Effects of dieting on your health

What are the effects of dieting on the body? Obviously what you want to hear is that it will help you to lose lots of weight and wind up looking wonderful, but is that what actually happens?

When you first start out on a diet you are full of hope - this will be the time you crack it, the pounds will fall off, the slim you hiding inside will emerge.

One of the first effects of dieting is that you will feel hungry. Your body has got used to a certain quantity and regularity of eating, so when you restrict your calorie intake, it will complain.

That's the first hurdle - your resolve, your commitment, your motivation will be tested. If you get past the first few days, you might have a chance of sticking with it - most people quit within just a few days of starting a weight loss plan.

If you manage to stick with it, your body begins to adjust - it assumes that this is the way it is going to be from now on, and uses its resources accordingly.

This means that if you are on a very low calorie plan, your body will go into starvation mode, dramatically slowing your metabolism (the speed at which you burn calories) and feeding on your muscles to fuel itself.

The result? By the time you finish the diet your body has been re-programmed to use considerably less food - so simply eating a good healthy diet will cause you to gain weight quickly.

The answer? Avoid very low calorie plans, and opt instead for a healthy eating plan that allows you to gradually lose weight.