Weight Management

Weight Loss And Proper Weight Management

That physical result, too, should be more than just reducing x number of pounds. Your fundamental goals are to optimize health, feel good and feel good about yourself, and look attractive. Everything else is a means to those ends.

The first step to achieving those interlocking goals is to recognize that there will be no short cuts, no easy and safe "miracle cures". Magic won't do it and neither will fad diets.

On the other hand, there ARE aids that modern nutritional and exercise science can supply. By all means, take advantage of them.

Along with proper nutritional supplements, appetite suppressants and the like, the cornerstone of any rational weight loss program is to have a proper diet and adequate daily exercise.

Some appetite suppressants, when used under a reputable doctor's guidance, can be a helpful short-term addition to the overall program, but when you stop taking them, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the weight will quickly return unless they are only part of an overall weightloss strategy. That strategy MUST include good nutrition and proper exercise.

There are hundreds of fad diets around. The "low carb, high protein" diet is one of the latest. People following them often experience rapid weight loss, initially, but the long term benefits are few and the costs, sometimes in health, are high.

Carbohydrates are really the primary source of energy for the body. When the body has a shortage of available carbohydrates (chiefly glucose) to use to produce energy, it turns to other sources. One result of that, though, is often loss of lean muscle mass and not just fat.

Low carbohydrate diets reduce the amount of glucose available in the muscles and liver. That leads to muscle fatigue and less tone. At the same time, that fatigue makes exercise more difficult and less pleasant. It also leads to a lower basal metabolic rate, which means fewer calories will be consumed per hour than would otherwise be the case.

At the same time a person is struggling to change eating habits, something very difficult to do when the body is urging a return to the old items, another hurdle needs to be overcome: beginning a regular exercise program. Regular exercise is the second factor absolutely essential to proper weight management.

Now, it isn't necessary to become a fitness fanatic, but a regular program of vigorous running or weight lifting or other form of age-appropriate exercise is critical. This requires great willpower, to be sure. Most people give up too soon, usually because they try too hard at first. The end result is either injury, abandoning the program, or both.