Three Things You Should Know BEFORE You Start Dieting by Peter Ford © 2013 Peter Ford The contents of this free report have been extracted from my book „How to Lose Weight with Slim Thinking‟. Please feel free to share this report with your friends if you feel the information would be useful to them. If after reading this report you would like to know more about the book, you will find a clickable link at the end.
Disclaimer The information contained in this report is not presented by a medical practitioner and is provided “as is�. It is not intended to provide a substitute for professional medical advice, nor to enable you to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any problems you may have. None of the content has been evaluated by any governing body of any country. Its sole intention is to provide information, and education to help any individual who would like to lose weight and improve their life. Readers should always seek the advice of appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well being. Whilst the author has made every effort to thoroughly research the accuracy of the information provided herein and believes it to be accurate and sound, he assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. No guarantee is given, either expressed or implied, in regard to the merchantability, accuracy, or acceptability of the information. In addition, the author, publishers and marketers of this information disclaim responsibility for any liability, harm, loss, damage or any other reactions, either directly or indirectly, as a consequence of applying the information presented herein, or in regard to the use and application of that information.
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Introduction I am not a weight loss expert, nor am I a nutritionist, and I have no medical training whatever. All I am is someone who has developed an interest in health and wellbeing. I find it astonishing that people continue to buy into more and more weird and wonderful 'weight loss programs' which are just fad diets pure and simple. It doesn't take an expert to see that the obesity epidemic we are facing is a product of our times. Just look back 50 years. Was obesity such a problem then? Of course not, but why should that be? I ask myself what has changed, and to me, the answer seems quite obvious. We eat far too much 'manufactured food' which is so highly processed that it is barely recognizable, and we don't get enough exercise. So the answer should be quite simple – eat more healthily and get some exercise. We all know this to be true, yet still huge numbers of people choose to ignore it. There is no helping people who choose to live that way, but fortunately there are many, many more who really do want to live a more healthy lifestyle. Yet despite their best efforts they lose a few pounds initially and then they seem to get stuck. Despite all their best efforts nothing seems to help. This soon turns to despair and eventually they give up altogether. Does this sound like you? Let‟s be honest, we‟ve all been there and done that. Many of us could even have the tee shirt! The weight loss industry as whole knows this will happen. It‟s a well-known phenomenon – but you don‟t often hear them talking about it. Why? Because they want you to fail. They know that the vast majority of people will soon lose their resolve and give up. That‟s good for them because they know you will be back, in a few months time, looking for the next fad diet. And so it goes on......
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But, what if you knew about this problem in advance? Would that help? Of course it would! It would affect your attitude, and I believe attitude and belief are the missing ingredients. Itâ€&#x;s why most of us never lose weight. Most of us set out hoping we might lose weight and we donâ€&#x;t succeed. This report will explain some of the reasons why.
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The Problem We All Come Up Against You recently started the latest fad diet. For three weeks you have been feeling halfstarved and you are exhausted from fitting your daily workouts at the gym into your busy life. But it's ok, in week one you lost 4lbs and in week two you lost another 2lbs. It's not the 10lbs you were promised in the first two weeks, but maybe you can catch up later..... Then, at the end of week three you jump on the scales and …...you've gained a pound! How can that be right? You've been sooooo good, sticking to the foods they say and depriving yourself of all your favorite foods! You've worked sooooo hard, sweating away for an hour every day, and for what? To put weight ON! Do you recognize this scenario? Ok, it might have taken a bit longer than 3 weeks and you might have lost more than 6 lbs, but you get the idea. Sooner or later, no matter how good you've been you reach a point where you just stop losing weight, but you're nowhere near your weight loss goal yet. And then what happens? You get really disappointed that all your efforts have been for nothing. All that deprivation was for nothing. You soon lose the belief that you can lose weight and start to believe that you really cannot lose weight no matter what you do. In no time at all your motivation has disappeared and then it's only a matter of time before you give up. What Went Wrong? So, what happened? Why was your weight loss train derailed so quickly? You reached the point that's known as the 'weight loss plateau'. It's a well-known phenomenon within the weight loss industry – it's possible you might even have heard about it before – but it's something that tends to be kept quiet rather like a guilty secret that no-one wants to talk about.
