The
clever and stupid ways to lose weight
Losing
weight is one thing people crave and will go to many lengths to
achieve. This article outlines the good and the bad ways to do this.
Cutting
calories and stopping eating.
The
classic thought process is that if you stop eating you will lose
weight. In reality successful weight loss is best achieved when
the body knows that food is easily available. This is because you
possess a powerful famine response survival mechanism. This would
have served to keep you alive thousands of years ago when we were
hunter gathers.
The
body’s famine response works by increasing the amount of fat
storing enzymes and increasing your hunger during times of food
shortage. It does this so any food you do eat is stored as fat until
your next meal and the increased hunger makes it more likely you
would go out and catch some food.
Today,
in the west we are not in a famine. However, eating irregularly
tricks the body into sensing a famine and employing its survival
response. This makes you better at storing fat and increases your
appetite. At this point losing weight is very difficult as food
becomes more tempting.
This
is perhaps the most unhealthy way to lose weight as starving yourself
thin depletes the body of vital nutrients. To react to this your
body will lower its metabolic rate and stop performing non essential
health function in an attempt to survive. This means that even if
you lose weight it doesn't mean you are getting healthier.
Taking
a slimming pill or similar product.
There
is no one product that can achieve weight loss. To lose weight effectively
it is about increasing the health of the body. A slimming pill just
acts like a drug temporarily raising metabolic rate but at the expense
of your health. It is not as effective as a good exercise session
and it also brings the side effect of disrupting your body chemistry.
If these worked then why wouldn't they be given out by every doctor?
Following
a diet
Most
diets are flawed. For a review of every type of eating possible
from cutting out junk food to the Atkins diet read the article Diets
explained. Almost every diet will fail the majority of people
and hence it is a little hit and miss whether it will work.
Spending
1-2 hours a day exercising
Another
common method is to play the numbers game once more and flog yourself
on the exercise machines for one or two hours plus. In theory this
should work, in reality it doesn't and also takes up the majority
of your day. A good exercise session covers all areas of exercise and is performed with the right intensity
and variation.
The
clever way to lose weight - Build
your health
The
only way to effectively lose weight long term is through an holistic
approach focused solely on increasing the health of your body and metabolism. While your calorie intake does have a role to play (too much or too little will disrupt health) and you must follow a nutrition strategy of some sort. This plan must be linked and adapted to how your body reacts. This fine tuning processis is what separates building health from following a diet.
To
do this you need to consume the right foods for your body chemistry,
this is determined by your metabolic
type. Add into this effective exercise. Finally ensure environmental
factors are not blocking your way nor any emotional factors.
When
you do this you will achieve healthy weight loss, be abe to maintain
it long term without worry or fixation on every meal you eat. This
approach is how I workwith clients. Be it through Personal Training or as a Nutritionist in London or on line.
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