A talk show geared towards women this week featured a spot on \u201cSlimdown Superfoods,\u201d pitching the usual \u201cboost your metabolism\u201d angle. When a new supplement was claimed to have caused weight loss in some kind of trials \u201cwithout diet or exercise,\u201d the audience erupted into applause and cheers.<\/p>\n
I found this truly disturbing.<\/p>\n
To me, the message is that people want to lower the number on the scale but they do not want to improve their nutrition or fitness level to do it. This mindset is seeking a short cut to what will ultimately be a dead end. There can be no permanent change for the better.<\/p>\n
Above all, be aware of this fact: Lower weight is not a golden ticket to better health. If you\u2019ve begun to experience the impact of metabolic syndrome\u2014symptoms of asthma, high blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol\u2014 reducing the burden of weight on your body will improve these conditions. But even if you do not yet deal with metabolic syndrome, if you push that scale number down artificially by using a supplement or with some extreme regimen, the effects of poor nutrition will find you trading one set of problems for new concerns. Weight loss short cuts almost always result in a loss of lean tissue along with fat and water weight. That lower scale number is unlikely to be sustainable when the body\u2019s health has been weakened.<\/p>\n
The obvious flaw of the \u201cshort cut\u201d is how it deliberately dodges any behavior changes. That is the essence of unsustainability. If you took a supplement to lose a few pounds without changing your diet, obviously the weight will come back as soon you stop the supplement. Are you doomed to taking it forever? Clearly, this is not a solution.<\/p>\n
Science may yet discover a “magic bullet” to control weight without changes to diet or exercise and if that ever happens for real, it’s likely to be one of the most lucrative discoveries in all of history. Seriously. But for now, we must accept that the only means of controlling weight is through diet and exercise to induce a consistent calorie deficit.<\/p>\n
Don’t waste another day, week, month on the latest magic bullet claim. Frustration and failure are weight on your mind like fat is weight on your body. Accepting reality is the fastest path to experiencing real change in your life!<\/p>\n
Have you hoped to find a “magic bullet”? Have you wasted long periods of time on a weight loss method or product that promised effortless results, only to find you didn’t get any results at all?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A talk show geared towards women this week featured a spot on \u201cSlimdown Superfoods,\u201d pitching the usual \u201cboost your metabolism\u201d angle. When a new supplement was claimed to have caused weight loss in some kind of trials \u201cwithout diet or exercise,\u201d the audience erupted into applause and cheers. I found this truly disturbing. To me, … <\/p>\n