Losing Weight Isn't Hard; Keeping it Off IS

Many people feel great optimism when they start a diet. “This time, it’s going to work”, you may believe. And you are motivated, and excited as you feel the weight leaving.

Many people are able to lose weight, especially if you haven’t dieted before. But after a while, the weight loss slows, or even stops. If you are getting on a scale (not something I encourage), watching it as it stops moving gets you really frustrated.

“WHY should I deprive myself of everything I enjoy if it doesn’t make a difference?” you may be thinking. And eventually, you “go off” the diet. Then the weight starts creeping back. Those new clothes you bought to show off your new figure are getting tight. And you may go back to the diet, but this time, it’s not working like before!

A nightmare? No, it’s reality. Dieting causes weight gain. Yes, you read that correctly.

Dieting is stressful to your body; over-exercising (because your doctor told you to eat less and exercise more) is stressful to your body; hating your body because it’s overweight is stressful to your body, and STRESS changes your metabolism and essentially stops weight loss.

Think about this: when did you start gaining weight? What was going on in your life that precipitated your weight gain? I’ll be willing to bet that there was a stressful event. Maybe you ALSO started eating more, or ate “comfort food” to help you get through the bad patch.

Yes, over-eating can cause weight gain; but UNDER-eating can ALSO cause weight gain! Your body is like an exquisitely tuned “machine” – a thermostat that adjusts to the smallest degree. Its goal is to keep your body within a small range, called a set point. When you eat too much, your automatic system speeds up your metabolism. But when you eat too little, it also kicks into gear – but this time it SLOWS down your metabolism. It's Nature's design to keep your body alive in times when there isn’t a lot of food available.

But it’s also important to realize that the foods that we now have available, and the type of Frankenfoods that are all over, are disrupting this pattern. Many people are gaining weight from foods that have been “recommended” by doctors and US Government agencies. I call it: The Big Fat Lie.

AND, there is a lot of disagreement between health professionals about what is the “best diet” (by that I mean, the best way to eat every day). Some tell you to go raw, others recommend vegetarian, and now the newest plan is “Paleo” (eating like our ancestors from Caveman days!).

What IS the best diet? Part of that answer comes from your heritage. There may not be one diet that is best for everyone! But there ARE some foods that you should definitely cut out of your diet plan! Get informed, and reading a variety of viewpoints can help you figure out the best plan for you!