Understanding the Process of Losing Weight
The process of losing weight is not exactly difficult to understand as long as you are able to read up on some good informational articles and figure out the basics.
Being successful at losing the number of pounds that you decide you are going to lose in a given time is all down to some planning and then setting a definite goal.
As long as you have a reasonable understanding of how the process works, you should successfully attain your goal as long as you stick to your plan and work with the strategy you have laid out for yourself.
Set a Goal
Once you have decided that you are going to start on a plan for shedding those unwanted surplus pounds along with a few inches from your waistline and wherever else you are keen to lose it from, your first move should be to set your goal. It should be attainable but still worthwhile aiming for.
Try and avoid setting a goal that's too high for you to reach.
This is something a lot of people do because they have gotten it into their heads that if you aim for the stars you should expect to at least hit the moon. This is a great methodology for succeeding in business or personal development, but not so good for losing weight! You need to work within the limits of your physical body and what it is capable of achieving through your efforts.
Pace Yourself
The experts tend to agree that the safest and most productive level of weight loss should be one to two pounds per week.
Of course if you are extremely overweight and have a lot to lose, you can expect to lose a lot more than that in the first few weeks, as a calorie restrictive diet impacts with your body. But it should level out to that one or two pounds a week as you settle into your own program.
A lot of the reasons that people enjoy great success with their weight loss strategies is in understanding how diets work and how it combines with exercise and a positive mental attitude. These three things together are such a powerful combination for anyone who is serious about losing weight.
What Is it About Diet?
What you put into your body is without doubt the first place you should be looking if you're going to make changes that will bring about a slimmer physique and less fat loaded body. When we think about the concept of "losing weight" we think about becoming slimmer so that when we look at ourselves in a full length mirror, we like what we see!
But in reality, this concept is flawed because it's not the "weight" we actually necessarily need to lose. It's the excess fat!
A person can be very fit and have well developed muscles but tip the scales well in excess of what their BMI (Body Mass Index) says they should weigh. That doesn't mean they have to lose any of their body mass because they're probably already in peak condition!
Likewise, a person can weigh exactly what their BMI says they should and outwardly they can appear relatively "in shape" and slim. But what they may not know is that lurking beneath the veneer of slimness lies a potentially dangerous excess of visceral fat that they often don't even know is there.
This happens when a person's diet is high in sugar-laden foods and drinks but because they metabolize their food pretty well, they don't give the outward appearance of being overweight. But the reality is they are a "fat person in a slim body" and their high ratio of visceral fat can cause health problems they may not be aware of.
What Is it About Exercise?
By keeping active and physically fit, we can maintain our bodies in good condition and minimize the risks associated with carrying high levels of fat around with us. When we exercise to control our weight, we use more energy, plain and simple.
When we use more energy which we get from the glucose in our bloodstream (commonly referred to as blood sugar) our bodies use up this glucose faster. And it must be replaced if the muscles are to continue working at the higher rate demanded of the activity undertaken.
If we don't replace it immediately through drinking isotonic sports drinks (that are loaded with glucose that gets into the blood stream fast) the body must take it from its energy store, which are the fat cells in the body. A process happens that involves the processing of fat tissue back into glucose that is then released into the bloodstream and it all happens very fast so that the body can keep working at the rate it is.
Unfortunately for slimmers hoping to shed their excess fat supply fast through exercise, the process of turning fat back into glucose will liberate a lot of glucose from only a small amount of fat tissue. It is actually a very efficient way of storing energy for future use!
This means it takes an awful lot of exercise to use up only a relatively small amount of fat. The apparent slowness puts a lot of people off using exercise alone as a slimming strategy, which is a shame because cumulatively it is effective.
However, for someone with patience and determination a combination of eating a healthy, low sugar diet combined with lots of strenuous daily exercise will over time reduce the body's store of fat considerably. It will also create the perfect long term solution as long as the person does not stop exercising and resume an unhealthy, high sugar diet.
What Is it About Mental Attitude?
Having a positive attitude toward getting fit, healthy and developing a slim and well toned physical appearance is absolutely the right way to ensure you'll achieve what you are setting out to do. It's what boosts your motivation to not just succeed but to remain persistently active each day in attaining your goal.
Also, staying positive and focused helps to manage stress levels better, which is important for remaining on track. Too much stress can be counter-productive when working toward a slimmer, healthier body, so anything that can help reduce it has to be a good thing.
You don't need to be super human to enjoy great success at this, you just need to focus your energies into a solid strategy for success and then work on that strategy to bring you the success you have earned through your own determination and commitment.
It doesn't even need to be difficult, just sensible and doable. Remember, keep things as simple as you can and you will make the process of losing that excess weight far more enjoyable and successful. And that's all you really need to do.
[BACK TO TOP]
Posted on Sun, Sep 2012 09 in Diet | 0 Comments
Previous Post: How Nutrisystem Has Evolved Going Into 2012