Posted: May 2nd, 2020

Losing Weight Essay

Final Assignment

800-1000 words

—Some people believe that limiting carbohydrates in their diet and increasing protein intake is the best way to lose weight. Others feel it’s best to rather cut out fats completely. Conversely, some follow a diet that reduces overall calories while still including foods from all food groups. Which diet is best for weight loss? Explain your answers with the use of peer-reviewed articles and reliable sources.

1st Draft due 19th October – hard copy, to be submitted in class for feedback
Final submission Due Monday 27th October – before midnight on blackboard
This assignment is worth 15% of your final grade.
Format: Font Times New Roman, font size 12, double spacing.

Weight Loss
Introduction
Diet management has been used to enhance weight loss on people. There are many other methodologies of weight loss; however, diet management is touted as most effective and assuring. However, not all diets can be used for cutting down individual weights. Strategic utilization of diets is recommended. There exist various forms of weight loss using diets. These include but not limited to: limiting carbohydrates while increasing levels of protein in a diet, cutting of fats completely and cutting on calories. In this discussion, cutting down calories in a diet is recommended as most effective and assuring method of weight loss.
Diet Get research paper samples and course-specific study resources under   homework for you course hero writing service – Manage ment for Weight Loss
A number of diet management styles are recommended in enhancing weight loss on individuals. Among others, limiting on carbohydrates while increasing protein in the food, reducing fat to zero and cutting down on calories are used to enhance weight loss. In all of these, the best diet to consider in weight lose is cutting on calories (Chan, May 2, 2012, Para 1-23). It is the safest and assuring way of losing weight, since all other diet methods have some negative consequences.
The choice of cutting down calorie level in a diet is in comparison with its advantages and low risk levels as compared to other methodologies. High protein in a diet as a way of weight loss has been studied to expose one to the risks of high cholesterol and heart disease. Restricting carbohydrates also has been studied to result to ketosis while promoting satiety and lipid oxidation (Brehm, Seeley, Daniels & D’alession, 2003, 1617-1623). On the other hand, trying to have minimum fat in the diet can have risk factors such as cardiovascular (Brehm, 2003, Pg 1617-1623). Using the calories methodology does not expose an individual to the mentioned risks. Essentially, in all aspects of human health management, maintaining low levels of calories is recommended.
Cutting Down Calories for Weight Loss
The name calorie refers to the energy that is needed to raise the temperature of one gram of liquid, especially water by one degree Celsius. In regard to nutrition, a calorie is the unit of energy that is supplied by the food eaten, regardless of the type of food used. Different types of food have different levels of calories and are counted by the number of grams per food. For example, fats have 9 calories per gram. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), maintaining caloric balance in food is highly recommended. Essentially, calories count a lot in maintaining human health, and more specifically, in weight loss management.
Having calories in excess in a body means having more fat in the body, and the result is addition of weight. However, having a caloric deficit means having low fat levels and the body cells would start consuming the fat already stored in the storage cells for energy. The resultant is weight decrease to low levels. Consuming a lot of calories is equivalent to countering all other measures that may be used to reduce weight, especially minimizing on fat. Chan (May 2, 2012, Para 1-23) notes that the calories that are consumed not only adds physical energy, but also are turned into fat.
According to Viljane (January 2009, Pg 50-55), maintaining low calorie in the body, and essentially consuming foods with low calorie content helps in reduction hepatic steatosis as well as improving on insulin sensitivity. However, each and every other body or human beings have their own standards of caloric balance, and it is important to first of all understand the levels before indulging on reduction of calories in the foods. Essentially, cutting on calories should not be construed to mean foregoing important food sessions such as breakfast (Davis, 2010, Pg 1-4). It is of no use as the calories would be replaced during the day, essentially setting the weight loss participant for own failure.
There exist a lot of other alternatives to weight loss. The dietary methodologies are good because the risks of adverse effects are minimal. However, some of the dietary measures have been studied to have some negative effects, and as noted, dietary measures such as maintaining low carbohydrate levels in diet and consumption can result to satiety and lipid oxidation. It means that use of limiting calorie in diets remain as most effective and is least prone to negative effects. Primary objective of weight loss is to maintain body health. However, extreme loss can also be devastating to human health.
It is imperative to have an understanding of the optimal levels of calories to be maintained in a diet and in the body. Before adopting cutting calories as a policy to reduce weight, it is important to measure the outcome and the capability of the policy to work on the individual. Essentially, unorthodox adoption of cutting calories in the diet can have far reaching consequences.
Trying to cut calories drastically may fail because individual bodies are programmed to maintain usual or standard weight, hence resist ones metabolic rate. Body health is critical and should not be compromised. Body metabolism are unique to different people, hence a need for a good understanding of the needed levels of energy for each and every person. It is therefore utmost important not to entirely use the policy of cutting calories as the way and means of losing weight.

References
Brehm, B.J., 2003. “A Randomized Trial Comparing a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet and a Calorie-Restricted Low Fat Diet on Body Weight and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Healthy Women.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, vol. 88, no. 4, pp. 1617-1623.
Chan, A.L., May 2, 2012. “Cut Calories for Weight Loss: Report.” The Huff Post, Para 1-23.
Davis, J. L., August 2010. “Lose Weight: Eat Breakfast.” The Lorie Eber Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-4.
Viljanen, A.P.M., 2009. “Effect of Weight Loss on Liver Free Fatty Acid Uptake and Hepatic Insulin Resistance.” Journal of Clinical Endocrinal Metab, vol. 94, no. 1, pp. 50-55.