There’s a lot of misinformation about weight loss out there and many people fall for it. With the media’s infatuation with good looking bodies and ultra-fit actresses, actors and athletes it’s easy to see why so many people worry so much about their weight.
The real concern with carrying extra weight around should be one’s health, but often it’s more about vanity. Now, if that gets someone to be healthier, then great. However, it can lead people to try some dangerous methods to reach their “ideal” weight.
We live in an age of instant gratification where anything we want is a click away. Our wildest desires can be fulfilled without ever having to leave our houses or even our couches. It’s not a stretch to understand how this can lead people to want the same instant improvement to their bodies.
The problem with rapid weight loss is that there is no such thing. Weight loss is not easy, though it is simple, and it’s definitely not rapid. Any product offering rapid weight loss is lying to you. Sure, you might lose a lot of weight from a diet pill, but you never learned the safe and effective habits of healthy living that you will need in order to keep it off. Also, it might kill you.
In 2009, Hydroxycut was pulled from shelves for causing liver injuries [1]. People actually died from taking this popular pill. Heck, I even tried it. All it did was increase your heart rate with caffeine, which increased your metabolism, and suppressed your appetite so that you didn’t feel hungry very often. It made me feel jittery all day and after they recalled it I never tried anything like that again.
Hydroxycut was bad news, but there are worse things out there. Bulimia, throwing up food to lose weight, is another dangerous practice[2] and if you are considering it you should definitely check out the facts at Bulimia.com. The problem with these “quick” fixes is that you may lose weight while doing them, but you will start to gain it right back as soon as you start. You never learn self-control, so you have to keep using them.
The best way to lose weight is gradually, but consistently, while learning proper portion sizes and self-control. The way I eventually lost weight was to sign up for a fitness tracker like MyFitnessPal.com. There I was able to answer a few questions about my lifestyle, fitness level and goal weight to get a target daily calorie goal.
The real “secret” to weight loss is that it’s simple math. You don’t have to spend lots of money, but you do have to commit to it. Every day you provide your body some number of calories and every day your body burns some calories. If you burn more than you consume, then you lose weight as your body reaches into your fat stores for more energy. If you don’t burn it, then your body stores it as fat.
It may be slower than some people want, but you will be much more likely to keep it off if you lose weight this way. You’ll need to track everything you eat, and I recommend not even stepping on a scale for at least two weeks so you can see a big first number. It will help you stay motivated.
Also, during the first two weeks or so you are likely to not see much change. Trust me, your body is changing, but it takes a bit for the outward changes to appear. You shouldn’t rely only on your weight either. Get a tape measure and measure your waist, neck, legs and arms. Some weeks you might not have a change in your weight, but you could still have a change in one of your other measurements that will remind you that you are still on track, even if the scale wants to be cruel.
After a few months, you’ll be slimmer, fitter, more energetic and ready to keep the weight off by using the skills you learned along the way. It’s not “rapid”, it’s not “easy” but it is simple. Dedicate yourself and keep your commitment and you will see the pounds fall off before you know it.
[1] http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20090501/hydroxycut-recall-due-to-liver-injuries
[2] http://www.bulimia.com/client/client_pages/bulimia8.cfm