The skinny

Sticking to diet helps students
feel good about being ‘losers’

By KIRSTEN TATE
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

If the crowd at Gold’s Gym in Cedar City is any indication, losing weight is once again a popular New Year’s resolution.
“There were more people than usual, especially late at night,” said Kristen Painter, a junior elementary education major from Taylorsville who frequents the gym often.
In addition to exercise, new diets often become part of the resolution to lose weight. Hundreds of diet plans exist. Many of them are crash diets that provide weight loss rapidly, but are difficult to maintain. Others seem like legitimate weight loss plans, but over long-term, don’t prove to be practical.
With so many choices, it can be difficult to know which diet will provide the best and longest lasting results.
One of the most popular trends is a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet. The philosophy is that fat doesn’t make someone fat; it is the carbohydrates because the unused glucose in the carbohydrate gets stored as fat.
The Atkins Diet is probably the most popular low-carbohydrate diet. The emphasis is protein, with only 20 grams of carbohydrate allowed per day.
Meats and cheeses are the key source of protein, while some vegetables are allowed for the natural carbohydrate allowance, vitamins and variety.
Any form of complex carbohydrate is forbidden. Breads, grains, sugars, all flour, juice and fruit are to be avoided, according to weightloss.about.com.
Those who follow this diet claim it really works because results are seen within a week. The Ladies Home Journal Web site said the first five pounds are water weight loss, not fat.
As reported in an article at lhj.com, critics of the diet say there is no evidence that carbohydrates cause fat. The “elevated amount of insulin produced to digest the carbohydrates only leads to increased fat storage in people who eat too many calories.
“It is not the carbohydrates making people fat, it’s the excess calories,” the site reported
Another problem with high-protein diets is the increased possibility for cardiovascular disease because of the high fat content.
Those who are at risk for heart disease should consult a physician before beginning this diet.
Another diet which emphasizes “low-carbohydrates” is the Zone. The hormones, insulin and elcosanoids, governed by food eaten are maintained within zones, not too high or not too low.
The benefits of controlling insulin are increased fat loss, a decreased likelihood of cardiovascular disease, and greater physical performance, according to www.zonediet.com.
The key is consistent insulin control with a supplement of a high-dose of fish oil. There is a balance of protein and carbohydrate in each meal. The majority of carbohydrates come from vegetables and fruit with starches being used sparingly.
How many zones a person eats for each meal are figured personally for everyone. Jennifer Aniston uses the Zone as her eating plan, with Pilates for exercise, an article in US Weekly reported.
One of the complicated diets is “combinations.” It is also a low-carbohydrate diet, but it claims eating and not eating certain foods together can help with losing weight, an article in a Harvard Health Publication special report said.
The premise is not to eat protein with carbohydrates and various