You might want to think again before you take a sip from that can of Diet Coke. You might want to reconsider any form of low calorie, or diet alternative, to your favourite types of food. Recent studies show that you can’t pull the wool over the eyes of your metabolism that easily. Animals tend to overeat when they are fed low-fat foods, so the logical argument extends to humans, as well. When you deprive your body of its required number of calories, it demands them, and so you eat to compensate for that lack.

From when you are very young, your body adapts to food that is rich in fat, protein and carbohydrates. This is only natural, as these nutrients are required to help you grow. You are used to a particular amount of energy, and when your regular amounts of food don’t meet this energy need, you tend to compensate. This leads you to eat more than your body requires, which could result in weight gains in the long run. It is found that for every Diet Coke you drink, your chance of being obese increases by 40%, when compared to the 30% risk you run with regular Coke. That’s staggering! Combine this with the increased chance of cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease, and you’re looking at more than just gaining weight. Your life could actually be at risk.

Your body can sense the number of calories that you are providing it with. There are internal body cues that will prompt you to eat high sugar, high calorie food in case you don’t have a sufficient intake of calories through your diet meal. Your taste buds are stimulated, and you feel cravings for particularly high calorie food. Instead, if you just ate regular food, that was cooked at home, you might lose weight the healthy, natural way.

Think about the immense challenges offered to your will power as well. If you drink a lot of Diet Coke, or use an artificial sweetener in your tea, your body will expect a certain number of calories that you cannot satisfy through your diet food. To make up for that, you will develop a sweet tooth and start piling on the calories, often unknowingly.

There’s a simpler solution to all of this. Natural healthy foods, by way of fresh fruits and vegetables, rice and pasta, fish and lean meat, and so on, will keep you healthy without messing with your metabolism. They don’t guarantee weight loss, but they do guarantee better health for a longer life. You might want to try eating a balanced diet, instead of a ready to eat diet meal. You might want to cut down on drinking Coke altogether, instead of opting for the diet version. The best way to lose weight is not by trying to fool your body, but my making a conscious effort at moderation. If you eat to live, and not live to eat, you will find the best way to live a healthy life.