08-27-2003, 06:55 PM
Take a physiology course... you learn what exactly your body needs, how it's used, etc. Especially if you have a good teacher that tells you straight up what the deal is.
But basically, a true diet is really only necessary for an excessively obese person. For someone who is just overweight, the idea is to eat the right things (protein, carbohydrates, avoid saturated fat) and then use it. Meaning, food is fuel... from carbohydrates you get the energy to move your muscles. Fats will also give energy. The unused "fuel" is stored as adipose tissue, aka body fat. In other words, eat relevant foods... you don't need a dietician to tell you what to eat, just eat stuff with grains, meat, vegetables, fruits, whatever your body needs. Then go exercise... and do it a lot. Unfortunately people get the idea of just going on a diet to avoid too much exercise. No matter how you do it, exercise will be the determinant of not only how you look, but as well as your overall health. Now, some people are naturally just shaped certain ways, and some have no problem keeping off the weight, especially when they're young. But there is a lot of talk about metabolism, skinny people having fast metabolisms and such. Here's the thing... you control your metabolism, and all you do to speed it up is to exercise. So run... jog... ride a bike... do whatever you actually WANT to do. Having a routine also helps.
But basically, a true diet is really only necessary for an excessively obese person. For someone who is just overweight, the idea is to eat the right things (protein, carbohydrates, avoid saturated fat) and then use it. Meaning, food is fuel... from carbohydrates you get the energy to move your muscles. Fats will also give energy. The unused "fuel" is stored as adipose tissue, aka body fat. In other words, eat relevant foods... you don't need a dietician to tell you what to eat, just eat stuff with grains, meat, vegetables, fruits, whatever your body needs. Then go exercise... and do it a lot. Unfortunately people get the idea of just going on a diet to avoid too much exercise. No matter how you do it, exercise will be the determinant of not only how you look, but as well as your overall health. Now, some people are naturally just shaped certain ways, and some have no problem keeping off the weight, especially when they're young. But there is a lot of talk about metabolism, skinny people having fast metabolisms and such. Here's the thing... you control your metabolism, and all you do to speed it up is to exercise. So run... jog... ride a bike... do whatever you actually WANT to do. Having a routine also helps.