People who are overweight often become desperate about their situation and seek fast weight loss answers to a problem that has taken a lifetime to reach its current state. In their defense, however, let it be said that life itself, particularly modern life, seems to conspire to thwart their best-intentioned efforts to lose weight in a safe and healthy manner.
They are surrounded by all sorts of great tasting, appealing, and fattening food that is relatively cheap and easy to get hold of. They live in a society that for years has decreased its demands on their bodies so that physical systems which worked well for a more labor intensive society actually betray them in their efforts to lose weight.
One small example of this is cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone which helped keep cavemen and cavewomen alive. It served several purposes, but it was linked to a lifestyle which included scarcity of food and non-scarcity of activity. In our modern world, cortisol actually helps cause weight gain and hinder weight loss.
Still, there are other obstacles. As people age, their metabolism slows down so that the same number of calories packs on more fat. If they try to diet, and reduce their calories below a certain level, their bodies may slow down their metabolism even more, possibly causing them to begin gaining weight again even on their new reduced intake. If they come off the diet, and begin eating the way they used to, their body continues to subsist at the lower level and stores the rest as fat.
If they are relatively low on the economic scale, it may be harder for them to acquire the foods they need to more effectively manage their weight, and they may lack the information or education which allows them to make good judgments about their diet and activity plans.
Against this backdrop of life's weight loss treachery, if you will, they must deal with all the negative impacts of their particular weight loss problem.
They must deal daily with the negative self-image that a person of their size often has, especially in a society which glorifies the skinny and "beautiful" and equates these attributes with fame, fortune, desirability, and social worth. This and the inability to participate in various physical aspects of life, impacts on self-esteem. This, and many of the physical conditions related to obesity or being overweight, can cause or increase depression. Because of health issues related to being overweight and the close connection between body and mind, mental problems can express themselves as real physical conditions.
The hamster wheel of physical and mental problems is hard to get off of, particularly when there is a fast food joint on every street corner beckoning seductively.
Is it any surprise that people who are overweight, particularly those who have tried almost desperately to lose weight, and failed, are seeking the quick and easy weight loss formula? They want to burn fat from their bodies, and they want to burn it off now!
The sad part is that when the next best "fast weight loss formula, plan, pill, book, diet, or potion" hits the market it is as likely to betray their trust as completely as all the fad diets, pills, and magic reducing equipment of yesterday.
The truth about weight loss is that it takes time.
Even the most drastic medical interventions, such as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure, do not act exceedingly rapidly. In many cases, individuals would lose almost as much weight in about the same length of time by implementing a well planned exercise program and nutritional regimen. However, there are people who, for various reasons, would benefit from a medical procedure rather than trying to start a weight loss problem at the point where they find themselves.
Another, easier, truth about weight loss is that almost any action taken is a step in the right direction. If that step is the first action on a daily walking program, they will not notice much in the way of weight loss at first. However, even after only one short episode of walking, their bodies will begin making internal preparations to change the way that things happen internally. If the program is continued, the effects will begin to show in much the same way that small amounts of money, saved regularly and invested wisely can grow into huge sums.
Combining many small steps over a period of time can result in an acceleration of weight loss. It will still take time, but it will move along a little faster. For example, beginning a walking program is great. If it can be combined with more effective nutritional choices, that may enhance the effects of the exercise side of the equation. The exercise may produce a psychological lift which helps relieve stress and emotional difficulties which might, without the exercise, remain components of the weight loss problem.
No, there is no such thing as a genuine "fast weight loss system", but many steps can be taken to produce healthy weight loss.
Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. He has written poetry and essays for his own use, and instructional media in many of the positions he held. After his retirement from the U. S. Army in 1995, he began writing articles on various subjects for websites he owned as well as for use by other webmasters. He has a keen interest in health, fitness, diet, and weight loss and has recently completed courses on Diet and Nutrition, and Fitness. He has posted a review on a great weight loss system that helps burn fat at http://nodiet4me.com/burn_fat.html. | |
