
Personal Profile
After graduating from Durham University and working for 26 years in the field of Education I gained my Master's Degree in Human Nutrition (MMedSci) from Sheffield University in January 2003.
I now work as a writer and Registered Nutritionist and contribute regularly to a variety of magazines and newspapers including Trail, Yorkshire Post and the website magazine www.suite101.com
Useful links
The Nutrition Society
www.nutritionsociety.org.uk
British Nutrition Foundation
www.nutrition.org.uk
Food Standards Agency
www.food.gov.uk
British Heart Foundation
www.bhf.org.uk
Complete Nutrition
www.nutrition2me.com
Action on Salt and Health
www.actiononsalt.org.uk
www.suite101.com
The Serious Science Behind Weight Loss
Read the full article at www.suite101.com Allan Johnson Nov 14 2009
The energy equation for food intake re-states a basic law of physics: Energy Output from a machine equals Energy Input, which means we will gain weight if we eat too much and exercise too little...
Consider what happens when we choose to go on a weight-reduction diet:
- When calories are first restricted, the weight loss is slow and should not approach the “starvation mode” of crash diets characterised by relentless hunger and the painful switch to fat and protein burning metabolism normally reserved for endurance athletes - or those who are genuinely starving to death. Proteins are not a good choice as an energy source if they happen to be sitting inside essential tissues such as muscles. Excess protein from the diet is a different matter, yielding as much energy as carbohydrates.
- Once weight is lost, there will be a small fall in Basal Metabolic Rate as you would expect from any reduction in body weight. Smaller machines require less maintenance. As weight loss continues, BMR continues to fall, so the myth that overweight people have a slower metabolism is not true. They have a slightly raised BMR to cope with the maintenance of a larger body mass.
- If weight loss is too fast, this drop in BMR is more marked as the body switches to starvation mode and attempts to conserve energy under these conditions. This makes further weight loss more difficult and is one hazard of crash diets, the other being serious malnutrition resulting from low intake of essential vitamins and minerals.