by Mario Carini

Created on: March 22, 2009

Weight loss is the principle subject on the minds of everyone past 40 or even sooner. While we want to lose the weight and keep it off most of us simply find it impossible to do. Despite our best efforts the weight simply doesn't come off. We sabotage our efforts for two reasons:

1. We simply don't understand what it takes to lose weight.

2. We are ignorant of the external factors that prevent weight loss.

The food industry has a dirty little secret they'd rather you didn't know about. Many of those foods in fast food joints and what you buy off the store shelves come with chemicals which are designed to make you hungry. Those chemicals are not listed on the labels. You get a craving and before long, despite your best effort, your weight loss efforts go out the window and you're getting fatter. You can't be blamed for this. Food manufacturer's simply want to make a profit and the only way is to entice you to buy and eat more food. The only way to get around this is to stay away and avoid the foods that are making you fat. Generally, that means eating less refined foods high in carbohydrates, fat and sugar and more organic natural foods such as fruits and vegetables.

While we struggle to lose that weight, many of us sabotage our efforts through the bad habits we have cultivated over the years. Smoking is one of the major factors leading to weight gain. Those chemicals in cigarettes interfere with the proper functioning of the body. Since our bodies don't know how to handle foreign chemicals, many of them are stored in fat tissues and are hard to get out unless we engage in regular detoxification programs. Our level of stress adds to the toxins we ingest from our food and the environment. Stress keeps us awake and a lack of sleep leads to weight gain. Among the many habits we develop is skipping breakfast. While this meal may not seem important, studies have clearly shown that those who skip breakfast gain weight. Habits are hard to break, but if there is any hope in losing weight we must change them.

Since most of us are in constant hurry we don't have the inclination to discipline ourselves to put a program in place, we look for a quick fix solution. But it's not as simple as joining a weight loss program or popping a few diet pills. To really lose weight demands that we take a close look at all the factors that are causing us to gain weight and addressing those factors until the pounds come off and stay off. Eating fewer calories than what we burn off certainly

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