The single, most important thing about weight loss is the method. It all starts there. Results can be achieved with a number of different methods, and there is always more than one way to get from A to B, but the method you use to get there often contributes to whether or not you arrive.
Equally, there are some method to lose weight that are shortsighted, unlikely to work, or just plain dangerous.
The most popular, almost "tried and tested" method of weight loss is dieting. The problem with dieting is that it doesn't really work, and where people do manage to succeed with it, they often end up putting the weight back on, plus more, further down the road.
For me, dieting is just counter-intuitive. The key to losing weight is burning calories, not starving yourself of them. To burn calories, you need to have a fully functioning metabolism. If you can burn more calories in a day than you can eat, then you will start to lose weight.
This is where the misconception about dieting comes in. People think "Instead of burning more calories, I will just take fewer in".
Actually, this doesn't make sense. When you take fewer calories on board, your body doesn't have enough fuel to work properly, so it reduces the metabolism to compensate. You are taking less on, but you are also burning less.
There might end up being some weight loss at some point, but as soon as you start eating again, you put the weight back on rapidly.
Moreover, when your body does burn fat to turn it into fuel, it actually uses up protein first. If you are not eating enough to replace those proteins, all that will happen is you lose muscle mass, which does reduce your weight, but the fat will still be there underneath.
Eventually, you might be on of the lucky ones to hit their "target weight" using this method. Hooray! You can eat again! Now you are piling fat back on top of fat. This is not going to have a good outcome.
What is my solution?
It just makes sense to give your body the fuel it needs. I am not saying to go out and eat as much as you want, I am saying eat smart. There are healthy, nutritious foods out there that will give you everything you need, but for only 100-200 calories.
This is going to help keep your body working efficiently, burning calories and fat, but keep your muscle mass, only take on a few hundred calories, and not have to starve yourself in the process.
People who use this method not only find it easy to keep going, they tend to wind up healthier, and as a result they keep the weight off.
I'm not one to believe "My method is the best and everything else is terrible," but I do think it appears more like common sense than dieting. It makes sense to me that if you give your body what it NEEDS, it will function correctly, and will reach its ideal weight naturally.