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But even if you have heard of the weight loss plateau before, do you know why it happens? Have you been warned about it? Do you know why it happens? It's likely that no-one has warned you about it, because they don't really want you to know about it. The weight loss industry relies on you reaching that plateau and then giving up. Why? Because they know that it's only a matter of time before you get over your disappointment and want to lose weight again. Only this time you will try a different 'diet'. Then you will hit the plateau again and so the cycle goes on. They get richer and you never get any slimmer. Why do you think all these fad diets come along? But, supposing someone had told you that you would hit the weight loss plateau at some time? My guess is that if you had known you were going to reach that point you would not have been so thoroughly disappointed when you did. It's like taking a train journey from the North end of a country to the South. You know you want to get there because there's something better in the South. The thing is, the journey from the North takes you to a big city in the centre of the country. You have to stop here and cross the city to catch the train to the South. It's inconvenient, and you never know how long it will take to cross the city, but you know you have to go through with it to reach your destination. Does it stop you making the journey? Of course not, because you know and accept that it's just a part of it! The weight loss plateau is just like that city in the middle of the country. It's inconvenient because you're in a hurry - it's difficult to predict how long it may take to cross it, especially annoying as you want to get where your going as quickly as you can, but it just has to be faced and dealt with. I guess it would be even better if you knew and understood why it happened......
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Welcome To The Weight Loss Plateau If you start on a weight loss program, and that's not just 'fad diets' but proper weight loss programs too, and by that I mean programs with exercise included in the package, what happens? For the first few weeks your new exercise regime, combined with a reduction in your calorie intake will burn off some excess fat and you will naturally see a few pounds come off when you step on the scales. However, the thing that no-one seems to mention is that when you embark on an exercise regime, you will not just burn fat. You will also build muscle. This is an irrefutable fact. How do athletes build up their muscles? By exercising. This is my theory: Everybody has a certain amount of fat that is 'ready to burn'. How much that is will depend on the individual and how much fat they are carrying. What happens when you start on an exercise regime to 'lose weight' is that this 'ready to burn' fat is what your body will use first to provide the energy for the extra exercise. That is why you will lose weight in the initial stages. This is good. It is exactly why you have embarked on the new exercise routine. The problem is you have probably not been told what happens in the next stage. In stage two your body will start to burn the less easily accessible fat, but this is not so easy to do. Also, at the same time that your exercise regime is burning your fat, it is also building your muscles and in the process sculpting a new body for you. Why should this be a problem? Well, in terms of your new shapely body it is not a problem, but in terms of your weight loss it is a problem. Why? Because muscle is more dense than fat, which means it is heavier than fat. A cupful of muscle is heavier than a cupful of fat. The weight loss plateau is caused when you reach the stage where your 'ready to burn' fat has been used up and you are getting into the stage of burning less accessible fat and at the same time creating new muscle.
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This stage can take anything from a few days to a few weeks to overcome, but because you have not been warned about it, and are not expecting it, you start to believe that you just cannot lose weight! Just To Complicate Matters Further There is a further, added complication in all this if you are on an exercise regime which is based around long daily workouts. It was long believed that the only way to burn fat was to spend at least an hour a day strenuously working out. More recent research is now starting to question this long held belief. A growing number of people are now suggesting that if you get into a regular exercise routine like this, your body will actually start to store fat to be used to provide the energy for the exercise! It appears that this is yet another survival instinct which is inbuilt into our bodies. Once a regular routine is established your body will ensure there is an energy store to provide for it. Weight Loss Plateau Beater Modern thinking is that we have to 'fool' our bodies to get around this problem. Instead of a daily hour long workout, modern thinking suggests that a vigorous 20-30 minute workout on a less regular basis at different times of the day is in fact the best way to go. This way your body doesn't get into such an 'energy storing routine' and hence the exercise is likely to be more effective in fat loss. This new knowledge, added to the other things you have learnt - thinking in terms of becoming slimmer instead of losing weight and burning fat, and understanding what the effects of exercise are in terms of fat loss and muscle building - should make it much easier to face up to and overcome the disappointment that is the weight loss plateau.
