Weight Loss: According to experts, three diets that don’t work for women

Whether we want to accept it or not, biologically men and women are very different. One of the key differences is in the way men and women use and store fat. On average, men have about 3 percent of essential fats as part of their composition-women have 12 percent.

Essential fats are the percentage of total fat mass needed to build key cellular messengers such as insulation, protection of vital organs, vitamin storage, and steroids needed for effective cellular communication. Without this fat, the body does not function properly and the immune and nervous systems are affected.

Women have four times as many essential fats. The fat stored in women is actually beneficial to overall health. A baseline of 12% of essential fats protects women from type 2 diabetes and even heart disease. It is important to understand this. The reasons are as follows:

It helps with expectations and goal setting when you choose Weight loss program:

Striving for 20% of body fat is unhealthy

There are three popular diets in the world: ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, and GM diet. Unfortunately, these diets are not particularly useful for women who are thinking of significant weight loss (15-20 kg or more) and who maintain it permanently.

Let’s take a closer look at these diet plans:

Ketogenic diet: The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. Limiting carbohydrates and increasing fat intake can lead to ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state that relies primarily on fat for energy, not carbohydrates. “A woman’s body is essential and essential for pregnancy and breastfeeding, so it always resists fat loss.”

Carbohydrate intake on the ketogenic diet is usually limited to less than 50 grams per day and can shock a woman’s body. When the carbohydrate quotient is depleted, it switches to ketones and fat as fuel at the beginning of this dietary pattern, and the female brain and metabolism begin to resist the loss of fat. It results in a complete imbalance leading to hormonal and metabolic changes. Also, a keto-type diet usually works only for a short period of time and can cause side effects such as headache, dizziness, malaise, nausea, and constipation.

In addition, most of the initial weight loss is the weight of water. When the body enters ketosis, we begin to lose muscle, become extremely tired, eventually starved, and in fact it becomes even more difficult to lose weight.

The ketogenic diet is more harmful than good to the majority of women, especially if they have underlying medical conditions such as PCOS, irregular menstruation, and infertility.

Intermittent fasting: Fasting is a habit that involves completely refraining from or avoiding eating certain foods for a period of time. In recent years, intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular among people who want to lose weight.

During the study, intermittent fasting had favorable results in people who were overweight or obese, but women who tried it were found to have the following adverse effects:

Intense mood unevenness

Extreme hunger

Low energy / fatigue

Obsession about food

Overeating on days without calorie restriction

depression

anger

Most women show such behavior in the first few weeks of an intermittent fast. It has also been observed that limiting caloric intake in this way can interfere with the menstrual cycle.


GM diet: The GM diet aims to help people lose weight by focusing on a particular food or food group daily for a week. The GM diet consists of a 7-day meal plan. Every day, we focus on a particular food or food group.

The idea of ​​losing a lot of weight in a short period of time may seem appealing, but the GM diet carries the following risks:

Lack of Important Nutrients: Women on a GM diet may not be able to get enough of certain important food groups such as healthy fats and proteins. This diet may also lack the essential vitamins and minerals associated with eating a wide variety of healthy foods.

Short-term weight loss: The GM diet is not a sustainable long-term weight loss strategy. When you stop dieting, women can regain their weight. One reason for this is that diet does not necessarily teach healthy cooking and dietary techniques that are essential for long-term weight maintenance.

Other risks that are very common and can worsen for women in a few weeks include dehydration, headaches, malaise, weakness, and lack of concentration. In a nutshell, balanced calorie intake-micronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, micronutrients such as vitamins Minerals essential for pregnancy, malaise and overall health of women. Therefore, it is advisable to eat a balanced diet during weight loss.

(Dr. Kiran Lucadikar, a well-known obesity doctor and weight loss specialist)