Renegade Rip

Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Ally Armstrong

The Mediterranean Diet, the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, and waves more have flooded the shelves of stores in recent years.
These diets have enticed scores of people combating obesity. However, many of these people are under a pre-conceived notion that these diets are a safe and fast way to achieve their weight loss goals.
"Diets don't work, period," said Leah Carter, a dietitian and professor at Bakersfield College, "People need to look beyond just the diets, in order to lose weight."
According to Carter, the basic types of diets (high protein and high carbohydrate diets) can lead to deficiencies and disease such as heart disease.
When people are on high protein diets, they take in all the saturated fats and cholesterol while leaving out all the nutrients contained in high carbohydrate foods such as fruits and vegetables, added Carter, when people are on high carbohydrate foods, they tend to leave out all the protein that helps build strong muscles.
"It's all about the calories," said Carter.
In order to lose weight, people must expend more calories through activity than they take in and by following a balanced diet they can achieve good health.
"There is no magical food out there that has just the right combination of fats, carbohydrates or proteins," said Carter.
Not only can some diets leave people desperate for nutrition, they can leave people feeling unsatisfied.
According to Dr. Robert W. Griffith in an article, a study on 160 people divided into four different diets showed that there was over a 50 percent drop-out rate on each of the four diets.
"People need to understand that when they're trying to lose weight it's not a temporary deal," said Carter, "They have to pick a diet that they can live with forever."
According to Carter, diets are helpful with initial weight loss, but efforts are wasted when people stop and gain the weight back.
People know how to lose weight, said Carter, "but they don't take the steps necessary to make that happen. They don't change their diet. They don't exercise."
Even though 58 percent of Kern County adults are overweight, according to Carter, people are surrounded by too many foods convenient to their busy lifestyle to change the statistics.
"I think people are aware," said Carter, "but being aware does not translate into action."
Because of people's busy lifestyles, they often turn to diet and nutritional supplements as well.

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