The Big Picture of Permanent Weight Loss

Most people who read my articles and e-books know me as a kind of science that likes to quote studies and apply research to everyday problems such as weight loss, strength training, and other issues / health related fitness . However, sometimes you have to step back from the science and look at the bigger picture to help people get back to the point, so you can see the forest for the trees, so to speak

.For most people reading this article, finding an effective diet that works most of the time, it must seem as complicated as nuclear physics. It is not, but there are a bewildering number of choices for diets out there. High-fat or fat-free? Carbohydrate or no carbs? Low protein or high protein? To make matters worse, there are a million variations and combinations of the above diet scenarios to add to the confusion. It seems endless and causes many people to raise their arms in frustration and give up. In this article I will try to change that.There are some general rules, ground rules, and display means of a diet program that will allow you to decide, once and for all that this is the diet for you. You may not always like what I have to say, and you should have no illusions this is another quick fix, "lose 100 pounds. In 20 days," guide of some sort. However, if you're sick and tired of be confused, tired of taking the weight put it back in, and tired of wondering how to take the first steps to deciding the right diet for you that will result in permanent weight loss, then this is the article that could change your life ...Do you spend your food "Test"?What is the number one reason diets fail long term; mostly? The number one reason is ... drum roll ... a lack of long-term compliance. The numbers do not lie; the vast majority of people who lose weight will regain - and often beyond what they have lost. You know that is true?However, what are you doing about it? Here's another reality check: virtually any diet you choose which follows the basic concept of "burn" more calories than you consume - mantra of "calories in calories out" well accepted - you will lose weight. To some extent, they all work: Atkins-style diets without carbohydrates, rich in low-fat carbohydrate diets, all manner of fad diets - it simply has no short-term importance .If your goal is to lose weight quickly, then pick one and follow it. I guarantee that you will lose weight. In general, studies have shown no commercial weight loss diets will get approximately the same amount of weight loss after 6 months to a year. For example, a recent study found the Atkins diet, Slim-Fast Plan, Weight Watchers pure points program and diet Eat Yourself Slim Rosemary Conley, all were equally effective. (1)Other studies comparing other popular diets have come to essentially the same conclusions. For example, a study comparing the Atkins diet, the Ornish, Weight Watchers, diet and the Zone diet, which happens to be essentially the same in their ability to make the weight after a year. (2)I remember what I said about the number one reason diets fail, which is a lack of respect. The lead researcher of this recent study stated:"Our study showed that the grip level rather than diet type was the primary predictor of weight loss" (3)Size is not the diet they chose per se, but their ability to actually stick to a diet that predicted weight loss success. I can see your hands until now, "but Will, some diets must be better than others, right?" Some are better than other diets? Absolutely. Some diets are healthier than others, some diets are better at preserving lean body mass, some diets are better at suppressing appetite - there are many differences between diets. However, while most of the popular diets will work for gaining weight, which is very clear, it is that which the Plan is the most important aspect of maintaining long-term weight.What is a diet?

A diet is a short term strategy to lose weight. long-term weight loss is the result of a change in lifestyle. We are interested in the management of long weight of life, weight loss no quick fix here. I'm not like the long-term diet, as it represents a short term attempt to lose weight for a change of lifestyle. Want to lose a lot of weight quickly? Heck, I'll give you information on how to do it here and now, for free.

For 90 to 120 days eat 12 scrambled egg whites, a grapefruit, and a gallon of water twice daily. You will lose a lot of weight. Is it healthy? No. The weight will stay off once you are done with this diet and are then forced to return to their "normal" way of eating? No way. This will be the weight you lose come from fat or will it be muscle, water, bone, and (hopefully!) A little fat? The fact is, there are many diets out there that are perfectly capable of making weight, but considering any diet plan designed to lose weight, you need to ask yourself:"Is this a way of eating I can follow long term?"Which leads me to my test: I call it the "Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?" Test. I know, not exactly roll your tongue, but it gets the point across.The lesson here is: any nutritional plan you pick to lose weight must be part of a change in lifestyle will be able to follow - in one form or another - forever. That is, if not a way of eating you can comply with indefinitely, even after reaching your ideal weight, then it is useless.Thus, many fad diets that are out there, it is removed immediately, and you do not have to worry about them. The question is not whether the diet is effective in the short term, but if the diet can be followed indefinitely as a diet to lifestyle. From "their" way of eating back to "your" way of eating when you reach your target weight is a recipe for disaster and the cause of yo-yo diet syndrome established. In short: there are no shortcuts, no free lunch, and only a commitment to a change in lifestyle will maintain the long-term fat. I realize that's not what most people want to hear, but it is true, whether we like it or not.The statistics do not lie: getting the weight is not the hardest part, keeping the weight off is! If you take a close look at the number of fashion trade regimes / knowledge a look, and you are honest with yourself, and apply my test above, are most of them are no longer appeal to you as they once did. It also led me to an example that adds clarity: If you have a plan that will make the biggest weight loss in the short time but is unbalanced and essentially impossible to follow long term vs. diet B, that you weight at a slower pace, but it is easier to follow, balanced, healthy, and something you can observe year after year, which is higher? If