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Throw Away The Scales! If you have decided to embark on a new lifestyle of healthy eating and plenty of exercise, here's a great tip if you really want to lose that excess fat and improve your shape. Stop climbing on the scales to weigh yourself. Keep off the scales to lose fat faster! You've read about the weight loss plateau, so you know that your exercise regime is going to change fat into muscle and re-sculpt your body. You know that during this process it is likely you will reach a point where you appear to stop losing weight and may even gain a little weight. You also know that this can be demoralising. If you are changing shape, you should be able to tell just by the fit of your clothes. Do you really need to look at the scales? Personally I have always found the most reliable guide to be my belt. If I can do my belt up an extra notch I know I have lost fat around my middle. At the end of the day that is my aim. I would quite happily be a few pounds heavier if I knew it meant I had burned off some fat, put on some muscle and was much more fit as a result! Far too much attention is focused on how much weight we are losing, when instead, it should be focused on how much excess fat we are removing. The Scales Tell Only Part of the Story What you have to understand is that the numbers on the scales do not tell the whole story! Many of us use those magic numbers to let us know if our hard work is paying off or not, but it's not just about weight. There are many other ways to see our progress more clearly. 1) Your friend, the measuring tape. One of the most inspiring ways to measure weight loss is with the use of a flexible fabric measuring tape (available in most fabric shops and craft stores). Before you start your weight loss plan (or as soon as possible if you have already started), use one of
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these measuring tapes to measure around key parts of your body and jot down their girth: - Upper arms - Bust (chest for men) - Waist - Hips - Thighs - Calves - You can also measure your neck, ankles, and wrists. After a few weeks on your plan, if the scales show disappointing progress, whip out your measuring tape and measure all of these areas again - most often you will have lost an impressive amount of inches overall. This is partly due to water weight loss, but if you are also working out regularly, you will be burning fat and building lean muscle, which takes up less space than fat. The result: modest progress on the scales, but impressive progress losing inches! 2) Happier joints, clearer thoughts, and other signs. Eating better quality foods, drinking more water, and exercising regularly also creates some welcome changes beyond weight loss. For one thing, you may notice after just a few weeks that your joints don't ache as much as they used to. You may enjoy greater flexibility and stamina, even if you haven't made much progress on the scales yet. You may enjoy greater concentration, clearer thinking, and decreased episodes of moodiness (including PMS-induced mood swings for women). All of these subtle changes may not seem like much but they are clear indicators that your body is shedding the negative effects of a poor diet and shifting into a healthier state of being.
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3) The radiant glow from within. Another clear sign of improving health is a radiant glow that starts to shine from within. You may feel much happier emotionally, which can provide a special kind of glow, but other contributors are increased energy, along with healthier skin, teeth, hair and nails. These are all great "clues" that indicate your progress on improving your health and well-being -and weight loss will be a part of it too, even if it takes a little time to really get moving.
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Stop Trying To Lose Weight! This has to be a rather weird thing to say in a report about weight loss! But I truly believe the reason so many people fail to lose weight, or lose some weight and then give up is because they are trying to lose weight! Now, I realise that at first glance that sounds like some bizarre contradiction, and I have to confess that when it first occurred to me I had a problem too! I had no idea how I could explain such a theory because it doesn't immediately make any sense at all! Why should people fail to lose weight because they are trying to lose weight? It's quite simple really. It‟s all down to the way the human mind works. To think about losing weight, we first have to think about having weight to lose. For example; if you ask someone not to think of an elephant, they first have to think of an elephant. (Try it you‟ll see what I mean). So, the problem is in the word 'weight'. I believe we need to forget about losing weight, or shedding fat and concentrate on becoming slim. This should be easy enough, but the problem is you have to fight against convention to do it. We always talk about burning fat or we talk about losing weight. We have a massive weight loss industry. The entire medical profession throughout the world is concerned about obesity, but it's always mentioned as a problem caused by people being overweight, or about people carrying too much fat. So next time, you don‟t want to lose weight, you want to start a healthier lifestyle to enable you to become slim or slender! That's what we did and we've not looked back since. Want to know more? To learn more about how to succeed with weight loss, why not click the link below and take a look at my new book:
How to Lose Weight with Slim Thinking
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