Bangalore: Bookstores and magazines are filled with tips to lose weight, and making those kilos go away is made possible with various diet tips. Everything from low-carbohydrate, high-protein food and low-fat diets to salads and juices-only diets are described in detail.

"The problem with crash diets is that they don't provide balanced nutrition. There is really no need to cut down on most food, except fat and sugar and some dairy products. Even in the last instance, you do get low-fat milk at most large grocery stores now," says nutritionist Uma Vasudev.

What happens when you go on a drastic diet is that your body craves for certain nutrients which you need to stay healthy. Salads and juices or dry toast alone cannot provide these nutrients and once you have lost those extra kilos and stopped dieting, binge eating may begin, she cautions.

A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, for instance, may deprive you of enough glucose for energy. At the same time, all those additional protein may be doing some damage to your system, especially the kidneys.

"Dieting without exercise doesn't work because you may be just losing muscle while keeping the fat on. I am not against a carefully planned diet but it should be combined with some workouts and a lot of aerobic exercise such as using the treadmill. This speeds up the metabolism, burns up calories and makes losing weight that much more easier and faster. At the same time, you build up muscles and that means less cellulite which most overweight women have," suggests Natasha Singh, health club trainer.

Severe dieting

Severe dieting may discourage one from exercising as the body is not getting enough energy. When you are tired, listless and feeling hunger pangs often, exercise is furthest from your mind. Nutritionists suggest that instead of drastically cutting down on the total number of calories, plan your meals. Small meals, properly spaced and with low-fat items, can help you come down from 2,000 calories to around 1,500 calories a day. Enough for most women to get through house work, work outside if they have a job to keep and some pleasant exercise time such as brisk walking, jogging or cycling.

"Remember that exercise takes away a lot of fluids. After any kind of workout, do drink plenty of fluids... sugar-free juices are the best," says Ms. Vasudev. Dehydration combined with muscle fatigue can have a devastating effect on your health, she cautions.

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