What Can The Metabolism Diet Do For You?
Is the metabolism diet any better or worse than for example, the grapefruit diet, the lemonade diet, the laxative diet, the Atkins diet, or the Scarsdale diet? Is the metabolism diet based upon scientific findings, or is it just another fad diet that may or may not be effective, and may or may not be dangerous?
The Atkins and Scarsdale diets have a fair amount of research and studies to back them up. They have both benefits and shortcomings. Something like a grapefruit diet, lasting only a few days, can be of some help in losing a couple of pounds, and grapefruit is a very healthy basic diet ingredient, but the result, as is the case with most fad diets, is usually only temporary. The laxative diet is downright scary, a great way to lose weight quickly and commit suicide in the process.
So where does the metabolism diet fit in? On the surface it makes sense. If we increase our metabolism, we burn more calories, and the more calories we burn the more fat we burn, and the less fat we store. If one can build a healthy diet around foods that cause our metabolism to speed up, losing weight while maintaining good health sounds like a slam-dunk.
A Disconnect - There are foods, and some very healthy ones which can help us lose weight. Some vegetable and fruits are known as negative calorie foods, because it takes the body more energy, hence more calories, to digest them than there are calories in the food itself. Theoretically, if one only ate negative calorie foods, many of which are quite healthy from the standpoint of nutrition, we would stay wonderfully healthy and fit, but slowly waste away to nothing. So, there is a disconnect somewhere.
Most fad diets have a disconnect somewhere. In spite of all the rationale behind what is presented as making the diet workable or even foolproof, there is almost always a fly in the ointment. Anytime you take up a special diet, especially if it is a fad diet, with the objective of losing weight quickly, it's in your own interest to seriously look for the fly in the ointment.
“Tends To” - In the case of the metabolism diet, the fly in the ointment may well be the actual fact that some foods tend to speed up metabolism. The fly is in the words "tends to". Food does not really control our metabolism. Control is quite different from "tends to", and the organs in our body which control our metabolism do so without all that much regard for what we're putting in our mouths. Food that tends to speed up metabolism can actually cause us to gain weight. If we eat foods low in calories what does the body do? It conserves calories by slowing down the metabolism. If we eat paper, a hard to digest, hence a negative calorie food, and also low in nutrition, our metabolism will slow down in order to preserve calories and energy, until we return to a good source of energy.
It's More Than Just Food - There are many positives about the metabolism diet, as the foods recommended are generally very healthy. Still, attempting to lose weight solely by controlling what you eat is almost always bound to fail. Exercise has to be part of any weight loss plan and building muscle is even better. You may not lose as much weight, but you will lose “volume”, as maintaining muscle size and tone burns lots of calories.
Want to lose weight? Avoid high fat foods, eat a good and healthy breakfast, and after that eat small meals or "graze". Keep active; don't drive when you can walk. Pick the best foods from the metabolism diet if you wish, as they are generally heart healthy. Just don't go overboard, expecting your metabolism to speed up on demand. It won't.