Effects of Diet

Introduction

According to Thompson et al (1996), more than one billion people in the world’s population are overweight with close to three hundred million of them being obese. Weight has widely been an issue of concern across the globe with various nutritionists and dieters coming up with different mitigating measures against this menace. According to Stiegler (2006), a study carried out among teenagers in the United States indicates that most of them preferred a lean body mass with those overweight expressing high level of dissatisfaction with their body size and adopting different measures to cut down their weight, including, dietary and body exercise. Despite the fact that dieting alone can be employee to lose weight, coupled with exercise the results are more effective (Taubes, 2007).

An investigation which was carried out in the United States on a sample three hundred and thirty seven overweight and obese individuals in 2006 showed the impact of diet combined with diet on weight loss. The sample consisted of persons with body mass index of thirty and a body fat level of thirty percent. The individuals were then divided into two groups. The first group was subjected to only dietary measures of weight loss while the second group received dietary measures coupled with exercise. Both groups received low calorific foods consisting of up to one thousand and five hundred calories. The DE (diet with exercise) conducted; in addition, regulate the body health through such exercise as walking and jogging for time intervals of thirty minutes every day (Taubes, 2008).

No major differences were observed in the two groups during the baseline time, after the inception of the procedure. However, after intervention measures were introduced, considerable variations in body mass index and waist circumference were observed. The group where both dietary and exercise measures of weight loss were applied portrayed greater variation from original measurements as compared to the group where only dietary procedure was used. In the diet with exercise group, waist circumference and body mass index decreased significantly. At the same time, body fat level was found to reduce more relatively in the group with the dietary and exercise procedure.

Discussion

While both the calorie intake restricted group and the exercise coupled with regulated energy intake portrayed considerable improvement in body fat, the group where regular exercise was included exhibited an even greater response to the weight loss campaign. The results indicated beyond doubt that, inclusion of exercise in a weight loss program made it even more effective as in addition to weight loss, regular exercise provides future health benefits; it reduces the chances for cardiovascular complications, which have been found to be highly related to fat deposits around the cardiac muscles. Ectopic fat deposits in the skeletal muscles can also lead to further complicated conditions.

Diabetes is also strongly positively correlated to fat deposits around the liver, which in turn affects the functionality and efficiency of insulin in a body. Additionally to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, many other ailments have been found to relate to cholesterol and fat deposits in the body tissues. Hence, regular body exercises coupled with dietary measures have been found to considerably increase general body fitness (Berg & Berg 1995). Findings from other similar investigations, research and experiments on highly obese individuals have further indicated beyond a reasonable doubt that, regular exercise and diet regulation play a key role in body fat and waist circumference reduction. Loss in weight is related to high resistance especially to complications arising due to old age.

Findings by Gomez et al (2002) on eight-week weight loss and, risks of cardiovascular disease and regular body composition further cement the postulate on the importance of dieting and regular exercise on body fat, body weight and waist circumference reduction.  It is therefore, inevitable for all individuals to observe regular exercise. For example, they may have a morning jog before breakfast or an evening walk after work.  It would be of great benefit, if individuals could reduce overreliance on motor propelled equipments and increase manual activities. This would engage them physically, flexing and relaxing their muscles; the excess fats in their bodies would be converted into muscle tissue (Ferriss, 2010). The muscle tissues are used as a long-term energy reserve they can be utilized if the need arises in the future through conversion into glucose in times of starvation to provide the highly needed energy to the body.

Engaging in physical activities like using manual machines that require intensive human labor to propel can also improve general body fitness of workers and reduce their risks of weight gain complications. Preventing weight loss in advance will also save the individuals the stress associated with weight loss programs. People should consider shunning the much leisure involving lifestyles, for example a couple could consider washing clothes manually once in a time rather than regularly relying on the services of the drycleaner or the washing machines. Parents should also supervise their children especially on a matter relating to technology and weight gain, for example, they should consider encouraging their children to engage in outdoor games that engage them in physical activity rather than continually sitting on the couch all day eyes glued to computer visual display units playing computer games.

