit of thinking calories in, calories out, to get rid the fat and keep the fat off permanently.

Roy Gutierrez is a Certified Personal Trainer and Online Weight Loss Coach. He offers several free reports and a newsletter subscription on weight loss and fitness at http://www.minusbodyfat.com

Healthy Exercise With Tai Chi