Excess Weight – It's Not Your Fault

By Christopher Sendi, MD

NOVA Addiction Specialists, LLC

. http://www.novaddiction.com/

More Weight Control, Nutrition & Exercise Articles

Excess Weight – It's Not Your Fault

Nothing is more frustrating than going to your doctor only to have him or her tell you to lose weight. Whether you've already lost 30 pounds before that point or yo-yoed between weight loss and weight gain doesn't change the fact that you are suffering.

It's not easy to battle against millions of years of evolutionary design that has converted a successful ancestral survival strategy into one that causes obesity and loss of health.

Our bodies are designed by evolution to preserve a specific weight, and it will use a complex system of hormones and brain pathways to prevent excessive weight loss despite any will-power you provide for the task. Telling someone to lose weight is like telling someone with diabetes to just 'stop being diabetic'. It doesn't work that way.

There are a lot of pathways to successful weight loss, but it is really important to have some basic metabolic measurements as you start your program. Determining your basal metabolic rate, as well as fat-free mass, allows you to know where your safe dieting zone is located. This prevents you from burning off your muscle mass as you lose weight, since preserving muscle mass is a key component in preventing delayed weight regain.

Another effective strategy for weight loss is medical meal replacements.

Numerous studies have shown their ability to promote weight loss and maintenance. In general, meal replacements can be cheaper than regular food and work by reducing the need to make decisions for the next meal. In the meantime, better eating habits as well as cooking skills can be taught to allow for long term success.

Meal replacements work extremely well for those with limited time for meal preparation and are always on the go. This decreases the tendency to eat at fast food restaurants, which generally results in poor dietary choices and weight gain.

Also, it is important to remember that when you eat is critical. Nothing good happens after midnight when it comes to eating, Your body is ready to lay down fat when you eat late at night, so choose other strategies to enjoy your late night movies and rely less on the snacking.

Remember that weight gain is the result of millions of years of evolution. It's not your fault you've gained weight, so let's use effective, proven strategies to work with evolution to eliminate those pounds.