You're used to carrying a certain amount of fat and when you try to lose it, alarm bells go off immediately: you feel ravenous, and your body goes into starvation mode.
As you reduce your caloric intake, hoping to burn fat, your metabolism slows down, adjusting to the amount of fuel it is given. You might lose some weight initially, but then you quickly hit a "plateau": your weight stops moving. You get discouraged and give up your diet. You go back to your old eating pattern and a few weeks or months later, you regain all the weight you've so painfully lost.
Psychologically, it's hard to change a pattern of behaviour. It takes a bit of work and persistence, and above all: time. You can't rush it, as you can't change overnight! Today you are the sum total of your habits, and you need to undo them one by one, peeling them away like the layers of an onion.
Motivation is not always strong. It comes and goes, and on some days you feel enthusiastic about your goal, while on others, your determination weakens. You're tempted to give in to your cravings and can't resist the urge to have a chocolate bar of a piece of cake! Just because you didn't stick to your eating plan, you think you've failed. You decide to binge on the foods that you've denied yourself for the last few days or weeks. The next day, you feel awful and decide either to punish yourself by going on an even more restrictive diet, which will slow your metabolism even further, or give up your intention to lose weight altogether.
Weight loss works if you're sensible about it. There is no instant recipe, and secret number one is to lose weight slowly and gradually. It doesn't matter how long it takes!
Examine your excuses, e.g., "I don't have any willpower", or "I don't have time to exercise". Willpower begins with little things, like eating more fruit and vegetables instead of pies and biscuits. Or like getting up a few minutes earlier than usual to do a few stretches and prepare a nutritious breakfast.
Be patient and gentle with yourself! Secret number two is to be flexible. If you can't go to the gym, why not take a power walk for ten or twenty minutes? Wanting to do everything perfectly will set you up for failure, because no one can be perfect, and you'll slip up and make mistakes, no matter how hard you try to do things by the book.
You probably already know what you should eat, but you're confused about carbohydrates, fat and protein. I will explain how to balance these macronutrients in your diet for the best weight loss effect, and for maximum health and energy. You will never go hungry again, as you'll have plenty of satisfying food to eat! And you won't feel miserable and deprived...
Losing weight can be an exciting journey, if you're doing it right, and if you're playful about it. My new book, "The Magic of Sensible Weight Loss" won't disappoint you. It may not be easy to lose weight, but you can achieve it in a rational way that appeals to your intelligence. I will give you all the tools to do this, and much more. The result will be magical!
With love,
Bella
"The Magic of Sensible Dieting: Healthy Weight Loss without Hunger and without Deprivation" will soon be available at Balboa Press and Amazon.com!
