Two little words that can make the difference: START NOW. - Mary C. Crowley
I was talking to a lady who’d recently spent 12 weeks on the Cambridge diet and her hair had started to fall out! I’d rather keep my hair, enjoy my food and do it slowly ;-) I’ve had so many members rejoining over the last month that have done these various quick fix diets, liquid diets, even gastric bands, they’ve lost weight very, very quickly, and then gained it and a bit more just as fast. Gastric bands don’t stop people liquidising food or drinking alcohol. And none of the change the way you behave around food, I’m comfortable round food now, I still overindulge but standing by a buffet table no longer fills me with fear and dread ;-)
I’m well aware of how disappointing it can be when you don’t get the loss you expected, I got fully back on track for the first time in a long time a few weeks ago and I truly expected a big weight loss when I got on the scales, instead I’d lost 2lb – I was gutted! But then I realised there’s no such thing as a quick fix, and Weight Watchers is designed so that you lose up to 2lb a week! So now I’ve decided I’d rather enjoy the journey as I’m a foodie, I don’t want to give up the delicious Chicken casserole I had for my tea last night, or the Chinese beef and pineapple noodle concoction I enjoyed creating at lunchtime. The idea of going without something delicious for even a week makes me shiver!
Trying to lose ten pounds before Christmas in can be an achievable goal; trying to lose ten pounds by next week is not. One of the reasons many dieters fail to successfully lose weight (which means keeping it off, not just losing it) is because they set unrealistic goals by aiming for fast weight loss.
Fast weight loss is unhealthy for a number of reasons:
· The pounds that you shed are mainly water weight and not from fat, which can cause you to easily dehydrate and then rapidly regain the weight.
· Fasting or using detox diets can cause diarrhea; the resulting dehydration can cause constipation.
· Rapid weight loss leads straight to fatigue, draining your energy levels and stamina.
· Restricting your calories means risking malnutrition, or not receiving the right amount of vitamins and minerals.
· Your sodium and potassium levels will drop, contributing to a greater chance of cramping and a feeling of illness.
· Losing weight quickly takes it toll on your appearance, causing your skin to dry out, your hair to lack luster and your complexion to appear gaunt.
Not only is fast weight loss unhealthy, but your body is actually designed to prevent itself from losing weight. If you try to lose more than the recommended one to two pounds of fat per week, your body will turn to and burn its own muscle for energy. The loss of lean muscle mass counteracts any weight loss you might be trying to accomplish, as muscle is what makes your body healthy, toned and in motion. Having more muscle makes your resting metabolism work harder, which means you burn more calories while you're at rest. You must consume at least 1,200 calories a day to prevent the loss of muscle. In Weight Watcher speak it would mean eating your daily points allowance as the plan is designed to be safe.
When a body consumes too few calories it will actually slip into 'famine mode,' where it purposefully slows down its resting metabolism, or basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns when at rest), in order to avoid expending energy. Your body will strain to save calories, preventing weight loss and even harming your metabolism's natural functions.
Striving for fast weight loss usually means entering a nasty pattern; dramatically lowering your caloric intake only starts a cycle of yo-yo dieting and bingeing, all of which leads you further in the wrong direction. The subsequent feelings of guilt are enough to bring anyone more mental grief than they deserve.
Some of the more popular diets that promote fast weight loss are in fact nutritiously deficient, as they rely on liquid shakes or diets built around restricted food to cut calories and shed the pounds. These are not only unhealthy, as a healthy body requires a well-balanced diet incorporating all the food groups, but losing weight the right way means exercising regularly in order to keep your muscles and blood moving and to maintain an active metabolism, all of which contribute to losing the weight for good.
Keeping It Off
Losing weight involves more than just eating less; it also requires increased activity and behaviour modification or weight regain is likely. Take it slow - you didn't put on weight overnight, so you shouldn't expect to lose it overnight either. Taking it slow, by following a balanced diet including a good mix of food groups is the best way to shift fat. Also including the foods we enjoy in a weight loss diet teaches us to manage problem foods, usually in smaller portions, versus 'bingeing' on them.
Studies show that the faster the weight is lost, the faster it is regained. However, the reverse is also true of dieters who lose slowly, so if you want to be one of them, take it nice and slow!
I don’t know about you but I’d rather lose 1lb a week and be looking forward to one-day old chicken casserole (it always tastes better the day after). I love my body I’m not going to punish it by starving it.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
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