The Secrets that the Weight-loss Industry
Will Never Tell You
An industry built on repeat business
The $ 60 billion weight-loss industry is sadly, the biggest scam you can imagine. These companies know that you want to be as skinny as Kate Moss and as lean as Arnold. These corporate giants depend on your yo-yo dieting, your addiction to Toblerone and your need to re-invent yourself every 3-4 months. The weight-loss industry is friends with the crème de la crème of fast-food companies, making it the most mind-boggling scenario of the 21st century. Next time you see ads of Homer Simpson turning into Brad Pitt in 3 weeks, I think its best you stick to your broccoli.
Synthetic food is not the answer
Tasty filling shakes, low-fat bars and balanced nutritional soups are all made in a lab by a bunch of chemists. These foods might do the trick for a couple of months but in the long-term, might cause you other health issues. Your body is natural. When your body has to deal with synthetic substances, it can become over-worked, tired and eventually fat.
Surgery is always dangerous
It’s not that easy. Liposuction is actually a very temporary solution to fixing your gut problem. In our bodies, we have a fat-cell memory of how many and how big fat cells are. Natural weight loss will decrease fat cells in size and will adjust our body’s equilibrium steadily, but if one chooses to surgically remove fat cells from our body, our body will accumulate the same amount or more fat cells because it thinks it has been injured. Surgery and the process of surgical elimination is such a new technology, our bodies cannot keep up. Save your money. Going on a 5k run never cost anything.
There is no miracle cure
We love our quick fixes. This is why we love the microwave, instant coffee and a fast broadband connection. All weight loss pills have side effects. Some of the pills will help you lose weight by suppressing your appetite. They all create the reverse side effect the moment you stop using them- that is, once you cease, your body breathes a huge sigh of relief and begins to quickly accumulate fat just in case you ever try to starve it again. Think of it this way: it takes years of overeating to get to the point of obesity. Yet, we think a pill can fix us in a few weeks. It doesn’t work like that.
Food is not the enemy
High quality foods will make us work at the top of our ability and will give us energy. If you want a miracle cure, eating high nutritional foods is the closest you are going to get. Fuel (food) doesn’t have to be boring. Just because its good for you doesn’t mean it cannot be tasty or fun.
You don’t need to diet forever
1. The weight loss phase
The most important part to weight loss is that we eliminate addictive foods and control portion size. It is actually quite easy for most people to eat wholesome foods but it is rare that we understand how much we can actually eat of it. What I usually tell people is that the portion sizes on airline services are actually quite exact to what we should have (of course, what they serve isn’t necessarily healthy). But if you ever wonder how much you should eat, think of those trays of compartmented food on your flights to Singapore in economy class.
2. The stabilization phase
In the stabilization phase, it’s important that you get accustomed to a nutritional routine. Understand what gives you energy, know what you like and what will fill you for most of the day. In this phase, which usually takes around 2-3 weeks it’s important that you can comfortably enjoy a healthy pattern.
3. The lifestyle phase
This phase should last you your whole life. Make sure that you maintain balance and that your routine is not easily knocked by travel, social circumstances or any other outside influences such as your new boyfriend’s fast-food addiction!
Please check out my new website at www.theartofbody.com
For Questions/Advice and interest in personal training: ns@theartofbody.com / 08123 89 09 99
Natalie is an experienced professional in Fitness and Lifestyle Management. She studied Kinesiology in Canada, has Certification in Personal Training and is a Member of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She is currently a Personal Trainer, Health Advisor and Lifestyle Consultant in Bali.