Weight gain is in most cases associated with lazy lifestyles and poor eating habits, whereby individuals take up higher than required amounts of calories. The change to lazy lifestyles can in most cases be attributed to technological advancement. Machines that can perform almost every human task have been developed; this explains the high occurrences of obesity cases in developed countries. With the achievement of great milestones in technology, close to human machines including automated robots that can perform virtually every human related task, for example, preparing meals, have been developed. In the modern lifestyle, individuals just need to start up the machines by switching on power, sit back, relax and watch everything being done for them.

In most cases, people do not know how unfair they are to their bodies when they fail to give them the highly needed opportunity for burning excess calories in their tissues. Such individuals are associated with very low basal metabolic rates. The breaking down of excess lipids in their bodies to generate energy is at minimum levels. The excess fat deposits eventually build up resulting into overweight situations.  This necessitates joining weight loss programs to shed off the excess weight. If this is not done within a short period, individuals will eventually become obese, but if corrective measures that include regular exercises coupled with restricted calorie intake are put in place, the problem will most definitely be reversed.    

According to Fernhall (2005), exercise is inevitable for loss of visceral fat in post-menopausal women. The journal clearly indicates the undeniable and paramount applicability of exercise on weight loss. Despite the popular belief that post-menopausal women are generally characterized by considerable abdominal fat deposits, a weight loss program on a sample of post-menopausal women indicated high positive response to regular exercise on weight loss. The results of the program showed high positive correlation between weight losses, regulated calorie intake and body fitness exercise. It indicated that exercise could also be used effectively on aged individuals to burn out the excessive calories in their bodies. This further cements evidence on the effectiveness of diet regulation and exercise on weight loss.

Conventionally, individuals should choose to embrace measures that lead to normal body fitness as early as possible rather than waiting until enrolling in weight loss programs is inevitable. They should put emphasis on a balanced diet, and the true meaning of it, ensuring that they only take only minimum required calories in their foods. They should as much as possible avoid fatty foods which contain a high level of cholesterol, which are harmful to their general body fitness and health. They should also make regular exercises part of their daily routine. They should avoid too much idling and letting technology do virtually everything for them. It is important to carefully select the best activities for their leisure; activities that involve high physical body movement will be of great importance.

Ross et al (2000) in the journal on Reduction in Obesity and Related co Morbid Conditions in Men noted that, the applicability of dietary measures coupled with regular exercise on weight loss was necessary. The study, where men from different age groups were involved in the investigation, high affirmative results were obtained when both measures were applied on the overweight men. From the various case studies and empirical research carried out on both sexes and cutting across all age groups, it is clear that effective weight loss is subject to regular exercise and dietary procedures. Hence, these two should be employed hand in hand for effective results.

However, dieting and exercise for weight loss has its boundaries. Effective results will not be realized in some cases when both measures are applied. Some dieting weight loss program dictates exclusion of regular exercises from the program. For example, the HCG diet (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin Hormone) diet doesn’t require regular exercise for effective results. In fact, including exercise can result to further distortion rather than bringing a solution to weight gain. This is to say that regular exercise coupled with dietary programs does not mean a one-time answer to all weight loss problems. HCG diet consists of tremendous calorie restriction of about five hundred calories a day with the main source being lean proteins. It can be applied either orally or injected it prevents the body from burning muscles for energy; rather, fat deposits are used for this purpose. It can lead to loss of twenty-six pounds in twenty-six days.

According to Simeons (1971), although, and as many other weight loss programs, HCG comes with its own disadvantages. Despite the fact that it leads to fast weight loss, it comes with side effects including severe migraines, the alarming risk of possible blood clots, feelings of restlessness and depression. It also does not include regular exercises, which are required for general body fitness. The calorie restriction is way below the minimum level; also the long-term effects of the use of HCG, are not well known. It also poses a high risk of cancer as the injections hide tumors preventing early diagnosis and treatment. It is also not approved by FDA as are many other weight loss programs.

Conclusion

While dieting and regular exercise are promising measures of weight loss, they can’t be recommended with hundred percent level of confidence. The programs may at times fail to deliver the desired solutions or even worsen the situation; an example is that of HCG, which despite the fact that it leads to dramatic weight loss it comes with its cons, that is, it has two sides, good and bad, and a third side which is unknown: the long-tem effects. People should not be lured in these fast weight loss programs; because it is known that, some of them are not very healthy ways losing weight.