Burn, Baby Burn
Author: Jo Anne Steglitz
Date: Mar 01, 2000
Publisher: The Hudson Current

If it hasn't happened by now, the July 4th holiday is when most people finally fall off the diet wagon. Hot dogs, burgers, breads, rolls, potato salad, you name it. And when it comes to dieting, we've come up with all sorts of ways to combat the calories.

In the 70's cottage cheese and Tab was the universal weight loss system and Lauren Hutton's face emanated from television sets across the country touting the dietetic benefits of Tic Tacs, "the one-calorie breath mint."

In the 80's there was a shift in gestalt. Everyone began talking about low-fat this and fat-free that. My mother, who tends to be taken in the latest Zeitgeist, stocked our refrigerator with low-fat frozen yogurt, non-fat sour cream and light mayonnaise. (Tuna fish sandwiches just weren't the same without Hellman's full-fat mayo.)

Most recently, attention has shifted towards carbohydrates - as in eliminate them from your diet. While the low-carb diet has been around since the1970's, thanks to the republishing of Robert Atkin's bestseller, "The New Diet Revolution," (Avon Books) there's been a recent resurgence.

"The so-called 'calorie theory' has been a millstone around the necks of dieters and a miserable malign influence on the efforts to lose weight," writes Atkins. "The metabolic defect involving insulin (and causing obesity) can be circumvented by restricting carbohydrates." According to Atkin's, eliminating carbohydrates is not only the most effective, but really the only way to lose weight.

Barry Sears, the author of that other best-selling diet guide, "Enter the Zone," (Harper-Collins) similarly cautions readers about the consequences of carbohydrates. Taking a slightly more moderate stance - he never recommends eliminating all carbohydrates - Sears explains how the body burns fat more efficiently than carbs, reinforcing Atkin's low carb philosophy.

Recently, I visited my mother. Always hip to the latest trend, her fridge was overflowing with exotic cheeses ranging from Camembert to Brie to the stinkiest Stilton on the market. I even spotted a container of Hellman's regular mayonnaise tucked safely behind the whole milk. Carbs, however, were harder to come by. Just when the tuna was finally back to basics, there wasn't a bagel in the house. Frustrated, I immediately contacted Hoboken's fitness guru Tom Venuto, the general manager of Empire Fitness Club in Hoboken and certified personal trainer and nutritionist. With no miracle diet to plug, I figured that he would give me the honest low down on the low-carb craze.

"The problem with the low carb diet is that the weight loss is deceiving," he explained, "By removing all of the carbohydrates in your diet, your body goes into the metabolic state, ketosis, and you begin to burn off stored body fat. It works initially, but eventually, as you reduce your carbs, your energy reduces too. A lot of the weight loss is water weight or lean body mass. It's temporary and won't work in the long run.

Not only did Venuto debunk the no-carb weight loss plan, he similarly denounced most other restrictive diets. "When you reduce your calories drastically, your metabolism slows down as your body conserves energy," he said. "You will eventually hit a plateau, become frustrated and break your diet. And it's simply not healthy." While Venuto did encourage dieters to stay away from sugar and high-fat foods, he remained weary of miracle diets and quick-fix cures. "The best approach to weight loss is something that's balanced, so you can stick with it as a lifestyle," he added.

According to Venuto, that "something" is simple: a healthy, well-balanced diet combined with regular cardiovascular exercise and a little weight training thrown into the mix. "Diets don't work by themselves," Venuto stated emphatically. 'Everyone should do some kind of cardiovascular workout at least three days a week, 20 to 30 minutes a session."

Having confirmed my initial suspicion - an occasional bagel or potato won't kill you and exercise is the key to successful weight loss -- I went back to my mother. Over dinner on the town, I told my mother of my latest findings. Intently she listened to what I had to say and then politely passed on the complimentary roll offered by the bus boy.

Recommended Readings:

Burn The Fat - Tom Venuto

Ultimate Fat Burner - Paul Crane