Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Natural Weight Loss Requires More Than Just A Magic Pill

By Dr. George Best

There are several aspects to be considered and implemented when one is trying to achieve natural weight loss. While many people search for some magic pill or supplement, or try to find the perfect diet or look to the latest exercise fad, the reality is that a combination approach is usually necessary to actually get good, lasting results.

Many natural weight loss aids are available, and there appears to be no end of new ones coming on the market. Everyone of them is promoted as a breakthrough and many who are desperate to lose weight will eagerly purchase the latest and greatest weight loss product hoping it will solve their problem. People really want to think that there is some easy way to lose weight and hope for a way to avoid difficult diet and exercise programs. Although at some level, most realize that the current weight loss wonder being promoted probably won't work any better than the the ones that have come before, many will purchase the new hope and wind up frustrated once again with the lack of results.

Many natural weight loss products do have some beneficial effects and do in fact live up to their marketing claims. For instance, the herb hoodia gordonii has been shown to be very effective at suppressing appetite. So, if you happen to have a tendency to get overly hungry and this causes you to overeat or eat the wrong things, then hoodia may be very useful to you. Unfortunately, the majority of people do not eat too much because they are really hungry. They may eat in response to a craving, or they may eat to soothe boredom or anxiety, but few people overeat primarily because of actual hunger. Because of this, despite hoodia's effectiveness as an appetite suppressant, it really doesn't provide much weight loss assistance except for those with actual hunger issues.

Certain natural weight loss aids can help improve the weight loss results you get from diet and exercise. The thing is, to get benefits from such products, you hav to do the diet and exercise, but many people buy these products in the hope that they will replace diet and exercise, and they simply do not work this way.

Some natural weight loss aids block the absorption of fat by the digestive tract and thereby lower the calories you absorb from each meal. While this does tend to help with weight loss, unless you stop eating everything except fat (which is not a good idea), you still are taking in other calories that, in excess, will be converted to fat AFTER they are absorbed from the digestive tract. Here again a consistent diet and exercise program is needed to get maximum effects.

For natural weight loss, it is clear that diet and exercise must be part of the overall program. No weight loss aid by itself can replace healthy eating and increased activity. Even the hype-intensive ads for weight loss aids make this point, although it is usually hidden in the fine print.

So, the foundations of natural weight loss are diet and exercise. With a good diet and exercise program in place, you may get additional benefits from using one or more of the natural weight loss products on the market. But do your research to find a product that serves your particular needs. In other words, if you're not overeating out of hunger, don't buy an appetite suppressant. If you're already minimizing your fat intake, don't waste your money on a fat blocker.

As you get your diet and exercise plan figured out and you decide on what, if any natural weight loss aids you are going to use, there's just one more issue that needs to be addressed. You need to follow through with your plan and be consistent with it in order to get good results long-term. Failure to follow through is the primary reason that weight loss plans fail.

In several years of working with people on weight loss, I have observed that the vast majority of people will be able to stick to their natural weight loss plan for more than a few weeks in a row. Now, many people work on losing weight for many months or even years, but because their efforts are not consistent, most are unsuccessful at losing weight and keeping it off.

Recent research comparing different natural weight loss approaches found something very interesting. The overall success rates of most of the currently popular diet programs were about the same. The success or failure of any given diet had little to do with what the approach was. In other words, low carb, low fat, calorie restriction, eating for blood type, etc., really didn't matter. What mattered was whether or not the individual stuck to the program! To sum it up, it doesn't matter so much what you do to lose weight (within reason), as much as it matters that you do it consistenty long-term!

Since sticking with a natural weight loss plan is the key to success, it would likely be beneficial to investigate various methods for getting control of your mind and emotions. I include several of the most effective of these techniques in my E-Book, "Training Your Brain For Weight Loss". Other resources include Anthony Robbins, Dr. Phil McGraw, Emotional Freedom Technique, Neurolinguistic Programming, and self-hypnosis.

Ultimately, the key to succeeding with a natural weight loss plan is to take a combination approach that includes diet, exercise, any weight loss products that meet your specific needs, and make your program a part of your daily lifestyle. The way to be make your program something you consistently stick with long-term is to take control of your mind and emotions so that your brain works with rather than against your weight loss efforts.

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