Finding Effective Weight Loss Solutions - Common Traits That Equal Success

Finding effective weight loss solutions is not a "one size fits all" undertaking.

This is because different types of weight loss programs perform more, or less effectively, for different types of people.

That said, there are certain characteristics that we should look for in finding effective weight loss solutions; because those characteristics are generally shared by popular and successful diet programs.

A desirable program will:

1. Be relatively easy to follow. If it is too hard to stick with it, it will not work.

2. It cannot leave us feeling hungry or deprived most of the time.

3. It must make allowances for the fact that sometimes we have to "eat on the run", not have a meal prepared according to plan.

4. It must give us measurable results so that we can see that we are making progress.

5. It must not cause a significant metabolic slow down, as that will result in fewer pounds lost.

Let's take a moment to discuss that last item concerning the metabolism.

The metabolism can be called the "fat burning furnace" within us. It is the metabolism that determines the rate at which we burn calories. The metabolism is "hard-wired" by nature to respond to what it is given. If we normally consume 2500 calories a day; the metabolism expects to receive those 2500 calories; and if we reduce that to say, 2000 calories; the metabolism considers that reduction to be a "threat" of starvation; so it reduces its' "burn rate" in order to conserve calories.

So now it is a lot easier to understand why so many diets fail: if we eat less in an effort to lose weight; our bodies respond by conserving calories in order to maintain weight!

And that is the real secret...our bodies are programmed to maintain, not to lose.

So, finding effective weight loss solutions must include finding weight loss programs that are designed around the known facts concerning how the body responds to dieting.

One of the most popular and effective programs is one that involves a principle known as "calorie shifting".

Calorie shifting diets utilize certain combinations of food; eaten at certain intervals of time; that serve to prevent the inevitable metabolic slow down that most other diets cause. Another benefit to this type of diet is that you must eat often in order to keep the metabolism in "high gear".

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