A search of the internet reveals that the billion dollar diet industry, focusses more on fast results than it does on effective weight loss. This raises the question about whether the two are compatible.
Effective weight loss needs to be defined at this point. I think that a weight loss plan can be called effective, if it helps you to achieve weight loss that is permanent. It is effective when it improves your appearance and enables you to maintain that improvement.
Research into weight loss that is effective, has revealed that a fast weight loss diet usually results in the weight being re-gained after the diet. In fact, the US government recommends that you should aim to lose just 1 or 2 pounds per week.
However, you will find that most diets promise a weight loss of 5 - 10 pounds a week. You can lose this amount of weight in a week on these diets. But if you regain the weight afterwards, have you achieved effective weight loss?
What Motivates People To Lose Weight?
There are 2 principal reasons:
1. They want to look better
2. They want to restore health
The weight loss industry plays to the first reason. You wont see a lot of diet advertising that plays to your health. It is pitched at your appearance - do such and such a diet and you will look good and feel good about yourself.
If you want to lose weight to look more attractive, it is likely that you are not happy with what you see in a mirror. A mirror will show you the unwanted fat that you are carrying on your body. It wont tell you how much you weigh; your scales tell you that.
What Should You Focus On?
You need to focus your attention on losing fat; not on how much your scales say that you weigh. When you lose fat, you will lose weight. However, when you lose weight, you dont necessarily lose fat.
If you want to lose fat, you must exercise. Fat loss wont happen just by dieting. Fat loss will lead you to effective weight loss.
You can lose weight on a diet and your scales will confirm this. However, if you diet without exercising, the loss will be from loss of water in your body and loss of muscle mass. This is what happens on a fast weight loss diet. The reason you will put the weight back on after the diet, is that your body will replenish its water level.
There may be instant gratification from a fast weight loss diet, but have you actually achieved effective weight loss?
The author recommends that you will reach your weight goals fastest, if you follow the A-Z Roadmap For Effective Weight Loss. It is available free of charge - for a limited time - from this fat burning answers website.
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