Weight Loss Secrets

The Secrets of Weight Loss

Where Diets Go Wrong

Our natural natural inclination, when we discover that we have put on weight, is to eat less food. We may skip lunch or eat only a small dinner in the hope that if we eat less, our body will burn off some of its fat. But that is not necessarily true. Eating less actually makes it more difficult to lose weight.

The essential problem is that the human body took shape millions of years ago, and at that time there were no diets. The only low-calorie event in people's lives was starvation. Those who could cope with a short-term lack of food were the ones who survived. Our bodies, therefore, have developed this built-in mechanism to help us survive in circumstances of low food intake.

When researchers compare overweight and thin people, they find that they consume roughly the same number of calories. What makes overweight people different is the amount of fat that they eat. Thin people tend to eat less fat plus they eat more complex carbohydrates.

Losing weight is not something one can do overnight. A carefully-planned weight loss program requires common sense and certain guidelines. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fallacies about weight loss so let's see if we can dispose of some of them.

Every day we are bombarded by advertisements touting some new miracle product or wonder pill will the seller claims will see excess weight lost quickly. Everyone is looking for that "magic" weight loss pill as we are too lazy to lose weight the conventional way - diet plus exercise. Millions of people worldwide are trying to lose weight, spending billions every year on diet programs and miracle products.
Often they may lose some weight initially. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost.

A survey was done recently to try and determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so. But the diet industry continues to push new products and make outrageous claims.

Being seriously overweight can result in a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it is now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is saturated fat.

The myth is that people get heavy by eating too many calories. It is true that calories are a consideration but overall they are not the cause of obesity in New Zealand today. We actually take in fewer calories each day than we did at the beginning of the century. If calories alone were the reason we become overweight, we should all be thin. But we are not. Collectively, we are heavier than ever. Partly, it is because we are more sedentary now. But equally, as important is the fact that the fat content of the average diet has changed dramatically.

People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time, you must increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.

Select an exercise routine that you are comfortable with and stick with it. See the tips in All the f words for Babyboomers about how to maintain your enthusiasm. Remember that walking is one of the best and easiest exercises for strengthening your bones, controlling your weight and toning your muscles.

Losing Weight Takes Effort

To lose weight permanently and achieve a better body shape, you must be prepared to do the hard yards. Nothing is more frustrating than to put in a huge effort for a few weeks and then see that you are gaining weight again a month after you stop your exercise regime.

You need to learn from your failure. It comes down to plain, hard work and it's not usually fun. It is, however, essential.

If you deviate from your chosen weight loss path, you have to create a game plan to get back on track right away without beating yourself up and knocking your self-esteem. Maybe your game plan is to take one day at a time, going back to your diet tomorrow. Maybe it's getting angry and becoming more determined then ever to succeed.

Without effort and application, you will not succeed. You can't wish your weight away. You have to work at it and be prepared for those times when you slip up. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on.

Losing weight demands perseverance, effort and commitment - does that sound like you?

The Positive Weight Loss Approach

Once you have made up your mind to lose weight, you should make that commitment and develop a positive attitude. We all know that losing weight is not easy. In fact, for some, it can be downright impossible. It takes time and support to change the habits of a lifetime.

But it's a process you must adopt in order to succeed. You and you alone are the one who has the power to lose unwanted kilos.

Think like a winner - remember that emotions are like muscles and the ones you use the most will grow the strongest. If you always look at the negative side of things, you'll become an unhappy, pessimistic person. Even slightly negative thoughts have a greater impact on you and last longer than powerful positive thoughts.

Negative thinking doesn't do you any good, it just holds you back from accomplishing the things you want to do. When a negative thought creeps into your mind, replace it reminding yourself that you are your own person; you have self-worth and you possess unique strengths and talents.Contemplate what lies ahead of you. Losing weight is not just about diets. It's about a whole new approach to life.

Investigate the weight loss programs that appeal to you and that you feel will teach you the behavioral skills you need to stick with throughout the weight-loss process. You also should look for support among family and friends. It can be an enormous help to discuss obstacles and share solutions with others on the same path. You might look for this support from others you know who are in weight loss programs. Or you can seek guidance from someone you know who has lost weight and kept it off.

There are success stories across the country today. On television and in newspapers, magazines and tabloids about people who have miraculously lost untold pounds and kept it off. In all instances, they say their mental attitude as well as their outlook on life has totally changed.

Diets and weight loss programs are more flexible now than they once were and there are many prepared foods that are pleasant to eat. They look attractive and can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Low-fat and low-calorie foods are on shelves everywhere.

You will probably need to learn new, smarter eating skills. You will want a weight loss regimen that gives you some control, rather than imposing one rigid system. Look for one that offers a variety of different eating plans, so you can choose the one that's best for you.