diet A gets 30 lbs off you in 30 days, but next year you have regained 30 pounds, but diet B gets 20 pounds over the next 3 months with another 20 lbs 3 months after and the weight stays off at the end of this year, what is the best diet?If you do not know the answer to these questions, you have totally missed the point of this article and the lesson you are trying to teach, and are set up for failure. Go back and read this section again ... By default, diet B is superior.Teach a man to fish ...A well-known Chinese proverb - Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life.This expression fits perfectly with the next essential step in how to decide what eating plan you should follow to lose weight permanently. Will the diet plan you are considering teach you to eat long term, or is it a spoon feeding information? Does the scheme based on special bars, shakes, supplements or pre-made foods they supply?Let's do another diet A vs. B. A comparison scheme will provide food with their food and their special drink or bars to eat, and tell you exactly when to eat them. You will lose - say - 30 pounds in two months. Diet B will try to help you learn what foods to eat, how many calories you need to eat, why you need to eat them, and generally try to help learn to eat as part of a complete change lifestyle that allow you to make informed decisions about their nutrition. Diet B causes a slow and steady weight loss of 8-10 pounds per month for the next 6 months and the weight stays off because now you know how to eat properly.Remember the Chinese proverb. Both diets will help you lose weight. Dieting alone, however, you learn to be autonomous in his experience is over. A diet is easier, to be sure, and causes faster weight loss than diet and nutrition B B takes longer and requires some thinking and learning on your part. However, when diet A is over, you're back to square one and have received no jurisdiction to fish. Diet companies do not make their profits by teaching fish, they make their money in hand you a fish so you must rely on them indefinitely or come back after you gain all the weight back.Thus, diet B is superior to what you can succeed where other diets have failed, with the knowledge gained can be applied to long term. Diet programs that attempt to spoon feed you a diet without any attempt to teach how to eat without their help and / or rely on their shakes, bars, cookies or pre-made foods, is another diet you can eliminate your options list.Diet plans that offer weight loss by drinking their product for several meals followed by a "dinner" sensitive; Diets that allow you to eat their special cookies for most meals along with their pre-set menu; or diets that try to make you eat their bars, or pre-made drinks, diet meals are a variety of coverage. They are easy to follow, but doomed to failure in the long term. They all fail the "Can I eat this way for the rest of my life?" Test, unless you really think you can eat cookies and shakes for the rest of his life ... Most here is, if the nutritional approach you use to lose weight, be it a book, a class, clinic or e-book does not teach you how to eat, it's a loser for weight loss long-term and should be avoided.The missing link for long term weight lossNow we turn to another test to help you choose a nutrition program for losing weight long term, and they actually do not participate nutrition. The missing link for weight loss is long-term exercise. Exercise is an essential part of losing weight long term. Many diet programs do not contain an exercise component, which means they are losers for losing weight long term from the beginning. Any program that focus on weight loss, but does not include a comprehensive exercise plan is like buying a car without tires, or a plane without wings. People who have successfully kept the crushing weight have incorporated exercise into their life and studies that focus on people who have successfully lost weight and kept it always find these people were consistent with their diet plans and exercise. (4)I will not list all the benefits of regular exercise, but regular exercise has positive effects on metabolism, it allows you to eat more calories and still be in a calorie deficit, and can help preserve the earth lean (LBM) that it is essential for the health and metabolism. The many health benefits of regular exercise are well known, so they will not add them here. The bottom line here is, (a) if you intend to make the most of your loss goal (b) Weight Plan and maintain long-term weight regular exercise must be an integral part of the strategy weight loss. Therefore, you can eliminate any program, be it a book, e-book, clinic, etc., which do not provide guidance and help with this essential part of losing weight long term.Sidebar: A brief note on the year:Any exercise is better than nothing. However, like diet plans, have not all the same, and many people often choose the wrong form of exercise to maximize your weight loss efforts. For example, they will do aerobics exclusively and ignore resistance training. Resistance training is an essential component of fat loss because it builds muscle essential to your metabolism, increases energy expenditure of 24 hours and has health benefits beyond aerobics.The reader will also note I said above fat loss not weight loss. Although I use the term "weight loss" in this article, I am just because it is a familiar term most people understand. However, the real purpose and the objective of a nutrition plan and exercise must be properly configured in fat loss, not weight loss. Focus on weight loss, which may include the loss of vital muscle mass, water, and even bone and fat is the wrong approach. Lose fat and keep all important lean body mass (LBM), it is the objective and the method for doing this can be found in my ebook (s) on the subject, and it is beyond the scope of this article. In short, the type of exercise, intensity of exercise, time to do this exercise duration, etc., are essential variables here trying to lose fat while retaining (LBM).101 Psychology losing weight long term,Many diet programs out there do not address the psychological aspect of why people can not successfully lose weight long term. However, a number of studies that exist have watched it. In many respects, the psychological aspect is the most important for losing weight long term, and probably the most component underestimated.Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the weight of people who regained weight, see clear differences between these two groups. For example, a study of 28 obese women who lost weight but regained the weight they had lost, compared to 28 formerly obese women who lost weight and maintained their weight for at least one year and 20 women with a stable weight in the healthy range, that women who have regained weight are:O, they tended to evaluate self-esteem in terms of weight and shapeOr there was a lack of vigilance in weight controlor dichotomous thinking had style (black and white)Or they tended to use eating to regulate mood.The researchers concluded:"The results suggest that psychological factors may provide an explanation of why many people with obesity regain weight following successful weight loss."This particular study was done in women, reflecting some of the specific psychological issues women have - but without any fault here - men also have their own psychological issues that can sabotage your long-term weight loss efforts. (6)Other studies on men and women find psychological characteristics such as "having unrealistic weight goals, poor coping or problem solving and low self-efficacy" often predict failure at losing weight long term . (7) Moreover, ordinary people who experienced psychological traits of successful weight loss long term include "... an internal motivation to lose weight, social support, better coping strategies and ability manage the stress of life, self-efficacy, autonomy, assuming responsibility in life, and overall more psychological strength and stability. " (8)The main point of this section is to illustrate that psychology plays an important role in determining if people are successful with losing weight long term. If it is not treated as part of the general plan, which may be the factor that makes or breaks your success. This, however, is not an area most nutrition programs can adequately tackle and should not wait. However, the best programs generally attempt to help with motivation, goal setting and support. If you see yourself in the above lists from the groups that failed to maintain long-term weight, then you know that you will need to deal with these problems through counseling, support groups, etc. Do not expect any weight loss program to adequately cover this, but look for programs that try to offer support, setting objectives, and resources that will keep you on track."There's a sucker born every minute"So why does not this kind of truthful information is the reality of weight loss usually long term? Let's be honest here, telling the truth is not the best way to sell bars, shakes, books, supplements and programs. Hell, if by some miracle all who read this article actually followed, and sent to millions of others that followed, the manufacturers of these products could be in financial trouble quickly. However, they also know - as the man said - "there's a sucker born every minute," so I doubt they will be held at night worrying about the effects that I, or this article, will have on their companies.So let's recap what has been learned here: the great realities of permanent weight loss picture and as you can see in a weight loss program and decide for yourself if it is for you, depending on what it was covered above:or permanent weight loss is not about finding a quick fix diet, but to make a commitment to lifestyle changes that include nutrition and exerciseo All you choose weight loss program must pass the "Can I eat this way for the rest of my life?" testo The weight loss program you choose should ultimately be taught how to eat and be self-sufficient so you can make informed decisions about the long-term supply.o The weight loss program you choose should not leave depends on commercial bars, shakes, supplements or pre-made foods, for your long-term success.o The weight loss program you choose should have an exercise component in cash.o The weight loss program you choose should attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support, but can not substitute for psychological support if necessary.conclusionI take this final section to add points and additional clarity. For starters, the above advice is not for everyone. It is not intended for those really in nutrition, such as competitive bodybuilders and other athletes who benefit from fairly dramatic changes in their diet, such as 'off season' and 'pre-contest' and so on .The article is also not intended for people with medical problems that may be on a specific diet to treat or manage a specific medical condition. The article is intended for the average person who wants to leave the yo-yo Merry-go-round once and for all. Since it is likely that 99% of the population, will reach millions of people.People should not be frightened by my counsel "should eat this way forever." This does not mean that you'll diet for the rest of his life and has nothing but hungry to wait. What this means, however, is that you must learn to eat properly even after you reach your ideal weight and that way of eating should not be a major change in the way you eat to lose weight first place . Once you reach your goal weight - and their recipients or body fat levels - will go to a maintenance phase which generally has more calories and choices of food, even the occasional treat, like a slice of pizza or whatsoever.diets are a logical extension of the diet you used to lose weight, but not based on the diet you followed that put the weight in the first place!Whatever program you choose, use the above method "big picture" that will keep you on track to losing weight long term. See you in the gym!references(1) Truby H, et al. randomized controlled trial of four commercial weight loss programs in the UK: the initial test results of the "Plan" BBC BMJ 2006; 332: 1309-1314 (June 3)(2) Michael D., et al, Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers and Zone diets for weight loss and reduced risk of heart disease. A randomized trial. JAMA. 2005; 293: 43-53.(3) Comparison of diets for weight loss and heart disease response to risk reduction. Michael Dansinger. JAMA. 2005; 293: 1590-1591.(4) J. Kruger et al. diet and physical activity behaviors of adults able to maintain weight loss. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2006, 3:17 doi: 10.1186 / 1479-5868-3-17(5) S Byrne, et al. Weight maintenance and relapse in obesity: a qualitative study. Int J Obes Relat Metab disorders. 2003 Aug; 27 (8): 955-62.(6) P Borg et al. The food selection and eating behavior during weight maintenance intervention and 2-y follow-up in obese J Obes Relat Metab men.Int disorders. 2004 December; 28 (12): 1548-1554.(7) Byrne SM. psychological aspects of weight maintenance and relapse in obesity. J Psychosom Res 2002 November; 53 (5): 1029-1036.(8) Elfhag K, et al. Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors a