There are millions of people around the world that struggle with their weight and body image. Some have experienced self esteem problems their entire lives while others have dealt with weight gain due to aging, menopause, laziness, alcohol, or other various reasons – and many of these individuals are searching for weight loss solutions that actually work.
While there are numerous diet programs and pills available on the market that make outrageous claims to have the ability to help people lose weight, these programs and pills are can be downright dangerous! Losing weight consists of more than just seeing smaller numbers on the bathroom scale, and when individuals express a desire to lose weight, they are in fact expressing a desire to lose fat. There is a scientific difference between weight loss and fat loss and the difference between the two may be surprising to some.
But for now, lets look at it this way. Would you rather:
A) Weigh 120lbs at 33% BODY FAT, or
B) Weigh 140lbs at 10% BODY FAT??
Personally, I would take door number two.
The problem that many people encounter when trying to lose weight is they actually only achieve temporary weight loss. In almost all cases, these individuals shed a few pounds very quickly, and then within a short period of time they have regained all the weight they lost, plus additional FAT. These individuals end up weighing more than they did before they tried the diet program because they ended up losing some of their lean, fat-burning muscle!
This pattern of weight loss and weight gain is quite frustrating and discourages many people from attaining their optimum weight and living a healthier lifestyle. Too many people focus on weight loss versus fat loss. The science behind weight loss is to maintain metabolism, burn fat, build lean muscle, and have proper nutrition.
The main problem with weight loss programs is that these programs adversely affect the metabolism. An individual’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) is essentially the number of calories an individual burns while they are at rest. It is important to maintain an adequate BMR, and this is accomplished through exercise and proper nutrition. All these diet programs that only focus on weight loss often direct individuals to only eat certain types foods and not exercise for a certain period of time. Excuse me for a second, my B.S. meter is going haywire! Both of these factors contribute to a slowing of the body’s BMR.
The body requires a combination of carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins to maintain a balanced BMR. When one or more of these are removed, the body will go into a type of “survival mode.” If carbohydrates or protein are missing from someones diet, the body will begin to consume lean muscle for energy. When the body goes into “survival mode,” fat will be stored rather than burned in an effort to thwart the “starvation.” An individual’s weight may decrease temporarily by losing water, but the amount of body fat will be packed on even more, ironic isn’t it?. And someone following this type of diet will be less healthy overall.
When trying to attain a healthier weight, it is crucial that individuals focus more on fat loss than on weight loss. Fat loss requires more than just not eating carbohydrates or only eating protein. In order to lose weight without losing lean muscle, it is necessary to eat right and exercise properly. Cardiovascular exercise alone is not enough to permanently lose fat. Exercise programs should include both cardiovascular exercises and strength or resistance training as well. Both cardiovascular exercise and strength or resistance training help burn calories while building lean muscle. This type of regime will burn fat and help keep the weight off.
The science behind weight loss shows that it is possible to obtain a healthy weight. When programs for weight loss versus fat loss are compared, the difference is easily seen by a trained eye. Quick fix diets and pills fail to address the primary cause necessary for healthy and permanent weight loss, which is to burn fat!
For some reason people are still refusing to accept that there ARE NO MAGIC PILLS for weight loss! Our bodies are the only machines on the face of the planet that get worn out from inactivity, and you cannot expedite the fat burning process without exercise. It’s like trying to convince these people that the world is round!