Dieting is the practice or habit of eating (and drinking) in a regulated fashion, usually with the aim of losing weight. It is also used in some cases to gain weight or to regulate the amounts of certain nutrients entering the body. It usually involves a non-traditional diet.
Certain religions, such as Judaism, Hinduism and Islam, impose strict restrictions on food choices and preparation. These restrictions, however, are not usually considered "dieting."
Vegetarianism is usually not considered "dieting," as it is most often adopted for religious, spiritual or ethical reasons, or in some cases because other food choices are not available. In other cases the motivation is a simple dislike of meat.
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia, which are psychological and neurological disorders that cause victims to endanger their lives with calorie restriction, must not be confused with dieting.
Scientific principles surrounding dieting
Successful weight loss diet is all about energy in versus energy out. If a person takes in less food energy than he or she expends over a period of time, the person may burn fat and subsequently lose weight.
Diets affect the energy in component of the energy balance by limiting or altering the distribution of foods. Techniques that affect the appetite can limit energy intake by affecting the desire to overeat. This can be attempted by focusing on foods that are filling, through the use of certain appetite-suppressing drugs, or through activities such as mild exercise, that affect appetite. Other techniques address habitual or emotional eating.
Affecting the energy out component is the focus of fitness and exercise programs. These might also be included in a comprehensive "diet."
Dieting in order to lose weight does just that — you lose weight, water, some fat and muscles. Since muscles are denser, you lose a lot of weight, but little in size. Fat is bulkier, so a three pound fat loss can cause a size loss.
To lose a pound of fat, one must create a caloric deficit of approximately 3,500 calories (32,000 kJ per kilogram of fat); therefore, if a person creates a deficit of 500 calories per day, the person will lose approximately 1 pound of fat per week (2,300 kJ per day to lose 0.5 kg in a week).
Muscle-loss during weight-loss can be restricted by regularly lifting weights and by a high protein intake. (It is said that 0.8 to 1.0 g of protein per pound of body weight (1.76 to 2.20 g/kg) per day is sufficient.)
Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and an online advice expert. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Visit her for Advice & Counseling, or take a free Depression Screening today.
Subscribe to the growing self-help ezine "Better Choices".
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dieting". You are free to copy & use this article under the terms of the license. *Please note that a courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.
