Whether you believe it not, long-term weight loss and maintenance is achievable.
Is it hard work? Yes.
Is it for everybody? No.
Not everyone needs to lose weight. And losing weight may not be your definition of awesome. If you’re comfortable in your own skin, move and feel healthy and strong, keep up just fine with the kids, and your blood work labs keep you and your doctor satisfied, you may not even need to lose those “last 25-40 lbs.”
Nevertheless, if you do chose to an embark on a weight loss program of any sort, there are a number of products I suggest you stay away from.
1. Weight loss products specifically marketed to help you lose weight or “firm up” without you having to make any real changes to your diet or exercise program. Products that fall in this realm include the majority of body contour creams, booty toning shoes, slimming “hot pants,” body toning body wraps, and so on.
These products are a waste of your hard-earned money.
If you want a firm body, learn how to lift: squat, deadlift, lunge, press, and otherwise build your body with a progressive program of strength training. I cover these exercises on my video page.
Check out the videos on my website to see how I “detox”
2. OTC (Over the counter) Diet pills.
If you think that popping a pill is going to miraculously correct months of inactivity and poor diet, think again. Certain supplements DO work, those that are properly dosed, from reputable companies, and used in conjunction with exercise programs and a sensible diet.
No OTC pill will be of any use to you unless you’ve first addressed the two biggies: diet and exercise.
Move a little more, and eat more fruits and veggies like your granny told you. Start there, and do that with consistency. Need more tips? Email me at sumi@shailafitness.com for getting started with online training or nutrition consulting.
3. “Detox” or “cleanse” programs.
Ack! Explosive bowel movements don’t sound like any fun to me. I can think of a million other better things to do with my day than dealing with a constantly upset stomach. A good session in the gym, some sweaty cardio, and enough fiber from food is all the detox I need. Drinking water helps move all that action around too.
4. Any fad weight loss, short–term diet, “21-day fix” or other NON-lifestyle DIET.
The cookie diet, the twinkie diet, the Special K challenge, the cotton ball diet, that diet where you inject yourself with some chemical diet, etc etc.
ANY weight loss diet will work in the short term, and if your goal is to lose weight rapidly for an event, but not actually maintain it, a quick fix might be for you.
Along those lines, just because a diet works for a friend does not mean it will work for you. If a friend of yours does Paleo or Atkins and seems successful at it, it’s probably not suited for you if you’re the kind of person who loves carbs.
Long-term weight loss success happens when you learn what works for your palate and budget and figure out how to make daily activity part of your lifestyle. “21 day challenges” (which are popular because of the short-term horizon) are fine if they kick start you beyond the initial “challenge” and equip you with the tools to be successful, forever.
