Keeping slim

The failure of weight loss attempts, in many instances, is understandable. To successfully accomplish any task or solve any problem you must first understand it and then select the proper tools and the correct course of action.
Many unsuccessful weight reducing attempts are the result of misinformation and misdirections. Those deterrents are often perpetuated by self-designated "nutritionists" and irresponsible doctors who prey upon the public with weird and. frequently, unhealthy means of taking off pounds.
The more promises a diet offers in terms of being "easy" or "fast" or "nonsacrificing" the more excitement it
generates and the more popular it becomes. There may be a temporary loss on the scales, but invariably the weight
returns and depression follows frustration and a return to old habits and weight.
To achieve a goal you must first understand the basics. To achieve a weight goal you must analyze the causes. What you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat are the three determining factors in body weight.
Metabolism and activity levels are factors insofar as they have a bearing on how many calories your body can tolerate
without a weight gain.
Let's start by looking at weight loss in a new way — without the scales I This may
confuse you, but a true lasting weight loss is measured by the loss of fat and fat loss is determined by a tape measure — not the scales, although scale loss will follow. You can take a diuretic or "water pill" and cause a loss on the scales through the loss of water and yet have not lost any fat.
Water weight will, of course, quickly return.
Fat shows up in dress sizes for women and waist sizes for men. True weight losses will affect these dimensions.
Fat increases are insidious and take time to accumulate. In beginning a diet you must remember that losing this fat
will also take time. "Fast" weight losses are a delusion. You must begin by eating in such a manner as to cause the fat to burn up and not be replaced.
Diets that eliminate one of the basic food categories protein, carbohydrates or fat can cause malnutrition and leave
the dieter looking haggard and feeling weak. A nutritionally depleted diet will cause a loss of lean muscle tissue in face
and neck while the hips, thighs and stomach still retain fat.
A healthy effective diet must contain carbohydrates and fat. as well as protein - it is your choice of the source of these
food elements that make the difference. No one can have a successful permanent weight loss without giving up some things and cutting down on others.
When starting a weight loss begin by measuring all parts of your body that have fat accumulation. These can include
upper arms, chest or bust, rib cage, waist, abdomen, hips, upper thighs, knees,
calves and ankles.
Losses will not be consistent. Some weeks you will lose more than others, and the losses will not measure evenly on all parts of the body. But lose you will and happier and healthier you will also be.