Weight Loss Lie #2

Weight Loss Lie #2

~ The Only Way to Really get Thin is to "Starve" Yourself ~

In this lesson, you will learn the physiological reasons why very low calorie diets simply cannot work in the long term and why they are only quick fixes that lead to rebound weight gain.

There's no way around the fact that you must reduce calories in order to burn fat. Energy balance and thermodynamics dictate that you have to burn more than you take in for fat loss to occur.

However, most popular diet programs are too low in calories. Many border on starvation: 1200 calories, 1000 calories, even 800 calories or less.

Have you been cutting your calories too low, desperately trying to lose more weight?

If so, you may actually be slowing down your metabolism and decreasing your fat burning hormones!

Your fat cells begin to release less of the hormone leptin, which is the signal that tells your brain you are well fed and not starving.

This in turn triggers a cascade of other hormonal, enzymatic and metabolic events including a decrease in thyroid output (the "metabolism-regulating hormone") and a dramatic increase in appetite.

It's hormonally, metabolically and physiologically impossible to achieve permanent fat loss by starving yourself. In fact, very low calorie diets can actually make you fatter in the long run.
Very low calorie diets not only slow your metabolism so you burn fewer calories, they are also much more likely to cause muscle loss.

If you lose muscle tissue, your weight loss will become even harder and any increase in calories that follows will cause immediate fat gain.

This "rebound effect" is almost inevitable because no one can stay on low calories (with a raging appetite and irresistble cravings) forever.

Carefully look at the calorie recommendations of any diet program before you start it. You'll probably discover that in most cases, you are required to slash your calories to "starvation" levels (1200 or less for women, 1800 or less for men).

Any program that's extremely low in calories will work in the beginning - but it will never work for long.

You see, the human body is very "smart" - it always strives to maintain a perfect state of equilibrium:

Metabolism, body temperature, blood sugar, hormone levels, acid-alkaline balance and every other system in the body, are all regulated within a narrow range that your body finds safe and comfortable and body fat is no different.

When you put yourself through drastic measures attempting to achieve rapid weight loss, your metabolism cybernetically adjusts itself to maintain equilibrium in energy balance and body fat balance, much the same way as a thermostat maintains the temperature of your home within a desirable range.

As soon as you're in danger of starving, your body will quickly turn your metabolic "fat thermostat" down, so you burn fewer calories and turn your "appetite thermostat up" so you eat more calories!

This fail safe mechanism is often referred to as "the starvation response."

The only way to get rid of fat and keep it off permanenly is to avoid the starvation mode with physiologically and hormonally correct nutrition and training.

I recommend that you decrease your calories very conservatively - only 15-20% below your daily maintenance level - then increase your exercise level aggressively to burn more calories.

There are some exercise physiologists today who are starting to call this concept "energy flux."

That's a fancy way of saying, "eat more, burn more."

Bottom line: it's always better to burn the fat than try to starve the fat...

So get moving. Daily exercise is ideal and when you combine weight training and cardio training, you can actually eat more food while still losing fat... your metabolism and your hormones will thank you!

There are 11 more great lessons on the way, so stay tuned. If you're interested in learning a lot more about your body's "starvation mode" and how to avoid triggering it, it is covered in even greater detail in chapter 2 of the Burn The Fat ebook:

www.businesswise.com.au/burnthefat/

Best Regards,
Lloyd Priddle B.Bus. GDM. CPA.
Business Development Specialist