Keep in mind, too, that your weight loss program will most likely include some physical exercises. Develop a positive attitude to exercising aspect - work out with a friend to share the burden. The fact is that physical fitness is inseperably linked to all effectiveness in every aspect of daily life. Anyone willing to take the few simple steps that lie between them and fitness will shortly begin to feel better, and the improvement will reflect itself in every facet of their existence.

Top 20 Benefits of Exercise

Author and exercise Physiologist, Greg Landry, has compiled the following list of benefits from regular exercise.

1. Elevates your metabolism so that you burn more calories everyday.

2. Increases your aerobic capacity (fitness level). This gives you the ability to go through your day with less relative energy expenditure. This enables a "fit" person to have more energy at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day with less fatigue.

3. Maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscle. Exercise also increases your muscular endurance.

4. Decreases your blood pressure.

5. Increases the oxidation (breakdown and use) of fat.

6. Increases HDL (good) cholesterol.

7. Makes the heart a more efficient pump by increasing stroke volume.

8. Increases hemoglobin concentration in your blood. Hemoglobin is part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

9. Decreases the tendency of the blood to clot in the blood vessels. This is important because small clots traveling in the blood are often the cause of heart attacks and strokes.

10. Increases the strength of the bones.

11. Causes the development of new blood vessels in the heart and other muscles.

12. Enlarges the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

13. Decreases blood levels of triglycerides (fat).

14. Improves control of blood sugar.

15. Improves sleep patterns.

16. Increases the efficiency of the digestive system which may reduce the incidence of colon cancer.

17. Increases the thickness of cartilage in joints which has a protective effect on the joints.

18. Decreases a woman's risk of developing endometriosis by 50%.

19. Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look and feel healthier.

20. Exercise, in addition to all the physiological and anatomical benefits, just makes you feel GREAT!

The vast majority of these people are not exercising anywhere near enough, if at all! You can only decrease your caloric intake so much. Your other alternative is to increase your caloric expenditure. You can write this in stone:
VERY FEW people are successful at losing weight AND keeping it off without exercising almost every day!

If you're having trouble losing weight, 20 minutes of exercise three times a week isn't going to cut it! Most people who tell me they are *really serious* about losing weight are not willing to do what it takes to get where they want to be. If you're not willing to make exercise a *serious* priority in your life, your chances of succeeding at losing weight and keeping it off are VERY small! Many of my clients who are serious about weight loss are exercising 1 to 2 hours per day. Many split it up and do some in the morning and some in the late afternoon or evening. If you're having difficulty losing weight, I would recommend that you average at least 30 minutes *everyday*, ideally more.

2. Most people who are exercising but not losing weight are not weight training. Weight training is *critical* to maintaining your muscle mass and tone. If you're not weight training while trying to lose weight, you will lose muscle mass and tone and your basal metabolic rate will decrease causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hour-a-day!

3. 'Non-losers' are actually consuming about 600 calories more per day than they think they are. Recent research with a large group of "non-losers" determined that they were significantly under-estimating the number of calories they were consuming on a daily basis. If you're not sure, write down everything you eat for a few weeks.

4. "Non-losers" want *instant* results. When it doesn't happen they either give up or go on some crazy diet. You HAVE to be resolved to the fact that it WILL be slow!

5. "Non-losers" are actually consuming more fat than they think they are. Limiting fat intake to 20 to 30 grams per day is critical for "non-losers".

6. "Non-losers" are notorious for skipping meals! This is really bad news because it slows your metabolism causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hours-a-day.

7. "Non-losers" consume far too much sugar or simple / refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white (non whole wheat) flour products, white (non whole wheat) pastas, soft drinks, sweetened drinks, and the hundreds of products that contain addded sugar that's deceptively listed on ingredient lists with names like sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

8. Some "non-losers" don't want to give up their alcohol. Alcohol is a triple whammy...it stimulates your appetite, slows your metabolism, and it's loaded with calories! Enough said.

9. Many "non-losers" consume far too few fruits and vegetables.

10. Many "non-losers" always eat until they're full. Practice stopping before you're "full" and see how you feel 30 minutes later. You will probably feel satisfied by then.

11. Many "non-losers" consume artificial sweeteners which stimulate the pancreas to release insulin just like sugar would. Insulin causes your body to store fat and prohibits your body from burning fat for fuel.

Weight loss is VERY difficult! Simply put, If you don't want it bad enough to do what it takes, it's NOT going to happen. If you really want to lose weight, quit playing around with it. Get serious about it and make it an absolute, non-negotiable priority in your life... and it will happen!

Greg Landry, offers free weight loss success stories and articles, and unique weight loss programs at his site: http://www.Landry.com