Sunday, May 8, 2011

A Guide to Permanent Weight Loss





One of the more frustrating aspects of weight loss diets is the great chance of weight return and perhaps a few more pounds on top after stopping the diet program.

Most people think a diet that can work for their body type has to be as complicated to figure out as rocket science. It truly is not that difficult, but with the many choices and types of diets out there, it's no wonder that most people fail to get the results they are looking for.

When you look at the different weight loss diets, there are many programs and combinations of programs to choose from. The three main nutrients, proteins, fats and carbohydrates can be broken down to different ratios for total daily calorie intake. For example, you can have high, medium, low and zero calorie amounts of fats, proteins or carbohydrates. The calorie ratios of each nutrient set against the others are numerous. This is where a diet “guru” can come up with his or her own program, advertise it as the best and further confuse the general public with yet another choice.

It doesn't have to be this way if we look at the real key to this diet program conundrum. There are some general guidelines to follow when you are shopping for a weight loss diet that will allow you to decide if a particular one is right for you. These guidelines can be found in virtually every diet manual.

The aim here isn't an explanation of what diet you should actually follow, but to give you a logical approach as to how to succeed with whatever program you decide to do. Apply some common sense to a nutritional plan and you will make your weight loss permanent and lifelong.

If we can understand why diets fail in the long term, then we can try to prevent it from failing over and over again. Basically, weight loss goals for most people don't succeed because of the lack of long-term commitment. Most people already know that they need to expend more calories than they are taking in. No real rocket science here. Unfortunately most are not willing to do what it takes to achieve this calories deficient ratio for longer than a few months or less.

Generally all diets work. It can be high fat, low fat, high carbohydrates and the many combinations of fad diets we see so often. In the short term, by burning more calories than you consume there will be some weight loss, but we need to find the real key that will give us permanent weight loss.

Recent studies have shown that when the popular commercial diets were compared to each other over a 6-month to one-year span of time, they generally had the same weight loss results. The conclusion of one major study sited that the adherence level rather than the diet itself was the primary predictor of whether the weight loss program would work.

The bottom line is that even though some diets are healthier than others, or suppress the appetite better, virtually all diets work the same in the short term. What is clear is adhering to the diet becomes the most important thing when looking at weight loss for the long term.

Lifestyle alteration is the basis here and any thoughts of having permanent weight loss need to be addressed as life long management in order to succeed.

Although most people are looking for the magic bullet to end their weight loss woes, there hasn’t been any real advancement in trying to lose weight without drugs or surgery. People for hundreds of years have known about cutting calories as the method for getting leaner. So the guide to permanent weight loss is to reduce your calories and do your diet program for the long term. That is the real secret. Save your money looking for the next best thing and do what has been proven to work for every one throughout the ages.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

A Natural Weight Loss Program - Advantages of Regular Exercise



When you are trying for results with a natural weight loss program, exercise in conjunction with the dietary aspects will increase your chances of successfully reaching your weight goals.

Some people who are beginning a natural weight loss program do not realize the benefits that can be gained by making regular exercise a form of weight loss. Taking advantage of these benefits means that you don't have to strain so hard in other aspects of your weight loss program. The exercise doesn't even have to be strenuous or difficult to the point of painful,just consistent. For example, if you spend twenty minutes on a brisk walk three to four times per week, you will gain tremendous benefits in your weight control efforts. Other forms of exercise, including those that are aerobic are equally helpful in controlling your weight.

Firms and Tones the Muscles

Natural weight loss is a great way to manage your weight and regular exercise aimed at firming and toning all the major muscles of the body is even more helpful to you. Choose your exercises with the intent of beginning gradually at a comfortable level for your existing abilities and increase the difficulty and duration gradually to gain maximum benefit. By working the major muscle group, you replace the fat cells that are being eliminated from your body with healthy muscle cells.

Burns Calories

Exercise done in conjunction with a well thought out natural weight loss program will burn calories. Each calorie that is burned from a fat cell is an opportunity to get rid of those cells forever. If you have doubts about the effectiveness of exercise in losing weight, simply look at a chart of calories burned through various day to day activities. Even some types of exercises that can be done while sitting at a desk are effective ways to help you on the path to weight control. If you have time to swim regularly, that is a great exercise since swimming a few laps raises your heart rate and helps to improve your lung function. Even perspiring uses calories to accomplish.

Resets The Metabolism

A natural weight loss program combined with regular exercise will actually help you to crank up your metabolism rate so that the food you eat will be processed more effectively. Instead of excess calories being converted into fat, they are burned up in your body's individual furnaces - the cells. It's as if you turned the thermostat of your internal furnace up a degree or two so that the fuel burns hotter and more completely.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Taking Drastic Measures to Lose Weight
by Michael Casals

It has become a sort of dilemma for most weight watchers to try different types of lose weight programs only to find themselves unsuccessful at every try. This has brought others to try more drastic measures to tackle their weight issues. Many individuals each year elect to have weight loss surgery. These types of surgery have given new life to those who previously found themselves trying all the different diet fads in the market.

Despite the success of weight loss surgery there are disadvantages to take into consideration. It pays to make informed decisions before jumping into extraordinary weight loss measures.

The most common procedure today involves making the individual's stomach capacity smaller. When it takes someone much faster to feel the fullness of their stomach then their food intake is drastically lessened. The result is loss of weight due to smaller food intake and the effects are quick.

The benefits can be enormous. Troubles with high blood pressure and sugar levels are reduced. Exhaustion due to high body mass is also lessened. The main benefit would be a more secure sense of well being which could result to greater opportunities for social interaction.

Despite the benefits an individual still has to take into account that because of lower food intake one has to make sure that daily nutritional intake remains balanced. Like any other surgery, sufficient time is also needed for the body to recuperate and to adjust itself to it's new condition. Other symptoms could include nausea and vomiting.

Medical tests are required to ascertain if surgery is possible for an individual. Surgery could have serious consequences if sufficient analysis has not been performed.

Individual lifestyle is also taken into account. If a person has not reacted favorably to weight loss programs the underlying reasons has to be analyzed. The mental health of the individual also needs to be tested. Does the patient have the mental agility and strength to meet worst outcomes?

It pays to attend seminars and to talk to other people who have undergone a similar surgery. Other weight loss centers actually ask patients to be involved in a weight loss program prior to be eligible for surgery. These are meant to allow you to be more at ease with what is to come.

While surgery provides a quick fix it is best to find out if such is the best option. A lengthy and open discussion with your doctor is always the best road to take when considering weight loss surgery.