Fat Loss Lie - Part 1

The only way to be lean is to starve yourself. Many popular diet programs are too low in calories. These diet programs go as low as 1200 calories, 1000 calories, 800 calories or even less. The fact is when you are too low on calories, your metabolism slow down to protect you from starving. Your fat cells release less of the hormone leptin. Hormone leptin is responsible for telling your brain you are well fed and not starving. This in turn triggers a decrease in thyroid output and increase in appetite.

Very low calories not only slow down your metabolism to burn more fat but also cause your body to lose muscle tissues. When you lose more muscle tissues, it would make it more difficult for you to burn fat and lose weight. Any increase in calories after that would cause immediate fat gain. Any diet program with low calories will work for short term but it will never work for long.

The human body is very "smart" – it always strives to maintain a state of equilibrium. Whether it is body temperature or hormone levels, it is tightly regulated by your body to the point where your body feels safe and comfortable. The same is true for your body fat and metabolism. As soon as you are in danger of starving, your metabolism slows down so you burn fewer calories and your appetite increases so you eat more calories.

The best recommendation would be to decrease your calories very conservatively, only about 20% below your daily calorie maintenance level. For example: If you maintain your weight on 2000 calories per day, a 20% decrease would become 1600 calories per day. Then you must increase your exercise level to burn more fat.
http://burn-the-fats.blogspot.com/2007/04/big-fat-lies-part-1.html