5 Reasons People can't Lose Weight and Keep it off

If you're like most of us who have struggled with your weight loss you probably feel fatter than you were when you first started! There's a reason for that....it's because you are! No offense, but if you're like many Americans, your metabolism is in lousy shape! Here are some of the reasons why:

1) Yo-yo dieting --- When you lose a lot of weight quickly you're typically losing a lot of lean muscle rather than body fat. Muscle burns calories even when you're not exercising, while fat is nothing more than "dead weight." This slows your metabolism, causing you to store more of the food you eat as body fat. Not only that, if you ever start eating a normal amount of food again.....forget about it! You just bought yourself a ticket to "fat storage city!"

2) Crash dieting --- You know those diets that tell you to "drink a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and eat a reasonable dinner?" It is not at all uncommon for people to lose a lot of weight initially, when they go on these diets. But did you know that 95% of these people gain the weight back after a year and 97% gain the weight back after two years!!* Talk about yo-yo dieting!

3) Sedentary lifestyle --- If you're not using energy your body knows it! Your body says, "Give me a break! You're not going use the food you just ate for energy!" Instead of sending those calories (energy) to your muscles where they can be used, it will store them as fat! This doesn't mean you have to spend 3 hours a day at the gym...just go for a walk after dinner!

4) Eating garbage --- Many of the foods we eat are loaded with chemicals, saturated fats, sugars, and high glycemic carbohydrates (foods that cause our blood sugars to rise quickly). None of these are good for us! Believe it or not, by substituting a few of the foods we eat with healthier foods, we can really start chipping away at that unwanted body fat!

5) Chronic stress --- When you get stressed out your body goes into "fight or flight" mode, causing it to release a bunch of glucose (sugar) into the blood stream for an immediate burst of energy. Since you're probably not trying to run away from a lion, or kill a gorilla with your bare hands, your body is not going to use that glucose for energy. Guess what it's going to do?...That's right...store it as fat! So next time you start to feel stressed out take a few deep breaths or go for a walk.

With all these calorie restriction diets, sugary foods, and sit down jobs, many of us have become "metabolically challenged" over the years. Don't worry! If you can put an end to these trends, you'll be on your way to getting your metabolism working again so you can finally lose weight and keep it off!

*Tsai AG, Wadden TA. Systematic review: An evaluation of major commercial weight loss programs in the United States. Ann Intern Med 2005;142:55-56

3 Proven Ways to Lose Weight

The clients I choose to work with are not impressed with "quick fix" weight loss programs....for good reason....they've tried them, and they've realized what 97% of participants realize....that meal replacement, calorie restriction diets don't work in the long run!

So where can you go to find proven, effective weight loss strategies that will help you not only lose weight, but keep it off for good?

I suggest the National Weight Control Registry. The National Weight Control Registry is a database of people who have lost over 30 pounds and have managed to keep that weight of for over 5 years. Now that's what I call success!

So what are these people doing that allows them to reach and maintain their weight loss goals?

Here are 3 things that just about all of them have done:

1) They eat 5-6 small meals a day.
2) They keep a food journal.
3) They exercise regularly.

Let's talk about each one of these proven, effective weight loss strategies and why they work so well.

1) Eating small, frequent meals keeps your metabolism working at its best. If you go a long time without eating food your body goes into a kind of "starvation mode." You start to burn calories more slowly because your body is trying to conserve energy. It doesn't know that you have a refrigerator full of food! It actually thinks that you may have to go days before you get your next meal!

On the other side of the coin....eating a big meal also compromises your metabolism. Have you ever experienced the "food coma" before? When you eat a huge meal....especially a meal loaded with high-glycemic carbohydrates....your blood sugar spikes, you feel tired, and your body says to itself, "Give me a break! You're not going to use all of these calories for energy! I'm going to store them as fat!"

2) Keeping a food journal does something very important...it holds you accountable to yourself. So many times clients have said to me, "I would have eaten a brownie instead of that apple, but I knew I would have to write it down!" It's funny how it works, but it's true! Keeping a food journal is one of the most effective weight loss strategies out there!

3) Its no secret that exercising is an important part of any weight loss program. This has been proven time and time again. If anyone tells you differently, they are either lying to you or trying to sell you something. But why is exercise so important? There are 2 reasons:

First, the more obvious reason; exercise burns calories. Second, exercise builds muscle mass, which burns calories even when you're not exercising!

In my opinion, building muscle is one of the most misunderstood, yet most effective weight loss strategies out there. If you're only focused on the scale, you are forgetting about one of the most important weight loss factors....your muscles, which ironically, weight twice as much as body fat.

So pump some iron, keep a journal, and eat a lot of small, healthy meals. These are proven, effective weight loss strategies that have helped so many people, and they'll help you too!

Why is my program the best?

Ever since we announced our new program for 2009 everyone has been asking me, "What makes your weight loss program the best?"

So here it is:

With my new program, I am officially waging WAR on the quick-fix, yo-yo diet culture that many of you have been seduced by in the past!

Absolutely EVERYTHING we do is consistent with long term, permanent weight loss!

- We focus ALL of our efforts on losing body fat and we preserve 100% of our lean, metabolism-boosting muscle!

- We help you to develop SUSTAINABLE eating and exercise habits!....Helping you to develop a healthy routine that you'll be happy to stick with for a lifetime.

- We help you to GET YOUR METABOLISM BACK, so you'll be burning fat 24 hours a day!

- The entire program is taught in a managable, step-by-step system. Each week has a specific goal so you won't get overwhelmed and you can STICK WITH IT!

- We make a LIFETIME commitment to you by giving you UNLIMITED access to all of our systems and weekly coaching calls!


So there it is...If you want to continue to be overweight while living on diet cokes and slim-fast shakes, my program's probably not for you....But if you're looking to shed that extra body fat and keep it off forever, give me a ring!