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Have you noticed that people on a diet look worse than before the diet? Their face sag and they stay flabby even if they lose weight. Why are the results so frustrating? On a typical weight-loss diet, you lose about 65% fat and 35% lean mass (body weight without fat). That’s bad because muscle loss is an aging sign. Restriction diets actually accelerate your aging by enforcing muscle loss. When you go off the diet, which most people do because it’s so unsatisfying, you gain the weight back but with 80% fat and only 20% lean mass. That’s why people get more fat after unsuccessful diet and they don’t return to their original body. Evidently, diets accelerate your muscle loss and hence, accelerate your aging. Start to Think “Fat Loss” Instead of “Weight-Loss” Body fat percentage is the right measurement to your body shape. Surprisingly, most doctors continue to use Weight to Height table and Body Mass Index (BMI) although it doesn’t reflect your body composition. “Body composition” is your body fat to body mass ratio. If your weight is 80 kg and you carry 20 kg of fat, then your “body fat ratio” is 25%. The ideal body fat is a personal issue. To have an athlete’s body, a man’s body fat should be around 10% (or below) and a woman’s body fat should be around 15% (or below). Acceptable rates for the average people are 15% for men and 20% for women. Some resources note that people over 25% body fat are overweight and over 30% body fat are obese. Homeostasis Resists Your Weight Loss Your body doesn’t like changes. Homeostasis is the same mechanism that makes you perspiring when it is hot or shivering when it is cold. When you are on calorie restriction diet, homeostasis gives your body an order to “restore fat” protecting itself of the starvation you enforce it. That’s why most diets fail. If you want to lose weight, you must manipulate the homeostasis by providing it enough food to stop this vicious fat storing. Manipulate Your Homeostasis by Providing Your Body Abundance of Food Rather than Scarcity It doesn’t mean you start stuffing yourself. Eat more of the right food, more times a day and your body will respond by losing the fat storage that is reserved for “emergency”. Unfortunately most people relate weight loss to restriction diets. Change your perception if you want to lose weight effectively, safely and enjoyably. Conclusion Changing body composition by increasing lean body mass (by muscle gain) results in sculptured body and a younger look. With a combination of exercise and nutrition you decrease your free radicals, boost your energy, elevate your hormones and enjoy an attractive young look with higher vitality, vigor and stamina.
Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db
Dov Oshri is the author of the revolutionary Anti-Aging Fitness Program "Change Your Body and Be Admired". He is the chief editor of Body for Mind – a Wellness Lifestyle for Successful People. His cutting edge Anti-Aging Fitness Program can be downloaded for FREE at www.bodyformind.com
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