Weight loss - Reasons why it can be hard to achieve
Losing weight for many people can be a real struggle. There are many reasons why this may be the case. But why does it sometimes seem so confusing and at times disheartening?
Is it all down to genetics? Why do some people seem to stay overweight no matter what they seem to try? Why do some lose weight only for it to all come back again and often even more so than before?
There is lots of conflicting information:
There are many theories banded about regarding the best way to lose weight and often these work for some people. But there rarely seems to be universal success.
This can be incredibly frustrating. A lot of the time we start a certain diet because it has been recommended or because we have seen it in an advert somewhere. It can be annoying when we think we have done a decent job, only to find that the scales have moved round more than we thought :-(
There are food temptations everywhere and it can seem like a constant battle to try to make headway. We try to judge what would be best to eat but often we are hung up on alternative ideas. Should I eat food this or not? Will it make me fat etc? Some of the conflicting advice and information includes these opposites:
- Don't eat meat - Only eat meat.
- Don't eat fruit and veg - Just eat fruit and veg.
- Eat a big breakfast - Skip your breakfast.
- Eat lots of little meals - Eat just one big meal.
- Try fasting for a few days - Don't try fasting it will cause you to binge.
- Don't eat carbohydrates - Just eat carbohydrates.
- Eat a high protein diet - Eat a low protein diet...
- Get plenty of exercise - Don't exercise when trying to lose weight.
OMG....It's no wonder people get confused.
The end result of this confusion is that it can lead to a lack of action. Which direction should I take? This confusion results in no motion. We feel mixed up and because we become undecided, we have no clear direction to go it. Let's change that:
It's time to get back to basics
So is there any truth out there about weight loss? Is there anything that is fundamental?
Yes!
The overall basic equation is something that in its purest form is hard to argue with. Here it is:
"Over time, if you eat more than your body needs, some food will get stored as fat."
This can be reworded into a kind of weight loss equation like this:
On the face of it, this seems to make good sense. In simple terms, if you eat more than you need, then over time your body weight will increase.
On the other side of the coin, if you eat a bit less than your body requires, then you will lose weight.
This is a very simplistic way of looking at it, but it does help to give us a firm foundation on which to build our understanding of how to achieve our ideal weight.
There are actually quite a few aspects to this simple equation above. Each of the three things leading to YOUR BODY WEIGHT can be controlled by you.
This includes the types of food you eat, how much you eat, how you use your body, the amount of exercise you get and whether your body is properly using what it consumes and also whether your body eliminates waste properly. Numerous articles can be written about each part, and much of this is already covered on this website. Further information will also be available in our email newsletter.
Feel like you have a mountain to climb? It can take time to see results
One thing that many people get frustrated with, is their speed of progress, or rather the lack of it.
Gaining excess weight can often take months, years or even longer. Often it just creeps up on a person over a long period of time. Even just a few pounds a year adds up over time.
Research suggests that people often lose patience with a diet or program if they don't see almost instantaneous results and herein lies a big "diet danger":
Trying to lose weight too quickly can backfire and you end up worse off than before.
Steady progress is the best way
Rapid weight loss is not very healthy, and in many cases consists of mainly water loss and also some serious loss of muscle mass. This can leave the body lacking in energy and you end up craving more food than before.
It is never sensible to risk losing muscle mass in an attempt to lose weight. Having a body with toned, healthy muscle is a great way to maintain a good metabolism rate. This helps to burn off fat and keeps your body fit and healthy. Insufficient muscle strength leads to a poor lymphatic circulation and a weak digestive system. A number of popular fad diets recommend no exercise whilst losing weight but this is ridiculous. Yes, you may lose weight, but lots of it will be lost muscle and eventually the fat will return and you will actually feel weaker than before!
A person can't maintain a crash starvation routine for very long. Eventually the body rebels, almost as a self-defence mechanism, and you are left requiring even more food than before, just to get the body back to "normal".
It is vitally important that you maintain patience when trying to lose fat. It doesn't happen quickly unfortunately. This is how the human body has evolved over many thousands of years. It loses weight and gains weight fairly slowly over many weeks, months or years. So stick with it.
Did you know your cells can remember?
Cells in the body have their own type of memory. It is not the same as one's normal memory that we think of as in the mind or brain. But the cells have their own built-in survival mechanism. This is all done almost 100% on autopilot and it is a wonder of nature. The cells adapt to conditions that they encounter. They get used to processing certain types of foods. They get used to storing a certain amount of fat if the diet isn't right.
