by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: May 11, 2009

We'd all like to be able to just click our fingers and for all our excess weight to be gone, but unfortunately it's never going to happen. The human species has managed to survive for so long because it has adapted to its environment, which means the human body has mechanisms in place to cope with periods of starvation. People may convince themselves that they can lose weight extremely quickly by drastically cutting back on their food intake, but the likelihood is that their mind and body will simply retaliate. There is no super-fast, miracle 'cure' for dealing with obesity; it just requires individuals to be prepared to make changes to their lifestyle and to stick with them for the long haul.

Of course it is easy to say that losing weight depends only on making small adjustments to your lifestyle which ultimately add up to a comprehensive reprogramming of the way you think about food and exercise, but clearly it is not that simple. People grow attached to their routine and the fact that they can snuggle up on their sofa with a tub of ice cream without feeling guilty. As soon as you decide to make changes to your lifestyle, rather than concentrating on 'going on a diet', you can still end up feeling guilty whenever you deviate from your eating plan. However, it is important for individuals to remember that losing weight takes time, and that if they are going to continue to lose weight into the future they are going to have to adopt habits which they can sustain.

If they simply cut down their calories to a dangerously low figure they will spend most of their time feeling hungry, lethargic, their sleeping patterns may be disturbed, and they may be more prone to colds and general ill health. They will end up miserable and no doubt seeking solace in food. Consequently they make the association that dieting means an unhappy existence whilst eating is pleasurable (which they already knew!), and thus the temptation is to put of dealing with their weight once again.

There are plenty of fad diets on the market which target people desperate enough to try anything to lose weight, including living on a diet of watercress soup or grapefruit. There are also liquid diets which makes it easier for individuals to make the 'right' choices for weight loss, because it involves making no choices whatsoever. Such diets may lead to rapid weight loss, but they generally do your health no favours and cannot be kept up with for long periods of time. The chances are that all the weight you lose by following fad diets will be gained back, and so it is pointless following them. In reality individuals trying to lose weight need to reduce their calorie intake to a reasonable number, taking into account how active they are, eat a balanced diet and reasonable portion sizes, and exercise regularly.

It seems that people place too much emphasis on losing weight quickly rather than losing weight and keeping it off. It is all well and good to lose weight speedily, but if you're simply going to put it all back on within six months you may as well not have bothered in the first place, and so it makes sense to make lifestyle changes which will lead to long-term weight-loss success.

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