How to detect a ‘rip off’ weight loss plan:

If a weight loss program prescribes a reduction in calories below your BMR together with:

• No exercise or physical effort;

• Unrealistic promises of fast weight loss; or

• Sales of the latest cream, pill or potion;

You can be confident that it is a scam!

Such ‘magical’ programs will not only disappoint you through lack of promised results, but they may also harm your health, not to mention burning a hole in your pocket.

Some side effects of such programs may include:

• Loss of lean tissue (predominantly muscle), causing your BMR to decrease. In short, this means that fat gain occurs when normal calorie intake is resumed…hence the so-called yo-yo dieting syndrome.

• Loss of vital nutrition

• A lack of energy and endurance, which automatically reduces fat-burning activity.

Many commercial programs actually discourage exercise, particularly weight training.

The reason behind this is that they teach you to measure your progress by the scales. They want you to see quick results, therefore, loss of muscle tissue is going to show a greater reduction in total body weight – very deceiving!

If you were to retain your lean tissue (or muscle) and lose only stored body fat, this would hinder their desired outcome on the scales!

Even if these magic diet plans do not appear to be focusing on calorie restriction, they usually are. Low fat means low calorie, plain and simple.

Fat has the highest value of calories of all the nutrients we consume.

One gram of fat has 9 calories, one gram of protein or carbohydrates has 4 calories.

You may automatically reduce your calorie intake when you begin to eat the types of food that your body requires for optimal nourishment.

When the body is satisfied with a balanced, daily intake of vitamins, minerals and all essential nutrients, your volume of food may be greater, however, the caloric value is quite often less and you lose food cravings.

It is still important, however, not to drop below your basal metabolic requirement.

The human body is a remarkable machine. It will adapt and adjust its system to preserve life.

It will continue to fine-tune all systems and functions as we try to trick and out-smart it.

If your main focus is on the bathroom scales, you are probably quite proud of yourself for exhibiting the will-power to diligently adhere to your latest calorie restrictions.

As many of us have discovered, it takes incredible willpower to voluntarily sustain feelings of hunger for prolonged periods of time. Restricting calories is like holding your breathe….

When you begin to breathe again, you gasp for copious amounts of oxygen; after calorie deprivation you are desperate to feast!

Perhaps this explains why the latest research has proven that 95% of all weight loss clinic clientele regain lost weight….