Don't Gain the Weight Back

Don't Gain the Weight Back

Shedding pounds is just the first step in any legitimate weight-loss plan. The hard part comes after the ideal weight is reached. Lose weight and keep it off. Sound to good to be true? Well it's not. When are people going to get it through their heads, there is no fast or quick way to permanent weight loss. Many weight loss companies are making money on the idea of fast, easy, weight loss. You will never keep weight off unless you change your eating habits, and control your appetite for fatty foods and sweets. If knowledge is power, then knowing the effect of the foods you eat will give you the power to take control of your weight. Using the right methods of weight control will allow you to make the biggest change in your life: Instead of living to eat, you will eat to live!

Drink Lots of Water

Drink lots of water (six to eight glasses daily). Water not only is essential in dissolving and transporting nutrients such as oxygen and mineral to the body but can also help in the digestion, assimilation, metabolism, elimination, and the waste removal in the body. Water is also necessary in flushing out the toxins which are stored in fat tissue and released into the bloodstream. In order to burn fat, the fat cells first will have to be free of excess water and toxins. The body will hold on to excess water for survival, if adequate amounts of water is not supplied. Without enough water, this break-down can be hard on the liver and the kidneys, and can cause headaches and nausea. Remember, in with the good, out with the bad.

Dealing with Irritability, Mood Swings

The irritability, mood swings, depression, headaches and cravings for sweets that often accompany weight loss usually represent fluctuations in blood glucose levels. Exercise is important here, and so is nutritional support. The first step is to avoid refined foods, foods high in simple sugars, and sugar itself. These foods cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket, only to crash later on. When this happens the body starts craving more sugar for fuel. Blood sugar or glucose is fuel for your brain. A lack of blood sugar in the brain can be devastating, so your body strives to maintain blood levels within a narrow range. Sugar levels can easily run high or low, depending on how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and/or sugars. Focusing on whole foods rich in plant fibers (vegetables and grains in particular) and lean protein sources (like poultry and fish) will help the body stabilize blood sugar levels. Nutritional supplementation may help if the craving for sweets is severe. The body may be lacking specific nutrients involved in carbohydrate metabolism. For example, the trace mineral Chromium is a critical nutrient in blood sugar control. Gymnema Sylvestre has been shown to reduce the amount of sugar the body can absorb.

Dealing with Stress

Good nutrition is important whenever the body is dealing with stress. To function properly, the nervous system needs nutrients for proper stress management. Without proper nutrition the body cannot deal with stress. Exercise is also an excellent way to deal with stress and improve muscle tone of the heart as well as the entire body. Not only does regular exercise make people look better, it also makes them feel better. Tensions, depressions, feelings of inadequacy, and worries diminish greatly with regular exercise. A 40-minute walk, regardless of pace, can significantly reduce both blood pressure and anxiety levels in people tested recently at the University of Massachusetts Center for Health and Fitness. Exercise alone has been demonstrated to have a tremendous impact on improving an individual's mood and the ability to handle stressful life situations. Study has shown that more successful people exercise than non-successful people. This is due to the decreases of tension, insomnia, anxiety, and stress. Next time you feel stressed-out, take a walk or go dancing.

Don't Get Discouraded

It Takes Time: It is important to know that weight usually changes little, if any, in the first weeks of an exercise program. This is because lean muscle mass increases at about the same rate that fat decreases. Do not become discouraged. Your scale may show no change even though your body is changing dramatically. During this time, the way your clothing fits is a much better indicator of how well you are doing. It will take time to reach your goal. The amount of time depends on you. People differ radically in body response. Through time, the rewards to your health and well-being will increase as steadily as your body fat decreases. Even before you begin, you must plan to make permanent changes in your way of life. If you do not, you are ultimately doomed to fail. Proper nutrition and exercise is the way to permanent weight loss and the maintenance of your ideal weight. You will look and feel great, perhaps better than you have ever looked or felt before. Your tastes will change and cravings will go away because your body will enjoy being fed nutritious, non-greasy food.

HELPFUL TIPS

Cut off sugars and fats slowly

Food is an addiction similar to alcohol or drugs. You just cannot stop cold turkey, your intake of sugars and fats. Cutting off these foods to quickly can send the body into withdrawal, and you are then more likely to regress to your old, negative eating habits.

Start exercise slowly

Don't get burned out even before you start. Starting off on a dramatic exercise routine, will teach you to hate exercising. Starting off with a fun, light exercise, will teach you to like exercising. Then slowly increase your activity. Approaching it this way, you will stay on an exercise program longer.

Never say "diet."

The body can be rebellious. Most of the time, your body feels so deprived, you just want to binge on anything and everything. By satisfying the brain with a taste of your flavor food, you can stop the bingeing, (Notice l said "taste"). The stomach does not know the different between a candy bar or a carrot stick. All the stomach knows is if it's full or not.

Never eat or "taste"

your favorite unhealthy food on an empty stomach. Always do this on a full stomach, you will have better control.

Precautions

As with any weight reduction system please consult your physician before starting. The herbs that are mentioned in these chapters you may find stimulating and are not recommended for pregnant women. People with high blood pressure, heart problems, or those who have any known medical condition, please consult your physician.