Op-ed: Dieting Is Bad

As a former NCAA Division I athlete with a background in physical therapy, I will tell you why dieting is bad.

There are two types of dieters in this world.  Type 1 dieters are the “extreme” dieters. Type 2 dieters are the “occasional” dieters.

Type 1 dieters are the sufferers.  They eat almost nothing, and sometimes, they eat nothing at all.  Liquid dieting has been a huge trend amongst celebrities.  Beyonce told reporters that she went on a 10 day liquid diet and lost 20 lbs.  Of course, as stunning as Beyonce is, people will do what she does, thinking that they will look like her.

The reality is, that liquid diets are just a quick fix.  Beyonce already established a healthy lifestyle by generally eating well and exercising consistently.  The second you get off a liquid diet and take a bite of real food, you will not be able to stop eating.  You can try as much as you want, but the body will not allow it, because the body was so deprived of nutrients that the brain keeps telling the body to eat.  As a result, you end up gaining all the weight back.

This is exactly what professional athletes, specifically MMA fighters, do.  Before their official weigh-ins, these professional fighters become Type 1 dieters and drop 10 lbs or more in one day.  Then, after the official weigh-in, the fighters go back to eating real food and can gain all the weight they lost right back, in 24 hours.

Doing this is not safe.  There are many side effects of liquid diets and elimination diets, some of which include fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness, and moodiness.  Studies from several accredited doctors and institutions have proven this.  And, trust me, I tried liquid dieting and being the Type 1 dieter made me suffer from all these side effects.  I ended up losing 15lbs in 10 days, but I was miserable on all liquids.  And, within one day off this diet, I ended up gaining back 10lbs in two days.  It was suffering for nothing.

The Type 2 dieters do not get that far either.  They are not miserable like Type 1 dieters, but their weight will fluctuate so much that they either get stuck at the same weight or they end up gaining weight.  The Type 2 dieters have a mix of healthy food and cheat meals.  However, they end up losing track of how many calories their cheat meals are, and they end up having a fluctuating weight and sometimes gain weight.

I tried being a Type 2 dieter, and my weight just fluctuated.  It was so frustrating because I was working out but the reason why I was not losing weight was that I was having too many cheat meals and these cheat meals were extremely high in calories and sugars.

The way to lose weight is to have only one cheat meal a week.  Not one cheat meal per day or every other day.  One cheat meal a week will not make you suffer like the Type 1 dieters, but will also make sure you are not a fluctuating Type 2 dieter.  By eating healthy, having one cheat meal per week, and exercising consistently, you will lose weight and feel more energized.

Doing this consistently is the challenge.  Managing work and family is tiring on its own, but if you really care about your health, you will be disciplined enough to go workout instead of just going home and watching TV.  If you have enough time to watch TV, you have enough time to workout.  And, many machines at the gym have TVs, so there really are no excuses.  Its really just how badly you care about improving yourself because good health truly equals wealth and happy, long, life.