by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: June 16, 2009

Everybody experiences weight fluctuations at some point during their lifetime, as their bodies change and adapt once they reach different life stages. Some people are able to manage their weight and remain within a healthy range according to their Body Mass Index (BMI). Increasingly, though, it seems that people are not controlling their weight by addressing any slight weight gain they have before it becomes a problem. This is borne out by statistics on obesity, which show that in the U.S. the majority of adults are classified as overweight or obese compared to those who are a healthy weight. People who do decide to lose weight can find it a very challenging experience, and even more challenging can actually be keeping the weight off, so is it actually possible to lose weight for life?

It should be, but many people set about losing weight thinking that once they have reached their ideal weight they will be able to stay at that weight without trying. Clearly this is not the case, since so many people who have lost weight tend to gain all the weight they lost back within a few years of their 'diet'. The trouble is that when people are on a diet they have a firm goal in their mind to help them stay focused. When they no longer have a goal as an incentive to eat healthily and exercise regularly they can soon find that they drift back into their old ways, which obviously caused them to gain weight in the first place. Gradual little changes to their diet and exercise routine can soon amount to the consumption of a few too many calories, and thus weight gain.

This can apply to people who lost weight gradually by following a healthy eating plan and exercising regularly, just as it can apply to those who lost weight by following a fad diet. The main difference is that people who followed a fad diet will probably gain the weight back a lot quicker, since their diet will have been designed with the short term in mind. It is possible for individuals to lose a substantial amount of weight quickly in a couple of weeks, but this will mainly be in the form of water and muscle mass rather than fat, and they will be deprived of vital nutrients.

They will consume so few calories that their body will go into starvation mode meaning that when they start eating properly again extra calories will be stored as fat in case the body has to experience starvation sometime in the future. Plus, individuals who have been virtually starving themselves might find they end up bingeing on food, which can simply exacerbate the situation.

People who managed to lose weight in a healthy way will be better placed to maintain their ideal weight once they reach it, as they will already be eating a balanced diet. The diet might need a little bit of adjustment to take into account the fact they are no longer trying to lose weight, but it will not need a complete overhaul as in the case of someone following a fad diet. However, even those who have managed to adopt healthier lifestyle habits need to keep an eye on what they are eating and how much, as well as the amount of physical activity they do, as if they don't they, too, could find that the weight gradually creeps back on, taking them back to square one. Individuals who struggle with their weight need to realise that ideally they should practise weight management, rather than watching their weight constantly going up and down, as doing so will place less pressure on them physically and mentally.

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