Weight Loss
Posted by: Janet Matthews on
Oct 22nd, 2008
Weight Loss
Confused by all the information on the internet? Everyone has the latest and greatest ways to diet. Weight Loss is becoming a massive industry, not only for the health services around the world but also for “big business”. The “average Joe” who thinks they will jump on the latest bandwagon to make some money. Unfortunately due to the fact that there are many fad diets out there that promise unrealistic results, many desperate dieters will find themselves constantly moving from one diet to another to find the one that offers then lasting success.
Are you a weight loss yoyo-er? Do you lose weight only to put it back on again time after time? Perhaps you even put more weight on than before and your weight is gradually creeping up higher and higher and you don’t know what to do about it. Well it may help you to know that you are not alone in this and weight loss yoyo-ers are on the increase.
Once you get into the cycle of weight off – weight on, your body, not surprisingly, becomes confused. Once upon a time your body had a set point, a weight that was the norm for you. With repeated weight gain followed by weight loss followed by weight gain etc etc, your body is constantly changing that set point until it is at a higher rate than you would like it to be. It can then be very difficult to attain the weight loss you so desire. Your body plateaus and any further weight loss seems like an impossibility. When this happens we often we get frustrated and disheartened and give up on the weight loss diet thinking it isn’t working. This inevitably results in our weight starting to increase once again to an unacceptable level.
So what can you do to re regulate your set point? First and foremost, it is important to realize that you are going to have to be far more persistent in your approach to weight loss. One of the reasons you find it difficult to sustain your weight loss is because your adrenal glands have become exhausted. Very often when you have been on a weight loss diet month after month, perhaps not following a well structured diet, maybe cutting calories or missing meals or eating too many carbohydrates, your body is constantly in a fight or flight state. This situation will inevitably leave you tired confusing your metabolism and encouraging it to turn to stimulants such as tea, coffee, and diet drinks as a pick me up to compensate for what may well have been an energy deficient diet. Unfortunately this just activates the sympathetic nervous system to release more stress hormones which in turn requires more stimulants and so the cycle goes on and weight loss becomes less and less likely. This vicious circle can be almost impossible to break without professional help.
In my experience people who have been on a “not so healthy” weight loss diet will inevitably have lost some muscle as well as fat. As muscle burns energy this will not help your weight loss regime as a decreased muscle mass means a lower metabolic rate. Yet another vicious cycle your body has to find a way to break. This increases your chances gaining weight rather than losing weight and so the yoyo effect continues.
As I said at the beginning of this article, the weight loss industry is big business and it is not in their interest for you to lose weight forever. This may be a hard pill to swallow, but sadly it is true. If everybody lost weight easily and permanently there would be no weight loss industry and many people would be out of a job. If you want to know if your weight loss plan is a good one then it needs to have a good scientific explanation so that you are certain it is going to work to not only help you to lose weight but also the gain health. If it sounds amazing, maybe too good to be true, then it is probably a fad diet that will do nothing to help you to achieve permanent weight loss
Weight loss is a serious issue. It is not something to “play” with. Your future health is dependant on you losing weight so take your diet seriously. If weight loss has been an issue for you for many years then it would be advisable to get the advice and support of a professional weight loss coach who can monitor your progress.
You need to be patient and remember it has probably taken you many years to become over weight particularly if you have been a weight loss yoyo-er, so it is likely take time to crack the cycle and achieve permanent weight loss. Remember also that tackling your weight loss problem also means that you are improving your overall health.
At the end of the day health is the most important thing. There is no point in looking forward to early retirement and all the enjoyable things that freedom can bring if you haven’t got the health to make the most of them
Janet Matthews
skype me: lindajanetmatthews
+44 7815614557

