Can't Lose Weight?

Posts Tagged ‘Weight Gain’

Copyright (c) 2009 Stephen Lau
Nowadays, everybody wants to lose weight. Weight loss has become a fad and fancy. You see so many credible testimonials, and so many before-and-after pictures of individuals who have ultimately achieved their goals in weight loss.
Are they for real? Are they “real” people who have “real” results in weight loss? You just wonder. Well, to give them the benefit of the doubt, they may be real, but they are few and far in between. In the real world, unfortunately, there are millions who have fallen victims in the battle of the bulge. Not only are they frustrated in their futile attempts to lose weight, but they are also much worse off than they were when they began the process of weight loss.
Indeed, to lose weight is frustrating and futile. Seeing others’ success and witnessing your own miserable failure is a devastating experience.
The problem of weight loss may look complex, but it is simple in reality. Your ancestors did not have a problem with losing weight. However, the problem may look complex nowadays because it has become insurmountable. Indeed, weight loss is difficult and almost impossible to many. As such, there are myriads of approaches to the problem of losing weight, resulting in an array of programs purported to solve this seemingly-insolvable complex problem of contemporary society.
In spite of medical advancement, man has yet to come up with a pill that can eradicate all weight problems. But we are getting very close to that: medical science has enabled us to do almost anything with our body system, such as stopping food cravings, eliminating excess fat, changing body metabolism, and decreasing appetite. To date, it has not come up with something that will guarantee weight loss permanently.
On the market there are innumerable programs telling you to eat less or not at all (fasting), to cut calories, to consume more or less fat, to exercise vigorously, to use food combination, such as protein and carbohydrate, among others. To name a few, you have the Atkins, the South Beach, the Weight Watchers, and even Cabbage Soup, Peanut Butter, and Ice Cream diets. The consumer is at a loss as to what to do with their weight problems. Some decide to give up totally, ignoring their weight problems, and continue with their current lifestyles and eating habits, while others pursue these programs diligently. Unfortunately, they all end up with more or less the same result: ultimate weight gain.
So, what is the problem with weight loss?
The problem is that we all want a “quick fix” to the problem of weight gain and weight loss. Worse, we want it right away. You could have a Botox injection a few hours before you go to a social occasion, and you would look gorgeous. But you may have difficulty in losing your extra pounds and fitting yourself into the dress you wish to wear on a special occasion, such as a wedding, a few months down the road.
The problem with all these fad diets and gimmicks of eating is that they only address the symptoms and not the causes. Most of them promote weight loss through loss of water from the body, while the body fat remains. So, once you resume “normal” eating, you are back to square one – at an unhealthy weight.
The problem with most dieting is that it targets only the physical side of eating.
But weight loss involves more than the physical body: the mental, the intellectual, the emotional, and the spiritual aspects of the self have to be taken into consideration. Weight loss is not just about your body: it is all about YOU – a unique individual. How eating affects the mind, the emotions, the thinking, and the attitudes to living may vary in different individuals. And that explains why some come out triumphant in the struggle against weight problems, while others emerge totally frustrated and disappointed.

How many times have you been able to lose weight or been successful on your weight loss program only to fall back into old patterns and abruptly put weight back on?  The real secret to successful and long term weight loss is making permanent changes in relation to what you eat and how you exercise.  All health experts agree that even a 5% to 15% weight loss will not only improve your health but increase the quality of your life. 

You weight loss or gain is based on the amount of calories you consume daily and the amount of calories you burn off in a day.  Simply put, a calorie is the amount of energy in food that is available through digestion. Ergo, to lose weight, and keep it off, you need to create a weight loss program or diet plan that includes taking in less calories than you use and combine it with regular physical activity.

There are many weight loss diets that limit your portions and you will lose weight but you are not satisfied with the meal selection over the long term and subsequently retreat to old eating habits.  Design your own diet that includes a variety of foods you enjoy but also supply enough calories and nutrients to maintain proper nutrition.  Include fresh vegetables, fruit, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products along with whole grains.  Choose meats that are lean and eat chicken, fish, eggs, beans and nuts.  Lay off the sugar and look for food that is low in saturated fat, trans fat and low in cholesterol.

You may not want to hear this but to lose weight and keep weight off you will have to include moderate daily exercise into your “keep it off” weight loss plan.  Thirty minutes of moderately intense exercise daily, or close to daily, is necessary and combined with your weight loss diet will prevent the weight from coming back.  You don’t have to do 30 minutes at one time.  Break it up into three 10 minute sessions or two 15 minute sessions.  The key…Do It!

You are well aware there are hundreds of weight loss programs available and enough diet books to fill a 1000 warehouses.  When choosing your initial weight loss product or weight loss program be aware that safe weight loss programs and diets will offer books, pamphlets, and other material written by professional in the weight loss field.  A safe weight loss program will offer qualified information about healthy eating plans and will advocate daily exercise.  If you choose to buy prepackaged meals, be careful as they can be very expensive.

If you are overweight and in need of a weight loss program I urge you to take action today.  If you have lost weight and want to maintain your weight loss follow the simple plan I have introduced.  Whatever the case, here’s to your continued sojourn to a healthier, wealthier, happy life.  For recommended weight loss programs and diets click here.