Diets Don't Work and Here's Why...

Not surprisingly now that over half the population are conscious that they are overweight, there are plenty of people happy to cash in and slimming and slimming products have become big business. Get thin fast remedies are on every page of every magazine it seems, and there are a whole host of "quick" or "pain free fixes" are on the market. On top of this you could add any number of the latest fad diets and the unlimited supply of slimming snacks, drinks and even get thin gum, just waiting to take your cash!

Slimming and diets are big business, however sadly they don't work, and often there's a hefty price to pay.

"Lose ten pounds in a week!"

Next time you see one of these claims, just ask yourself 'ten pounds of what?' It's only physically possible to lose between one and a half to two pounds of fat in a week, and you don't want to lose anything else!

If you adopt a crash diet, and suddenly cut your food intake dramatically (which a lot of diets recommend), your body may assume there's a famine on the way and start saving your precious fat stores by burning muscle instead. Added to this, you will probably lose a lot of water and glucose, making your weight drop dramatically, and making you think everything is just fine.

However, things won't be just fine at all, in fact, the combination of the water loss, and the muscle tissues that you have lost, is very, very bad news indeed and could really impact on a weight management programme.

The reason you need to avoid muscle loss while on a weight management programme

The reason that this is bad news is simple; you only want to lose fat! And since your muscles are the most efficient fat burning machinery in your body, why would you want to lose, or shrink or worse still damage them. Furthermore, your heart happens to be a pretty important muscle in your body, and it could also be on the menu too during a crash diet.

Following several weeks of this type of diet, you will almost certainly "hit the wall" and weight loss will become more and more difficult to achieve. One of the reasons for this is that your lean body mass is now considerably reduced, meaning that your basal metabolic requirements (the energy required to simply make you tick over) is now correspondingly reduced. Therefore the body has successfully adapted itself to require fewer calories, thereby allowing it to maintain its stores of fat, and avoid potential starvation for longer.

So, if dieting doesn't work, what does?

Well, there are three elements to successful weight management:
• Motivation
• Nutrition
• Activity

These three "Lifestyle" factors are vital components of any person's life. Without a sensible and balanced approach to each and every one of them, then as sure as night follows day, you will reap what you sow at some point in the future.

This is hardly earth shattering news to anyone reading it. However, The Lifestyle Guy knows just how hard it can be to get the balance right, and to maintain the motivation to do what we all know we are supposed to do.

The Lifestyle Guy will ensure that not only do you have all the right information regarding the lifestyle factors, but that this information is specific to your personal needs.

More importantly, they will work with you for as long as it takes, to ensure that you make the necessary lifestyle changes, so that the new slimmer version of yourself is the one that will stay with you throughout your longer, healthier and more fulfilling life.

Best wishes,

Garth Delikan
The Lifestyle Guy - Personal Empowerment Coach

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