Spa Lovers Guide

Weight Loss Can Be Fun

Energy is the key factor in both fun and weight loss. A metabolism boosting diet gives you more fun and long term energy than starvation diets. Millions of people are on a weight loss program at any given time. In today's society where most of us don't accept ourselves the way we are, it seems to be necessary to get the look of people we see on magazine covers at the checkout stand.

All that is fine. Somehow a perfect body seems to be a major component in our self esteem. (You might have noticed that I have used the word seems a lot. Perhaps if we let go of the battle and just got on an eating plan that improved our metabolism, we would gradually get to our ideal weight and stay there.

The Never Ending Battle

If you're like me, you've been on lots of starvation diets over the years. I don't mean to put these down as a workable weight loss technique. Recently I did a six day juice fast and felt great.

Fasting is especially good if your health care professional has determined that fasting is a good way handle some health opportunity. The weight loss would be a side benefit.

If your body builds muscle fairly readily, then a fast might be quite good for you. Fasting can produce an overall body cleanse.

Starvation vs. Metabolism

Metabolism

Metabolism is the action of your body burning food and turning it into energy. Our body uses this energy for repairs. We use some of the energy for our daily activities such as dancing, walking, thinking, etc.

Our muscles are a major factor in metabolism. Basically our muscles help to burn the fuel from food and turn it into energy. When we have depleted our muscle mass through never ending starvation diets, our metabolism goes down. The weight loss becomes increasingly difficult and increasingly temporary as our muscle mass gets less and less.

Some people do quite well on fasts because they have a body type that makes it easier to build and retain muscle.

In one corner, in the pale trunks we have Stanley Starvation. Weighing in at 250 pounds with 75 pounds of fat, we have a strong contender for losing the most pounds in two weeks by starving.

In the opposite corner we have Murray Metabolism. Murray is weighing in at 250 pounds with 75 pounds of fat.

Both contenders have destroyed their metabolism with past starvation diets. With their particular body types, it is difficult to build muscle.

Stanley Starvation pulls ahead and wins the battle by dropping thirty pounds in two weeks. Meanwhile, Murray Metabolism dropped seven to ten pounds in the two week period.

Stanley Starvation is the clear winner. At least for the moment.

One Month Later

Murray's Walking Program

Murray went on a slow walk every day. For weight loss purposes a slow walk is better than a fast one. If you keep your heart rate between 55 percent and 65 percent of your maximum heart rate, you burn fat. If you go any faster than that, you burn glycogen.

The 55% to 65% range is called the fat burning zone. Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age in years. For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is

220 - 40 = 180

Your target minimum heart rate while walking is

55% of 180 = 99

Your maximum target heart rate is

65% of 180 = 117

So your target heart rate range would be between 99 and 117. It would be preferable to be closer to 117.

One Final Note

Consult with your health care professional before starting any new diet or exercise program.

We see that Stanley Starvation has gone on a binge, part of the famous Yo-Yo Diet. The starvation upset his body chemistry for the umpteenth time. Stanley had enormous pent-up cravings and finally satisfied them after the diet. Each one of the twenty binges was an exception. "This one time won't hurt." Stanley is back to 250 pounds with 80 pounds of fat.

Meanwhile Murray Metabolism found it easy to stay on his metabolism diet because the food tasted okay, perhaps even very good. There was little craving since Murray was able to eat six times a day as part of his program.

Murray has been feeling good because his energy level has been higher than it has been in a long time. That's what metabolism does. Metabolism converts food into energy. And it contributes to weight loss and fat burning.

In the last month since the end of the diet battle, Murray has lost an additional fifteen pounds. His weight is 215 pounds. Most of that thirty-five lost pounds came from fat and other toxins. Muscle mass was building because of the nature of the metabolism building, eating, and walking plan.

What to Do?

Consult with a qualified health professional. Weight loss is not the only factor involved in your health and your life. The health professional can help you with the big picture of your life and your health. And your health professional can help you with the details along the way.

Can weight loss really be fun?

It can if you do it right. If you're not fasting to handle a significant health issue, then you'll have more and more energy every day. Energy translates into fun. But above all, consult with your health professional before beginning.

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