weight loss diet

Copyright 2006 Donovan Baldwin

A week or so ago
I was in the check-out line at the supermarket and saw a blurb on the cover of a magazine. The headline read: "Breakthrough! FAT LOSS VITAMIN!"
and the text beneath it said
95% of us don't get enough. Safely boost your intake and:

*Lose 5 lbs a week!

*Burn 30% more fat every day!

The magazine was Woman's World.

Being in the business of health, fitness, diet and weight loss, this claim intrigued me so I threw a copy of the magazine in the buggy, and read the article when I got home.

Very briefly, here's what the article had to say: Most people don't get enough Vitamin C, and Vitamin C can help your body burn more fat.

Now, this was interesting, and since I believe most people don't get the nutrients they need, I was willing to go along with the idea of increasing your normal intake of Vitamin C, either by increasing the amount of things such as orange juice, which is good for you anyway and it contains a lot of Vitamin C, or by use of Vitamin C supplements.

The information in the article made sense, and, when I did a little independent online investigation, I found that apparently the article was reasonably accurate. I don't have a particular problem with the information in this article, and agree that increasing Vitamin C could help someone lose weight.

This brings us to the slightly exaggerated title of this article.

Everyday, it seems we are bombarded with all these claims about weight loss, fat loss, diets and health. One person says their pill will deal with cortisol, which is the cause of weight gain. Another says their diet will
melt" the fat. Someone else wants to hypnotize you
and that will do the trick. The covers of many other magazines at the checkout on the day I bought my magazine had different tips
hints
diets
and weight loss solutions.

All these people can't be telling the truth
can they?

Is weight gain the result of cortisol
poor diet
lack of exercise
not enough Vitamin C
lack of sleep
stress
too much beer
or just bad genes?

Actually
the answer to both questions is
Yes...sort of...


The actual biological process by which people get fat is known. The solution is also known
and it doesn't have much to do with Vitamin C
cortisol
genes
or a lot of other things...directly.

A runner who wishes to run faster gets there by training at running and trying to run faster. However
that runner can also strengthen his or her legs by using weight training. They can improve their performance
or perhaps reach their goal faster
by eating a certain type of diet...maybe even making changes in that diet at different points of their training or competition schedule. If stress is inhibiting their performance
learning to meditate might help them put that stress behind them or at least relieve it enough so that their times improve. If their home life or work schedule is such that it interferes with their training
rest
or nutrition schedules
then making a change in those areas may improve their athletic performance.

Even so
the main thing in their running training is...running! Everything else just helps with the speed of development or the amount of progress that is ultimately made.

The same thing applies to most weight loss situations and so-called solutions. Increasing physical activity and eating reasonably are the two major things that bring about healthy
permanent weight loss. If
in your exercise program
you choose to supplement with Vitamin C
or get more sleep
or take something which reduces the effects of cortisol
or quit your job because it interferes with your weight loss program
then you will probably enhance the results. You will lose more weight over time
lose the weight a bit faster
or just find the whole process easier. However
the major portion of the weight loss (and improved health and enjoyment of life)
comes from the basics of exercise and nutrition.

So what about the people who DID lose weight by breathing properly
or taking Vitamin C
or adding Chocolate to their diet?

People are all different
and so are the facts and factors of their lifestyles
education
upbringing
and genetic makeup. Someone who is one dress size bigger than she wants to be may get all the weight loss she needs from increasing HER Vitamin C intake. That does NOT mean that every woman will experience the SAME results. Another woman may need to lose a lot more than one dress size
and taking Vitamin C
while it might help her shed a few pounds and be more healthy overall
will probably NOT produce anywhere near the total results she hopes to achieve. If
however
she IS doing the right things to bring about weight loss
adding the Vitamin C may speed the process a bit and help get her to her goal a little faster


Just as in the title of this article
the key word in all these claims is "help" whether it is stated or merely implied. True healthy
permanent weight loss will be the result of a combination of activity and nutrition. All the other things
which may certainly be of value
are just helping.