Holistic Dieting Versus Yo-yo Dieting

How many times have you heard people say they have to lose 10 lbs before spring break? Then the same person might also say that they need to lose the excess wait before Christmas and the holidays. It is probably a good assumption that these same folks also said the same thing about losing weight before summer or even before a wedding.

They probably accomplished their task of losing weight quickly, and shed the pounds from a “lose-weight quick” diet or regiment. However, odds are that they put the weight back on shortly after their target deadline. This type of dieting is also called Crash Dieting. Typically people will eat very little for a short amount of time and achieve the desired weight loss.

This practice can result in nutrient deficiency, irritability, depression and even gall stones among other medical conditions. Yo-yo Diets can even increase the chances of putting on more weight once the diet is over because the body has not yet adjusted to the abnormal amount of caloric intake.

In an article in the Hernando Today, Dr. Ivan Diaz, a family practitioner with ProActive Care says, “The ultimate goal is to keep the weight off. When a person achieves their ideal weight, the focus should shift to weight maintenance.”

A healthy way to keep the weight off can be done using an approach that encompasses the entire body and mind. An ideal diet should be one of a more holistic style. This does not only include food intake, but also other aspects need to be accounted for such as exercising, getting enough sleep and reducing stress in your overall life.

Holistic in this sense, doesn’t have to mean a spiritual experience if you don’t want it to. Holistic simply means, treating all of your body’s needs, physical, psychological and social, as a whole.

Although it might be intriguing at first to shed pounds quickly for an event, one should consider their overall health before entering into such a diet. What good is it to lose 10 lbs quickly but know that you will probably put the weight back on, possibly even more. By dieting holistically, you achieve the optimal goal of a diet, keeping the pounds off.

– The Alternative Daily

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