By Eva Armendariz
Another commercial airs, the super-thin actress proclaims her weight-loss victory. However, the statement 'Results not typical,' is as small as the diet''s success rates. Atkins, Body for Life, Slim Fast and South Beach - the diet buffet continues. These days, women and diets go hand in hand. Yet the average woman is larger, society is as unhealthy as ever and crash diets cause many adverse physical and emotional effects, experts say.
'As a whole the American population has become more obese in the last 20 years,' said Dr. Judith Moore, a Provo family practitioner. 'There has been a lot more dieting than there ever was before.'
According to the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American adults are on average 25 pounds heavier than they were in 1960. The Center states a healthy BMI range is between 18.5 and 25. More than 60 million people in the United States have a body mass index of 30 or higher, making them obese. About 65 percent of U.S. adults are overweight with a BMI of 25 or higher.
'The main theory is that everybody is eating a lot more fast food and not eating as healthy,' Moore said. 'There is a lot more emphasis on prepared foods. It used to be that there weren''t a lot of prepared foods available. People made everything from scratch, and the foods were whole foods. Now the companies add a lot of fat and sugar to make it taste well so that they''ll sell. Most people are eating pretty much junk food all day.'
Calculated from a person''s weight and height, the BMI provides a guideline for determining body mass and possible weight problems. While helpful, the BMI does not calculate a body fat percentage, and persons with a greater amount of muscle may test as obese since their body mass is greater.
Body fat percentage calculations result in more accurate conclusions. Many gyms offer body fat percentage testing for free, said Kim Mohoman, a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness and a BYU exercise science, fitness and wellness graduate.
No fat, no success
Although seeking a healthier lifestyle, many dieting women experience unsuccessful results
'A very low fat diet can affect hormones, stress levels and depressions,' Moore said. 'Cholesterol has been a dirty word in medicine for so long, and it is actually very necessary. From cholesterol comes progesterone, estrogen, testosterone and cortisone, a stress hormone.'
Low-fat diets may also potentially affect the absorption of soluble nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, E and K, because fat is necessary to absorb those vitamins. Instead of cutting out all fat, switch to low fat and nonfat dairy products, said Bridget Reed, a registered dietitian at the BYU Student Health Center.
Unbalanced diet leads to unhealthy lifestyle
The low carb, high protein diet is also potentially detrimental, Reed, who is also a nutritional science graduate student, said. Carbohydrates are the body''s energy source and are necessary for brain activity. Removing carbohydrates from a diet can cause the body to revert to a state of ketosis, which can cause weakness, nausea, dehydration, irritability and kidney damage, Reed said.
'It''s not a healthy state to be in, so it''s not recommended,' Reed said. 'Your brain needs at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day to function properly.'
A healthier diet would include an increase in fiber intake, Reed said. Rack up the fiber by eating whole foods, those closest to the natural state. Whole oranges and apples instead of fruit juice and whole grain pasta and brown rice would decrease the amount of sugar in the blood stream and increase the feeling of satisfaction.
Calorie counting woes
Famished for increased energy and a healthier way of life, many women eat up a lot of time with obsessive calorie counting, a strategy that may not be the most effective.
'If you cut calories enough, your metabolic rate is negatively affected,' Reed said. 'Your metabolism slows down to compensate and to hold on to all the calories that you''re eating, so you don''t starve to death. If you cut calories enough you feel fatigued. Many people complain of mood swings and crankiness. If you''re cutting out certain food groups ... you might be missing out on essential nutrients and an inability to concentrate.'
However, creating a deficit of 500 calories a day, combined with exercise, a proper diet and sleep is a healthy way to lose weight, Reed said.
Diets eat at emotions
While the physical effects are detrimental, the emotional side effects from fad diets are just as unappetizing.
'Having negative emotions toward food, it''s a constant struggle where all you think about is food,' said personal trainer, Mohoman. 'You get too worked up about focusing on numbers ... and you can''t be happy and you can''t just go a day without worrying about the food you''re eating.'
Many women experience frustration trying to lose weight through dieting. This leads to giving up, excessive exercise, unhealthy practices, such as anorexia, and emotional eating binges, Reed said.
The best way to combat frustration is to remember the ultimate goal, Reed said: 'A lot of girls feel like failures in every other aspects of their lives when they can''t control themselves and their dieting. I have to remind them that everybody''s body is different, and they''re meant to be that way.'
Fad diets fail, basics prevail
In spite of the physical and emotional exertion required, many fad diets starve for success.
'It''s been my experience that every restriction results in an equal and opposite binge,' Provo family physician Moore said. 'The really restrictive diets are effective when you''re on them, but when you come off of them comes back on again. The only diet that is effective is to change the lifestyle.'
Having a healthier lifestyle doesn''t require a large life-altering shift, Moore said: 'If you can just make one change every week to a healthier lifestyle, you don''t have to diet.'
Multiple small basic changes would result in a healthier lifestyle, Mohoman said. She suggests taking the stairs, eating wheat bread, parking farther away and drinking at least 100 ounces of water a day for improved health.
'I think that people tend to look for something new,' Reed said. 'Some new cure, new answer, new supplement, new eating pattern, something totally different in that it''s going to change their lives. If they focused on they would find a lot of what they''re looking for to feel good and be healthier.'
* A portion of this article ran during Fall Semester 2006.