Grapefruit Diet And Weight Loss

Many individuals grappling with insecurities associated with their weight have sought numerous methods of weight-loss ranging from healthy eating and exercise, to diet pills or starvation. Throughout the ages, many diets have surfaced such as the Grapefruit diet, involving, “Half a grapefruit before every meal, in order to lower the overall calorie intake” (Estridge, 2016). Amongst other do-it-yourself methods like the Grapefruit diet, there have been a significant number of companies that have hoped to profit off the growing desire of many individuals to shed themselves of their excess weight; Weight Watchers, founded in the mid-1960’s, created, “A point system in which the saturated fat and calorie content of foods had been worked out” (Estridge, …show more content…
During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function” (Rodolfo, 2000). Generally, However, a sudden and drastic lack of calories, like if there was a drastic lack of oxygen, would result in a negative impact on the individual’s body. Essentially, the K-E diet put the body in a state of ketosis, meaning that it is, “burning fat instead of carbohydrates” (Walton, 2012). Essentially, the body enters the first phases of starvation through this diet. When an average person’s calories are cut drastically, and the body goes into ketosis, “The body starts to burn stored fat rather than consuming sugar to keep normal bodily functions going” (Park, 2012). Once the ten pounds are lost, the nasogastric tube will disappear and the weight gained back will remain as fat, causing the individual to start the diet all over again. This cyclical process is very likely to abuse one’s body, as the patients will want faster and more permanent results that will be easier to obtain. Patients will push the calorie intake to something even lower than it already was, “Subsequently stressing the body’s metabolic system with too many dips into the dangerous ketosis zone. That may make it difficult for even healthy eaters to come back to a normal weight if they’ve undergone …show more content…
Our bodies are constantly looking to achieve homeostasis or, “Referring to any process that living things use to actively maintain fairly stable conditions necessary for survival, such as in regards to our own physiological condition” (Rodolfo, 2000). In order to maintain homeostasis, the body adjusts to the lack of adequate calories by figuring out the best way to operate within the new parameters; that is, more often than not, to lose weight. When there is a significant restriction, the body reacts by entering starvation mode, “The body’s natural response to long-term calorie restriction. It involves a reduction in the amount of calories your body burns, which can slow down weight loss” (Gunnars, 2016). This is also associated with, “feelings of hunger, laziness and an increase in food cravings” (Gunnars, 2016). This is primarily the brain’s natural mechanism to protect an individuall from starvation, and more often than not involves metabolic damage ad the body, “responds to the reduced calorie intake in an attempt to maintain energy balance and prevent starvation” (Gunnars, 2016). Thus, the body reacts to the lack of substances by attempting to regain homeostasis even in the presence of a restriction of calories and nutrients. This is incredibly essential, because if the body did not make an attempt