Why does it take so many different diets to accommodate everyone?

The main reason why one diet doesn't work for everyone is because people are different. This goes for every part of the diet process:

    * from the amount of weight they need to lose,
    * to how their body burns fat,
    * to how it stores fat,
    * how it builds muscle,
    * how efficiently it processes food, etc.

Our bodies are so complex and diverse it is impossible to assume one type of eating plan will work for everyone. People lose weight at a different rate and people build muscle differently.

Genetics also play a huge role in how we react to food and exercise. Some people can exercise two hours a day and lose a pound (.9 kg) a week. Another person can exercise 30 minutes a day and lose 4 pounds (1.8 kgs) a week. Not fair, is it? Call it metabolism, or genetics, but in the end, there isn't much you can do to change it. You just have to learn to work around it.

Other factors also come into play. Believe it or not, your blood type affects how well your body reacts to certain foods. Your oxidation rate, or the way your body processes certain types of food into energy, is another factor. Hormones even come into play when it refers to the body's ability to process, burn and utilize foods.

Another reason one eating plan may not work for everyone is that people do not follow the same guidelines when they are on a diet. You can give two people the same guidelines of:

    * what they should eat,
    * when they should eat it, and
    * how much they should eat.

Inevitably, the two will have different perspectives as to what the details refer to. Instructions will be perceived differently, which will generate different results.

Even small details can make a major difference. For example, a crucial part of an exercise regimen is to drink plenty of water. Two people can carry out the same exercise routine and yet one can experience a greater weight loss. Why? Because they are staying hydrated and the excess water they are consuming is flushing the fat and toxins out of their system.

By Beverleigh H Piepers