The Weight Loss Process That Doesn't Work

It happened again….you lost 20 pounds and regained 35 pounds. You feel frustrated and defeated with the whole weight loss process. The good news is that you can reach your goal, if you use the right process for weight loss. But, first, you need to know how your weight loss failures affect your mind and body. And, how to avoid them in the future.

Here are 5 Ways Weight Loss Failure Affects Your Mind and Body

1. Weight Loss Success Begins In Your Mind

Your confidence mindset takes a hit with each weight loss failure and weight regain episode. Many of you have tried over and over to lose fat and weight.

If you are in this situation, get help from a personal trainer. Part of the first fitness consultation with a personal trainer will include you identifying why your fitness goals have failed in the past.

Another part of the consultation is for you to visualize and set realistic fitness goals you are willing to work towards.  

The more times you fail at weight loss and body transformation, the less confidence you will have that you can actually achieve your goal.

2. Quick Weight Loss Diets Aren’t Worth The Trouble

Quick weight loss leads to slowed metabolism, a weaker immune system, hormonal imbalances, loss of lean mass, increased body fat, decreased energy levels, disrupted sleep patterns, short-term results and yo-yo dieting.

Advertisements such as “lose 40 pounds in 20 days,” sends a message that has a short-term solution to your weight problem. Weight lost that quickly (without regular exercise) will be mainly lost muscle mass instead of fat mass (this will slow down your metabolism). You also might be very ill after losing that much weight in such a short period of time.

Never do crash diets or severe calorie restriction. This will usually lead to yo-yo weight loss and even more weight gain. You will regain weight quickly once you begin to eat properly again.

3. Starvation Diets Make You Nutritionally Deficient (this makes it harder to lose weight).

The less food you eat, the more weight you’ll lose, right? Sorry, but it just doesn’t work this way in the long-run. If your idea of the perfect diet plan for weight loss is eating crackers and taking diuretics, you’re headed for disaster. For example, if you’re eating 1,000 calories a day, you’re starving.

Starvation slows the fat-burning process. Your body relies on the nutrients in whole, natural foods for fuel. When you starve yourself, it senses the downward shift in your caloric intake and kicks into starvation mode within as little as 7 days. When this happens, your metabolism will slow down and your body will hold on to stored fat in order to conserve energy.

Obviously, if you starve yourself long enough, you’ll have no choice but to lose weight. But the weight loss won’t be healthy, and it will show in your appearance. You’ll become emaciated and your body will start to look like an old bag of bones.

The weight lost from starvation diets always comes back. As soon as you start eating again, you’ll gain all of the weight you lost, and more. In the end, you’ll wind up bigger than you were before you started starving.

4. Starvation Dieters Lose Fat-Burning Muscle Mass

If you lose 20 pounds in 10 days using severe calorie restriction with no exercise (you probably won’t have the energy to exercise), just about all of that weight loss will be due to lost muscle mass and water weight.

The problem is further compounded, if you gain weight without exercise. The composition of this weight gain will be mainly fat and water retention. I have seen individuals with up to 70% body fat.

Exercising with more intensity works to your advantage when transforming your body. It will dull your appetite. Circuit strength training and interval cardio training are examples of intense, fat burning exercise. These types of exercises will also burn more calories during and after your workout.

In a study published online in The International Journal of Obesity, researchers at the University of Western Australia in Perth and other institutions compared the effects of easy vs. strenuous exercise on people’s appetites following the workouts. The study was performed using 17 overweight men in their 20s and 30s.

The results: The men who exercised using intense interval training had lower levels of the hormone ghrelin and had lower levels of blood lactate and blood sugar. Ghrelin stimulates appetite and blood lactate/blood sugar lessens the desire to eat.

Muscle mass needs more energy to function than fat. Basically, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you’ll burn. If you continue to starve yourself, your body will feed on your muscle tissue and make it even harder for you to lose weight.

5. Healthy Lifestyle Habits Complete The Puzzle 

Healthy lifestyle habits produce a healthier body.  This is a no-brainer. If you get adequate nightly deep sleep, limit excessive stress, don’t smoke, limit excessive alcohol consumption, exercise regularly and eat healthy you will have a healthier body. Practice these type of healthy habits on most days.

Here’s a quick healthy habit you can do today: drink enough water. Your body is about two-thirds water. Drink water and unsweetened drinks (like tea) most of the time. It will help you eat less and help your body function better.

Drink about half your weight in water every day. So, if you weigh 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of water each day.

Consistency is the key to achieving and maintaining your lean and healthy body.

Start your body transformation for free today and I will help you get there!