Most commercial diet programs are very low in calories. Many border on starvation: 1200 calories, 1000 calories, even 800 calories or less!

BE WARNED! Starving the fat off doesn't work (at least not permanently).

In fact, very low calorie diets can actually make you fatter! It's is the ultimate paradox:

When you eat less, your body burns less. When you eat more, your body burns more.

Very low calorie diets slow down your metabolism and cause you to lose muscle. Eventually they shut down your metabolism completely. When this happens, the weight loss stops and any increase in calories that follows will cause immediate fat gain. This rebound effect is inevitable, because no one can stay on low calories forever.

Carefully scrutinize the calorie recommendations of any diet programs before you start them. You'll probably discover that 95% of them require you to slash your calories to starvation levels. That's why they work in the beginning - because you are starving. But they never work for long.

Your body is smart. As soon as you are in danger of starving, your body will quickly adjust your metabolic rate downward like a thermostat, so you burn fewer calories.

The only way to lose fat and keep it off permanently is to reduce your calories slightly and increase your activity greatly.

The Moral: It is better to burn the fat than to starve the fat.

Back to MORE Fat Lies

If you enjoyed the "The Ten Biggest Fat Loss Lies" and you would like a FREE subscription to Tom Venuto's monthly E-zine, "Bodybuilding and Fitness Secrets" (BFS), please visit Tom's Fitness Renaissance website at: http://www.fitren.com