Finding Permanent Weight Loss Solutions Today

Finding permanent weight loss solutions is the "Holy Grail" of the health and fitness industries.

There is no one weight loss program that is perfect for everyone for many reasons. But the good news is that there are now several to choose from that do offer permanent solutions for most people.

Let's take a look at the "logic" behind dieting and weight loss through the years.

Until recently; the only weight control advice available was "eat fewer calories than you expend". This fostered diet plans that were almost impossible to stick with because they were so restrictive. In reality; any successful diet does require that you expend more calories than you consume. But just as real; is the fact that there are now weight loss programs based upon a better scientific understanding of how the body responds to dieting and how to manipulate the body's natural response to dieting in order to achieve more rapid and more long lasting; good results.

Our bodies become accustomed to what they are given and they learn to function based upon what they are given. If you regularly eat 2500 calories daily; your body adjusts its metabolism to function on the expected 2500 calories. If you only need 2000 calories to maintain neutral weight gain; your body will not know that and you will gain weight. The hard part about weight loss; up until now; was that once you go on a diet and consume let's say 1900 calories daily in order to lose weight; your body recognizes that its only getting that number of calories and it slows the metabolism accordingly.

By eating fewer calories; your body adjusts to burn fewer calories. Quite a little problem; isn't it? So what do we do?

Today; there are other weight control options that take into account the body's response to dieting and can optimize the body's metabolic rate in order to facilitate rapid; long term weight loss. These programs; by their nature; are easier to follow because they are less restrictive in terms of the foods that we can eat; and thus more effective because we can stick with them for the long term.

One of the popular types of weight loss programs available today is the "no carb" types of programs such as Atkins. I know people who have had good results with such programs; and if it works for you in the long term...then there is no arguing with success. I personally do not feel that trying to eliminate almost an entire food group from our diets is a healthy undertaking. A healthy weight loss regimen will include some balance between the food groups.

Another popular type of program is one that focuses upon limiting our carb consumption to primarily "low glycemic" carbs. These are carbs that are more readily burned as energy and less likely to be stored by the body as fat. Now, this seems to make a little more sense to me. I personally had some very good results a couple of years ago with Nutrisystem; losing about thirty pounds in about three months; but as soon as I quit buying the pre-packaged food; I was essentially back to a "calorie and carb counting" diet; and the weight returned.

Finding permanent weight loss solutions is more complicated than calorie counting, or avoiding carbs or eating only "good" carbs. Finding permanent weight loss solutions must include the following:

1) You must feel comfortable with the program.
2) It must be fairly easy to follow.
3) You must be able to eat often enough; and eat foods that you like; in order to feel "satisfied".
4) You must see results so that you know you are approaching your goals.
5) It cannot feel like a "diet"; because that is something that you do for a set amount of time; not a lifetime.
6) It must be a change that you can embrace rather than dread.

Finding permanent weight loss solutions is easier today because we better understand how the body will respond to "conventional" dieting.

The most effective program that I have encountered and tried to date; is based upon the concept of "Calorie Shifting". Calorie shifting is based upon the premise that in order to lose weight quickly and permanently, we must keep our body's metabolism in high gear. The only way to do that is to eat often and eat well. We cannot deprive the body of what it expects or it will slow the metabolism and slow the process of losing weight. We must alternate the types of foods that we eat and the times of day at which we eat them in order to keep our metabolisms at their peak.

Calorie shifting has me eating foods that I like a lot, along with foods that I like a little; but none of the foods that I like not at all. I normally only eat twice per day; but with calorie shifting; I am having to learn to eat four times daily...but I'm sure I'll get used to that. It is easier to go from eating twice a day to eating four times a day than the opposite.

The body is programmed to maintain...not to change. If you want to change; then please visit the link below to learn more.

http://www.TheBodyGood.net