There is No Quick Fix for Weight Loss

One of the top New Year's resolutions is weight loss. It is also one of the first to be put off until next New Year! Why not make this the year to bring your weight loss resolution to reality. This article is an introduction to a series of articles all related to my journey toward health and wellbeing. If you are someone who wants to travel the path toward a healthy life, I encourage you to read this article and join me in the quest.

No matter what you may hear out there in the land of weight loss solutions, there really is no one thing that will make you healthier and thinner and keep you that way. But a combination of good nutrition, varied exercise, persistence and dedication can. Sure, you can get liposuction or go on a liquid diet and drop sizes quickly. Liposuction is expensive and invasive and can leave you with hanging skin--which they will also fix for you for just a few thousand dollars more. Oh, and they will perform your liposuction again when you need it because you haven't changed your eating habits and those pounds will come back. The liquid diet drops the pounds, but those pounds are fat AND muscle. It can leave you fatigued, cause damage to the heart (according to what I have read) and, again, you have that hanging skin issue and the weight will find its way back. For those of you who have watched the Biggest Loser, you know that work is involved in weight loss. The sooner you wrap your head around this concept, the sooner you will be on the road to lasting success.

First, I want to make it clear that I am not a fitness instructor, not a fitness fanatic and not a physician. I am a real person with a complicated life and plenty of daily challenges--especially as they relate to time. But I am, also, someone who wants to be healthy, stay away from the doctor's office, and limit the amount of pain I feel on a daily basis. I have tried many ways to achieve these things, including the ever changing "diet fad of the day" that so many of us have been tempted by as a "quick fix." I found that achieving and maintaining a healthy, comfortable weight through proper diet, exercise and attention to self is truly the only way to go.

My journey toward health and wellness has taken months not weeks. There have been times when that piece of chocolate cake with its thick fudge frosting has beckoned to me like a siren of the sea. I have been tempted to return to my old habits and there have been occasions when I fell under that spell and crashed on the rocks. When this happened, the next morning I looked at myself in the mirror, scolded myself--but not to severely because I know I'm human and imperfect--then I told myself today was a new day and put myself back on the path.

Over the course of these months, I have been delayed and derailed by my old habits, the good intentions of others, and the uncontrollable events of life. However, during these months I have learned many things about what works, at least for me, and I want to share these things with you. Why? Because I know how glorious it is to get up each morning without being stiff and in pain, because I love being filled with energy and able to chase around a two year old without losing my breath, and because I haven't had a major cold, sinus infection, or headache in months and I'm loving it!

Looking for empirical proof that what I was doing was right, I recently had a body composition analysis performed beyond the normal BMI calculation (weight vs. height formula). Why? Because, in my opinion, simple BMI calculations are not worth the paper on which they are printed. I started trying to match my simple BMI when I was 13 and I looked awful. There was too much bone and no mass. I have come to understand that the simple BMI is only for the people who live in "Normalville," wherever the heck that is.

The detailed body analysis is capable of determining the amount of fat and muscle in the body, the bone density and the hydration level and is a much better gauge of health than the simple BMI. The women doing this test for me scared me when she felt it necessary to check the numbers and rerun the test. When she looked at me and said she'd never seen these numbers before I wasn't sure what to think from the look on her face, but then she smiled and told me this was a good thing for me. Apparently, my metabolic age was 25--I'll admit to being well over that. My hydration was right on the money, my fat was within healthy range, my bone density was above average and best of all 107 pounds of my overall body weight was muscle. My hard work was worth it and here was proof!

I now fusion my way through three to six miles each day. When I first started, I was lucky to get around the block. I have given up sugar, which I hardly miss any more, limited my caffeine intake and committed myself to weight training at least three times a week. Yes, there are things I have given up, but there are also things I have gained that, in my estimation, greatly outweigh the things I have surrendered to the past. With change there is sometimes "pain," but without change there is no progress.

If you are resolved to making a change for the better, prepared to get up off the couch and sweat, surrendered to the fact that chocolate cake, cookies, donuts, ice cream, potato chips and beer are not a food group, and filled with desire for a healthier "lighter" life, I applaud you and wish you well in your quest. Have faith, stay focused, and separate the facts of weight loss from the fiction.


Personal Note: If you like my writing style go to my profile. Once there, you can find more articles by me, save this article as a favorite, send it to a friend or subscribe. Associated Content has a wide base of contributors, so be sure to search around the site for informative articles. Better yet, become a contributor and share your weight loss experiences. Have a healthy day! Go for the apple instead of the donut.


CAUTION: Always check with your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program.