Yeah, right. You’ve seen the words ‘easy’ and ‘lose weight’ in the same sentence before. And when you followed the plan to ‘easily lose weight’. You probably didn’t lose as much weight as you hoped. You probably didn’t stay at your lower weight for as long as you hoped, and no part of the whole thing was ‘easy’.
Losing Weight is Never Easy
Think about it. Think about how long you’ve had extra weight that you would like to live without. You may have been overweight since childhood. Or maybe you started gaining weight after high school. In any case, you didn’t become overweight last week.
In other words, if you’re trying to reduce your weight, you’ve been overweight for a long time; decades even. Getting your body to transform itself from the weight it has maintained for a very long time can’t happen in a very short time.
Losing weight is never easy because you can’t reverse years or decades of extra weight in days, or weeks or months. At least not healthily and sustainably.
But Losing Weight Doesn’t Need to Be as Difficult as You Might Think
One of the ironic problems of calorie-cutting weight-loss diets is that they can actually make healthy, lasting weight loss results more difficult to achieve.
Every time you try a new diet, whether it’s low-carb, high-carb, calorie-restricted, high-protein, or whatever, your body goes through massive changes in a relatively short time. All of a sudden, its routine of getting the energy and nutrition it needs to survive is interrupted, even restricted.
The sudden severe changes to what your body has been used to for so long can put it into crisis mode. Your body relies on energy from food to survive. When that energy source is threatened or changes drastically, your body can react as if it’s very existence is being threatened.
When that happens, the difficulty of losing weight goes way up. Now, not only are you just trying to shed some pounds, but you’re battling your body’s natural survival instincts to shed them, and all the extra stresses that involve.
Make it Easier for Your Body to Lose Weight
So, if your body can react to weight loss diets in ways that actually make losing weight more difficult, then they are clearly not the solution.
But you still need to make a change to your diet because, for whatever reason, you haven’t been able to manage your weight on your current diet.
So you need to find a way to change your diet that helps you lose weight, but doesn’t put your body under too much stress to make the change.
Whole Foods Versus Processed Foods
Focus on transitioning your diet to one of more whole foods and fewer processed foods. When you do, you give your body the energy and the nutrients it craves, while reducing the empty calories and unhealthy ingredients that can keep you overweight.
Processed foods are those that have been altered in many different ways, for many different reasons, from their natural state.
Some foods are processed to make them last longer on the shelf so food manufacturers don’t have to replace them as often.
Some are processed to make them taste better. Plain potatoes have a very bland taste. But salt and vinegar chips blast you with flavour.
Some are processed to make them more convenient to prepare. It’s so much easier to pop a frozen dinner into the microwave versus preparing a similar meal from scratch.
And some are processed just to make them look more appetizing.
But processing food makes it unhealthier. More additives, like sugar, salt, and chemical preservatives, are used. At the same time, healthy nutrients and fiber are stripped away.
The result is foods that may last longer. Might seem to taste better and might look great in the package. But they are not great for your weight and health.
Whole foods, including whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and meats. Are those that have little or no processing before you eat them. That means they keep more of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber. That is needed to healthily fuel your body and slow down the release of energy. So it doesn’t get stored as fat.
If you focus on transitioning your diet to more whole foods and fewer processed foods. You set the stage for healthy weight loss.
To learn more, call or visit your nearest Herbal One Centre.