Struggling to lose weight and sick of trying fad diets that leave you feeling bloated and tired? The rules to weight loss are pretty simple. Find out what works and watch your weight drop!
The first woman who ever went on a crash diet, dropped a few pounds, and became the envy of her friends did little more than inspire a metabolism breakdown, though we shouldn’t blame her for today’s weight problems.
Apparently the first person in history documented to go on an actual diet was England’s William the Conqueror, who went on a liquid diet (mostly liquor) when he proved to be too heavy to ride his horse. About a year later, he was able to get back into the saddle, but unfortunately, his horse reared during the ride, and William suffered fatal internal injuries. Reportedly, he was still pretty heavy in death, and was unceremoniously stuffed into his casket. (Ref. 1)
This move caused his infected intestines to burst, and he essentially exploded, sending mourners running for the door. How’s that for killing your appetite? (Ref. 2) But William the First’s liquid diet – the first well known diet failure – ultimately led to more and more diets, and more and more failures.
Because if we’ve learned nothing else over the past thousand years or so, we should know by now that unsustainable diets don’t work.
The diet dilemma
According to estimates, more than 80 percent of women who go on diets regain the weight they lose within two years. (Ref. 3)
Despite being splashed all over the tabloids, Kirstie Alley gained back the weight she lost on Jenny Craig, and Oprah Winfrey’s weight has gone up and down and up and down again, making her the classic yo-yo dieter.
So what’s the problem? The reason is pretty simple, and dates back to our caveman days.
Because our hunter/gatherer ancestors couldn’t always find food when they needed it, our bodies were essentially designed to go for long periods without food. During these times, our metabolism slowed to a crawl so that we could survive until we were again able to eat.
While food is now more readily available – in the fridge, in the drawer where we might have a chocolate stash, at the market around the corner – we rarely are without food. Our metabolism, however, has no idea. That means when anyone, but especially women – men have more muscle mass which gives them a higher metabolism, making them less vulnerable to this plight (Ref. 4) - skip a meal in a misguided attempt to drop a few pounds, the body immediately goes into starvation mode, slowing down for fear of starving.
If you continue reducing calories, feeding your body less that it was used to, your metabolism will tend to stay slow, making it harder than ever to drop weight.
Even if you do lose weight, here’s the rub. When you return to eating normal foods – usually diets are a series of deprivations that teach absolutely nothing about how to eat properly – you’ll likely instinctively go back to eating old favorites, and the weight lost will pile back on, usually with a few extra pounds for good measure, thanks to that slowed-down metabolism. (Ref. 5)
Come to think of it, maybe the woman who went on that first crash diet IS to blame.
Here’s what does work
That doesn’t mean you have to accept being overweight or obese, however.
The rules here as well are pretty simple.
In order to effectively lose weight, it’s important to not only eat enough of the right foods, but also to exercise.
Myriad studies have shown that people who move have better weight control. (Plus, exercise is an excellent way to boost metabolism, not only during your workout, but for hours afterwards, especially if you include strength training to build muscle in the process.)
Also, eating a variety of different foods – especially a rainbow of fruits and vegetables – ensures that you’re getting enough nutrients so that you don’t leave your body without key elements, which can trigger cravings.
According to Dr. Matthew Edlund in Psychology Today, getting enough rest is also important, since “people who don’t sleep crave sugars,” which leads to weight gain. (Ref. 6)
Crowd out the bad foods
According to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and drinking lots of water early in the day captures the principles of “crowding out,” which suggests that if you fill your body up with the good stuff, there will be little room left over for the bad.
“The body can only take so much food,” the experts said. “If you fill the body with healthy, nutrient-dense food, it is only natural that cravings for unhealthy foods will lessen substantially.” (Ref. 7)
Supplement to squash cravings
To help keep cravings in check, choose a high-quality supplement such as Total Balance to ensure your body is getting all the essential vitamins, minerals, cofactors and bioactives for optimal health and organ function.
There are also many weight loss supplements available on the market. However, many of them have questionable ingredient quality and manufacturing processes. Be sure to do your research. Apart from diet and exercise, there is nothing more important to your health than quality supplementation. After plenty of research and development, we have launched our version of a Garcinia Cambogia and Green Coffee Bean product; giving you ingredients of the highest quality to help you with your weight loss goals. Combine this with a healthy diet and lifestyle to see faster results.
References:
- http://www.neatorama.com/2010/09/09/the-history-of-diets/#!bDvu7j
- http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-william-the-conqueror
- http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36716808/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/when-you-lose-weight-gain-it-all-back/
- http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/why-cant-i-lose-weight
- http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burning_calories/starvation.htm
- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-rest/201402/why-diets-dont-work
- http://www.integrativenutrition.com/glossary/crowding-out