Desperate To Lose Weight

[David Ogden]

Desperate To Lose Weight

Hey, I can lose 10 pounds – I've done it a hundred times." That seems to be the mantra of the typical American dieter. Repeatedly losing and regaining weight or yo yo dieting, may be frustrating, but this pattern does not appear to make losing weight more difficult.

In the 1980s, when scientists first began researching weight cycling, better known as yo-yo dieting, they speculated that it would make weight loss tougher by causing a metabolism slowdown. The theory seemed sound enough: When dieters lose weight, they lose (in addition to fat) large amounts of muscle, but when they regain weight, researchers guessed, they primarily put on fat. So, the repeated cycle of losing muscle -- which burns more calories than fat -- and gaining fat would only slow down a dieter's metabolism, making weight loss that much more difficult.

Logical as this theory sounds, research ultimately disproved it. In 1994, the National Institutes of Health and the National Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity released a joint statement on weight cycling based on a review of several dozen weight-loss studies. Their conclusion: Yo-yo dieting doesn't seem to cause long-term metabolic damage. As it turns out, even though about 25 percent of weight lost from dieting without exercise is lean body tissue, about 25 percent of regained weight is also lean body mass, including muscle, which builds up to support the extra weight you've gained.

Still, despite what the research says, many chronic dieters swear they have a tougher time losing weight with each successive attempt and also a tougher time maintaining the weight they do lose. This may be the case for many people, just probably not for the reasons described above. One factor may be age. Every time you try to lose weight, you are, of course, older than you were last time. As you age, you tend to lose muscle, which slows your metabolism. You may also experience hormonal changes that tend to encourage fat gain. In addition, as people get older, they tend to be less active, which makes weight loss even harder.

All of this is why it's so important to add to any diet some form of exercise, but especially weight training. Lifting weights will help you preserve at least some of the muscle mass typically lost (temporarily) by dieting and (inevitably) due to age. You'll also look better of course; no matter what you weigh, you'll look firmer and shapelier.

Click Here for a free Video Fast Track to Fat Loss to help you get you back on track, if you are desperate to lose weight.

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