The cells can try to hold onto certain levels of water. They can try to maintain a certain fat percentage even if this is too high. They don't like dramatic changes. But over time the cells can get used to almost anything. For example, soldiers are able to train their bodies to adapt to cold temperatures. Or people can train their bodies to survive on lower levels of water for a while when in survival situations.
How to put your weight-loss on to autopilot
Likewise, you can train your body to give up the fat it may be "holding" on to. There are ways and means to make this process easier. This is where common sense, science and some willpower and motivation come into play. Did you know that it can take up to 66 days to make something into a firm habit? Scientists used to think that good or bad habits only needed a few weeks to be formed. However, they have now found that it can take almost twice as long as what they originally thought. There are ways to improve willpower and motivation. We will be sharing these in our articles and having the right information can definitely make things easier.
This extended time that it can take to form habits can be one reason why people give up on diets. They just haven't stuck to it long enough to bust through the barriers to weight loss.
Just knowing it can take a while to lose weight can be a blessing or a curse. It may make some people decide not to bother or give up, but for others just knowing it can take a while, helps us avoid some of the disappointment that can occur from time to time.
Is there a way to make things easier? What direction should I go?
Yes, there are things you can do to help make this journey easier. These include things you can physically do to better organise your day and the foods you eat and also mental things and attitude changes you can make.
Having some clear goals and targets is a key thing for success. This applies to everything in life, not just weight loss. It is important that you write these goals down and remind yourself of them regularly. You can have some short-term goals and some longer-term ones. Decide what it is that will excite you enough to go for it. This is such an important topic that you would be well advised to read up on and study thoroughly.
You need to set targets and goals that will excite you. Losing weight can be tough, but the benefits can be used. I think many overweight people don't realise or they have forgotten just how great it can feel when your body is in better shape.
Your goals should also be realistic. It is no use saying you want to lose 30 pounds in 2 weeks. That would be crazy and whilst it may be technically possible, it would not all be fat loss and you would make yourself ill.
Targets could be as simple as losing 1 or 2 pounds per week, or aiming to lose 5 pounds in the next 30 days. You could have an overall target of losing 20 pounds in six months etc. Make the targets worthwhile, remind yourself daily at least and definitely make them doable.
We will be issuing further articles in due course about all these things which can help speed up your progress towards your goals. In the meantime here is some product and program news which may help:
Some further information which may assist you
We highly recommend our superfood product with any diet. It is a low glycemic food supplement and can be used by anyone including those people on a low carbohydrate diet or high protein diet. It supplies many natural nutrients and it has been shown to reduce food cravings.
There will also be a series of special reports available free to our newsletter subscribers which will deal will the real facts about carbs and help to cut through the clutter of lies and misinformation about carbohydrates.
It is possible that you can achieve a healthy body and at a good weight for you, no matter what that weight may be.
As part of our regular newsletter there will be examples of successful natural treatments to help you slim and achieve your ideal weight.
| Live demonstration: Our new weight loss program will be released shortly. Here is a little demonstration. Click here now. |
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| See: daily comments daily diet tips before photo's recipes |
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It is possible to achieve your ideal weight!
We have researched the latest ideas on weight-loss and we are currently producing our reports. It is expected that the first part of it will be available shortly.
Further parts will then be released regularly via our regular organic and health newsletter.
If you would like to register for this free newsletter please go to the free newsletter subscriber page - click here.
Become inspired and motivated
We often hear stories from people who had previously struggled. They told us that they thought they wouldn't be able to do it. They often said it was just their body type and that it is just the way it is.
They often said things like they were "big boned" or that it is all down to genetics...
We don't dispute that genes can play a part. Sure they can.
This applies to muscle growth for athletes and for excess weight in others. BUT genetics are a minor part of the reason for being overweight.
It is important to realise that it is possible to get weight under control and get a slimmer body. There are hundreds and possibly thousands of amazing before and after stories on youtube of people who have made dramatic changes.
You can go there and see for yourself. Use these stories and body transformations to inspire you and to help you get motivated.
Building a positive attitude and developing your willpower is important and this will help you overcome any obstacles which may get in your way.
Make the decision to do something and create your own targets and goals.
You Can Do It :-)
