signalsBone Loss on Low-Calorie Diets
March 14th 2007 16:56
I just read in this month's issue of FitnessRx for Women, an interesting tidbit about low calorie diets. Now, my biggest pet peeve is those who go on one of these diets and refuse to exercise, or even brag that they "don't have to exercise." Well, this study showed that dieters on low-calorie diets who didn't exercise lost bone mass, especially in the hip and spine (two areas prone to fracture as one gets older). Those who did exercise maintained their bone mass.
There are all kinds of reasons why people don't exercise while they're dieting, but - and I apologize if this sounds rude - the main one is pure laziness. Sure, you can say you don't have time to exercise - but who can't squeeze 20 minutes in somewhere during the day? You'll lose weight faster and more of it will be fat, as opposed to losing lean muscle mass, which will decrease your metabolism.
Osteoporosis is a serious condition that shouldn't be taken lightly. We should be doing everything we can to preserve muscle mass in younger years - once you're older your bones will begin to weaken, typically. Dieting without exercising will not get you very far. I hear this a lot - that if you're dieting, you have to eat less and less to lose as your weight decreases. Um, no, that just has to do with losing muscle mass! Exercise, especially weight-bearing, will prevent this from happening and may keep you from stalling.
If you're thinking about dropping some weight - don't do it in terms of diet alone - make sure to fit in some movement, whether it's climbing stairs and parking your car far away or going to the gym and sweating. Trust me - your body will thank you for it.
Claire S.
There are all kinds of reasons why people don't exercise while they're dieting, but - and I apologize if this sounds rude - the main one is pure laziness. Sure, you can say you don't have time to exercise - but who can't squeeze 20 minutes in somewhere during the day? You'll lose weight faster and more of it will be fat, as opposed to losing lean muscle mass, which will decrease your metabolism.
If you're thinking about dropping some weight - don't do it in terms of diet alone - make sure to fit in some movement, whether it's climbing stairs and parking your car far away or going to the gym and sweating. Trust me - your body will thank you for it.
Claire S.
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