Here’s Why the World’s Most Popular Diets Don’t Work for Women Trying to Lose Significant Weight

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

Essential fat is a percentage of total body fat mass that is essential for insulation, protection of our vital organs, vitamin storage and the manufacture of key cell messengers such as steroids that are essential for effective cell communication. Without this fat, the body does not function properly and our immune and nervous systems are affected.

Women have four times more essential fat. The stored fat in women is actually beneficial for overall health. A baseline of 12 percent essential fat protects women from type two diabetes and even heart disease. This is important to understand because:

It helps to set expectations and goals when you choose a weight loss program:

Striving for 20 percent body fat is unhealthy

There are three popular diets in the world: the keto diet, intermittent fasting and the GM diet. Unfortunately, these diets are not particularly helpful for women who are looking to lose significant weight (more than 15-20 kg) and maintain it permanently.

Let us look at these diet plans in detail:

keto diet

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. Restricting carbs and increasing fat intake can lead to ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body primarily relies on fat for energy rather than carbs. “Women’s bodies always resist losing fat because it’s essential for pregnancy and breastfeeding, and it’s essential.”

Carb intake in the keto diet is usually less than 50 grams per day, which can shock women’s bodies. When the carb quotient drops low at the beginning of this eating pattern, it turns to ketones and fat for fuel, the women’s brain and metabolism begin to resist fat loss. This results in a complete imbalance leading to hormonal and metabolic changes. In addition, keto-type diets usually only work for the short term and may cause side effects such as headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea and constipation.

In addition, the majority of initial weight loss is water weight. Once the body enters ketosis, we begin to lose muscle mass, become overly fatigued, and eventually enter starvation mode which actually makes it even more difficult to lose weight.

The keto diet does more harm than good for most women, especially if they have an underlying medical condition such as PCOS, irregular menstruation or infertility.

intermittent fasting

Fasting is a practice that involves abstaining completely or abstaining from eating certain foods for a specified period of time. In recent years, intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular among people looking to lose weight.

During the studies, it was found that although intermittent fasting produced favorable results in people who were overweight or obese, women who tried it had the following negative effects:

serious mood

extreme hunger

low energy/fatigue

obsessive thoughts about food

Eating more on days without restricted calories

Depression

Anger

Most women exhibit this type of behavior in the first few weeks after intermittent fasting. It has also been observed that by restricting the calorie intake in this way, it can interfere with their menstrual cycle.

GM diet

The GM Diet aims to help people lose weight by focusing on a specific food or food group each day for a week. The GM diet has a 7 day meal plan. Each day focuses on a specific food or food group.

Although the idea of ​​substantial weight loss within a short period of time may sound tempting, the GM diet comes with risks which are:

Deficiency of important nutrients: Women following the GM diet may not get enough of certain important food groups, such as healthy fats and proteins. This diet may also lack essential vitamins and minerals that come from eating a variety of healthy foods.

Short term weight loss: The GM diet is not a sustainable long-term weight loss strategy. A woman may gain weight again after she stops following the diet. One reason for this is that the diet does not necessarily teach healthy cooking or eating techniques that are necessary to maintain weight over the long term.

Other risks that are very common and can increase in women over a few weeks include dehydration, headache, fatigue, muscle weakness and an inability to concentrate, in short, a balanced calorie intake – such as carbs, protein, fat and vitamins. Micronutrients such as macronutrients and minerals that are essential for pregnancy, lactation and overall health of women. Hence it is advisable to have a balanced diet while losing weight.

(Dr. Kiran Rukadikar, a renowned obesity doctor and weight loss specialist)