Want to Know Why You're Losing the 'Battle of the Bulge'? Here's Why..

Have you ever been in a situation where, after 6 to 12 months of a dieting and/or an exercise program, you find yourself still not making any headway in your weight loss efforts? And have you ever wondered why?

A lot of people have actually experienced this predicament, and some of them have actually lost weight in the first 3 to 6 months or so, only to gain back the lost weight in the end. What they might not realize is that maybe they might have digressed a little from their strict weight loss plan. You see, just a little deviation from the plan is all it takes to render all your efforts useless and for naught.

So before you look at other possible reasons for your failure to lose weight, you might want to ask yourself, “Am I religiously adhering to my weight-loss plan?”. Because no matter how effective the cholesterol-control, fat binders, or whatever prescribed medications you are taking, if you are not exercising frequently enough, or if you are ‘cheating’ on your diet, then, chances are, you’ll just get back those lost pounds!

Also, before we continue, who formulated your diet and exercise plan? Did you seek expert medical advice for that, or did you just copy it from the Internet or a book written by a supposed expert? Because you see, your doctor is perhaps the only person who knows a lot about your body type and body processes, so seeking his expert advice could spell the difference between a well-thought-out diet and exercise plan and one which just works in the short run.

Lastly, have you had yourself checked out for type 2 diabetes mellitus? Because this condition can easily exacerbate obesity, and without the aid of specific medications, it can only be managed through a very strict exercise plan and radical dietary modification. Even just a slight deviation from this strict exercise and diet plan could wreak havoc to your weight loss efforts and even complicate your obesity problem.

Now, with regards to your diet, if you have formulated or discovered one which works for you, then by all means, stick to it or choose wiser alternatives, but only after rigorous consultation with your doctor. If, for example, you’ve been drinking 1% milk (that is, milk that supposedly contains only 1% fat), you might want to try skim milk (milk that supposedly contains less than 1% fat), but consult with your doctor as to which brands are best for you.

If you want to combine some fruits and vegetables with your diet, you may do so but again, consult your doctor first because this may sound strange to you, but even the supposedly natural sugars found in some fruits and vegetables may be enough to trigger diabetes.

You might also want to incorporate lean sources of protein, such as fish or chicken, to your diet but again, consult with your doctor as to how best to prepare and cook such foods. For instance, removing the skin from chicken before cooking them will further reduce its fat content.

You may also substitute animal protein with proteins from plant sources, like nut or beans, but be careful because some beans, depending on how and when they are stored and cooked, have certain side effects in our body. Again, consult your doctor as to which beans are beneficial for you and which ones need to be avoided.

Also, stay away from junk food or snack bars, even the supposedly-healthy energy bars. The allure of such bars is sometimes difficult to avoid, especially with the active endorsement of celebrities and athletes, but some of them still contain enough sugars or calories to trigger diabetes or enable you to gain instead of lose weight.

Sometimes, you will just have to involve your family’s cooperation and active participation in your weight-loss efforts by asking them to not bring those junk food or snack bars home, or to not eat them too. Perhaps you should also try to educate your kids about childhood obesity and patiently explain to them that if unabated, it could pose problems and/or dangers to them when they become adults. If you really value not only your health but also that of your family’s, then educating your kids at an early age can go a long way towards keeping everyone healthy in the long haul…

And if you haven’t done it yet, you should also try some form of cardiovascular exercise, such as weightlifting, running or brisk walking, with your dietary modification in order to complete your healthy lifestyle equation. A carefully-chosen and well-planned cardiovascular exercise regimen will not only enable you to burn those calories while exercising, but will also make you feel full, thereby letting you avoid the hunger impulse, and empower your body to continue shedding minute amounts of calories even after you have stopped your exercise and have already gone to work.

Lastly, you should understand that there’s no such thing as a carefully-chosen, well-planned diet and exercise regimen that does not work, and that you should give considerable time for these diet and exercise programs to work, and for their effects to be visible. You cannot wait for just about a month or so, and if you don’t see any results, move on to another regimen. It simply doesn’t work that way.

For a carefully-formulated and planned diet with exercise regimen to not to have worked, there must have been some deviation from the strict, well-laid plans, some lack of consistency, or maybe even some ignorance on the part of the follower. You should adhere to these plans to the letter, as minor deviations may cause chemical reactions in your body which may reverse the beneficial effects, which could explain why some people regain the weight which they have already lost.

Hence, for an effective weight loss plan to be truly effective, religious compliance to it is crucial to your success, especially if you are new to it. You can not be forever trying out different regimens; you need to stick to tried-and-tested diet and/or exercise plans, things that work. And you gotta have some faith that one of them will work.

Good luck, and may you be successful in maintaining or even reducing your weight.