Why Should You Consult A Doctor Before Starting A New Diet?

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Nutrition Blog

It can be difficult to know where to begin when you want to lose weight. Fortunately, there’s plenty of diet information available online and at your local library. However, before you begin any new diet, it’s essential to run it by your doctor.

Everyone can, and should, be exercising and maintaining their fitness levels. If you have a health issue – such as heart disease – your doctor may order a stress test before starting a new exercise programme. This is because they want to ensure that the diet plan is safe for you and that hypothetically dangerous medications are not being used with weight loss.

Also, people with certain medical illnesses – such as kidney disease – may need to avoid certain diet plans:

  • Diets that recommend high protein intake;
  • Individuals who suffer from high blood pressure or – alternatively – heart failure should avoid diets which are high in salt.

If You Have A BMI Over 30

Your BMI (Body Mass Index) is the measurement which is used to determine your body mass to height ratio. Before beginning any diet programme, you should figure out your BMI. This is relatively easy to do.

In order to determine your BMI, you need to know your weight in kilograms, as well as your height, metered squared. You will then need to divide your weight by your height (kg/m2). Your BMI end result will fall into a range:

  • If you have a BMI which is below 18.5, you are considered to be underweight.
  • If you fall anywhere between 18.5 as well as 24.9, you are considered to have a normal weight.
  • If you have a BMI of between 25 and 29.9, this figure is considered as overweight.
  • You are considered obese if you have a BMI higher than 30.

If you fall into the obese BMI category, you need to consult with a doctor prior to starting a new diet. This is because individuals who suffer from obesity are at a greater risk of experiencing health problems as well as complications. These possible risks may be avoided if a doctor guides you during the weight loss process.

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Don’t Cut Out Anything Without Medical Advice

Some diets urge you to cut out specific food groups. Before cutting any foods out of your diet, you should be consulting with a doctor in order to ensure that it won’t harm your overall health as well as put you at higher risk for gaining the weight back.

If you limit your diet so that a food group, such as carbs for instance, doesn’t exist in it anymore, this could lead to a shortage of nutrients. This may put you at risk for losing muscle mass and complications such as brittle bones as well as organ damage. Furthermore, if you start to eat “normally” again, your weight is likely to come back because your body will have been starved for the element and will try to conserve it in case it gets “starved” again.

Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy

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