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Cheat Days On A Diet
by Ray L Burton
http://www.planningdiets.com
Most diets are based on the cutting calories lower in a day
approach. You eat less food than the body requires each day,
which creates an energy deficit and the body responds by
calling upon body fat as fuel. Yet adopting a severely low
calorie diet in hopes of a quick fix only sets you up for
failure.
The biggest mistake you can make is starving yourself. It
drains your energy and you cant work out so you cant change
the way you look. Drastic calorie reduction leads to a slow
down in the metabolic rate, the total calories burned in a
day and a slow metabolism is the death wish for anyone
seeking a hard body.
Research has indicated that the thyroid gland, the source of
thyroid hormones that ultimately help determine your
metabolic rate, reacts quickly to starvation diets. That is
, when you eat too few calories your body decreases its
thyroid hormone output, which decreases your metabolic rate.
Other detrimental effects of starving include an increase in
fat-storing enzymes in the body. Once enzyme called
lipoprotein lipase acts as sort of a gatekeeper, allowing
fatty acids to flow in and out of fat ells. While mild
reductions in calories cause a decrease in LPL activity,
giving fatty acids the freedom to flow out of fat cells,
overly aggressive calorie cuts actually increase LPL
activity. In concert with decreased levels of thyroid
hormone, this causes the body to cling to stored body fat.
While severe caloric reductions seem to throw a monkey
wrench into the fat loss equation, calorie surpluses or
overeating exerts another puzzling effect. Not only does
body fat increase, but overeating may cause a mild increase
in thyroid levels and an increase in anabolic hormones that
help support muscle mass such a growth hormone, testosterone
and IGF-1.
Since extended periods of dieting can slow the metabolism, a
single cheat day where you boost your carb intake 50 percent
higher than normal can avoid the decrease in your metabolism
and actually promote the release of beneficial hormones.
One thing I would suggest though on your cheat day is to
never consume sugary soda or pop. Pop contains 300 calories
and 19 teaspoons of sugar. The best thing to drink is water
with a lemon wedge in there. Diet pop is an alternative for
getting rid of the sugar but it will never be as good for
you as water. The calories from pop come from such simple
sugars that they will not serve you well in getting lean,
even on a cheat day. The release of sugar into your blood
stream is just too quick.
Another tip for cheat days on your diet is related to the
above point on pop. When or if you decide to hit a fast food
joint while you are out, do not get the combo! If you want a
burger for your cheat day, then so be it. What you dont
want is the biggie sized fries and diabetic coma pop. While
a burger could be seen as almost part of the diet, the 1320
calories you get from the fries and pop will not help you
reveal those abs!
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