Gresham Chiropractor

You did not gain your excess weight overnight and you will not reduce your weight overnight either. In truth we have a weight set point which is similar to a thermostat in as much as it tries to keep your weight constant.

If you over indulge in food at a party, your weight may go up a little but soon will return back to its set point weight. But, slowly over the years of eating the wrong foods (junk foods, high glycemic index foods, foods with too much saturated fats like fatty red meats) increases your weight set point and your weight goes up.

So it will take some time (but not as long as for your weight gain) to lower your set point to the desired value. Note - for those in a hurry - if you reduce your caloric intake too low (below 1500 to 1200 depending on your current weight and activity level) your body will shift into the starvation mode and slow down your metabolism and stop your weight loss. In fact later your slower metabolic rate will increase your weight - hence the yo-yo syndrome.

The phases of a good weight control program:

* Phase one - rapid weight loss

In a good weight control program using both food control and exercise, at first your weight may go down rapidly as you lose water weight and eat more fiber and thus cleans your colon.

* Phase two - some weight gain

Next as you exercise chances are your weight will go up a tad as you are replacing fat with muscle. Don’t give up. Muscle weighs more than fat. I tell my weight reduction clients not to weigh themselves the first few weeks and look in the mirror and notice how they look so much better.

* weight control program and plateau phase

Next in any sustainableweight control program, you can expect to lose somewhere between one to two pounds a week for a while. Any faster than is not sustainable and will lead to that dreaded yo-yo syndrome. Next your weight will plateau (remain more or less constant) for a while, as your weight set point stabilizes and gets ready to change.

Next your weight starts going down again and in time you reach your natural ideal weight. Remember this weight loss and plateau phase keeps repeating. As your set point will move down and then resistance builds and you get over the hump.

* The last few pounds are super tough

There are times that you wish to reduce your weight even further. You desire to be super fit and lean.

For me the last five pounds have been very lower my weight so much that my body fat percentage would go down from very good to extremely good (from 13% to 12% or less). This was a challenge for me. Then the solution came because I was helping one of my weight loss clients.

* How I examined the low glycemic index diets

In order to guide my weight control program clients I study the science behind many diet programs. I have known that low glycemic index diets are very sound from a scientific point. I used to eat}consume primarily a low GI diet, but did not adhere to it totally.

I had been studying various commercial programs for a client who did not have the time and inclination to follow my teachings and needed to get ready for a summer wedding and noticed that the one program which, if you follow it correctly, is successful was based on eating portion controlled low GI menu.

* How I overcame the last few pounds

Last week I started to follow a good carbs diet. And lo and behold, my weight has gone down two pounds in the last week (the perfect amount) and most importantly my body fat content has gone down to 12.4%.

I still have a little to go but I’m very happy with the progress and will continue with the low GI diet. In fact soon I’ll need to buy tighter belts as today I reached the last hole, but as my belt size is now the same as 40 years ago, but that’s a good problem to have.

So you see weight control program need not be difficult to impossible. You need to have reasonable expectations and goals, with room for plateauing, and eat plenty of good health giving foods with good proteins, fats and carbohydrates. A mostly vegetarian diet with lean meat (mostly fish, or skinned chicken) with plenty of water and fruits will keep you full while allowing you to reduce your weight safely and become more healthy.

Click here to find a recommended diet program which does allow you to produce a sustained weight loss.

P.S. Visit this blog for how to loose weight.