How to Really Lose Weight and Stay Healthy.

Healthy weight loss is simple. Just burn more calories than you consume. So why is this so difficult for so many people, especially as we age?

The source of the weight gain problem lies in our physiology, which is exactly where we find the healthiest solution too. Just follow along with these easy guidelines.

Weight Loss Starts With Our Physiology

As we eat and digest, our bodies breakdown foods to their basic parts; carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. We need all of these components for a Healthy body, so beware of those fad diets out there that rely on just a few types of food. Besides being very unhealthy, they are boring. The variety of food flavors in a normal diet are what makes our brains and bodies feel very satisfied.

Unless there is an immediate need (like rebuilding muscles after a workout), our bodies prefer to store those food calories in fat cells. The unsightly news is that fat cells are able to swell to accommodate the storage, thus given many of us a swollen appearance when we would really rather not.

So understanding how we gain weight as fat clues us in on how to reverse the process. Let’s use some biology to our advantage here.

1. Burning Those Calories

Calories that don’t get used, get stored. We have muscles that are these extremely effective calorie burning machines built into our bodies. The more muscle you have and the longer you use them, the more calories you burn. So according to current Science, here is what works best.

Aerobic exercise uses muscles to burn energy for great lengths of time. Rhythmic movements like walking, cycling, and running at an intensity where you can hold a conversation will burn calories very efficiently.

Muscle strengthening exercise, like lifting weights or performing resistance exercises, also burns calories but has the added benefit of building additional muscle tissue, which can then burn more calories. Cool deal, eh?

A sound exercise program includes both of these types of exercise. For those interested in combining both into the same exercise session, look at High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Not for the faint of heart but a lot of people are getting results.

2. Consuming Those Calories

Focus on getting the most bang for your buck! You want nutrition, not just watching calories. Eating foods that give you little or not nutrition in return is what gets most folks into their predicament.

• Go with foods that have the least amount of processing possible.
• Eat a variety of foods. You need all three types (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) for your body to properly metabolize the nutrition.
• Eat meats on the lean side. Generally stay with chicken, eggs, and fish. Red meat has lots of extra fat but it also has some good nutrition. Just keep things in moderation.
• Vegan can be an alternative but study up. Getting a balanced blend of nutrients from just plant sources does takes work. Don’t shy away, just be ready for some homework.
• Don’t diet! Just eat a variety in moderation. Diets tend to be unbalanced and what you want is to learn to eat Healthy as part of your lifestyle.

3. Minimize Stress

Part of our “fight or flight” mechanism involves the release of a hormone called cortisol. While useful for a lot of biological function, cortisol promotes the storage of fat. So reduce the stress and the fat storage is not encouraged.

• Exercise (any type) is a great stress reliever.
• Take time for things YOU enjoy. If the time doesn’t come naturally, MAKE the time. This is important.
• Socialize with others. (Facebook doesn’t count either. You’ve got to be WITH people.)

4. Sleep

Work at getting a good night’s sleep as you would any other Healthy activity. As adults, a good night’s sleep doesn’t just happen.

• Walk away from electronics (smartphone, computer, television) before turning in for the night.
• Avoid caffeine later in the day.
• Develop a winding down routine like reading a book, taking a bath, etc.
• Avoid exercise just before bed.
• The lack of a good night’s sleep affects you metabolism and contributes towards weight gain.

5. The Key Component To Weight Loss

The best way to make these elements (exercise, eating, stress, and sleep) work at reducing body fat and weight is to do all of them at the same time. That is the key to our physiology. Be active and participate in Life in as Healthy a fashion as possible and you get a Healthier body. You just have to work all of the aspects.

And now you know why diets don’t work and why athletes with terrible diets can keel over dead. It is not just the one thing we do but everything we do. Once you begin living Health, anything is possible.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
― Douglas Adams