What do we mean by “massive dietary and exercise action”?
And, why does it fail?
Every January, millions of people make resolutions that they are going to lose weight and get in shape.
More than 80 % of these resolutions fail by February. And ultimately, fewer than 8% will actually fulfill their grand plan to lose weight and get fitter.
Here at Living Phit, we firmly believe that:
Massive Action is a recipe for MASSIVE FAILURE!
Numerous people have tried and continue to try “CRASH DIETS”. Others try rigorous exercise programs. And, some brave hearts even try both.
Sadly, both of these approaches will not work and most people will fail.
The main reason is because both or either of these approaches are both unhealthy and unrealistic.
Your body is fine tuned machine. It knows what it needs and what it wants a lot more than you do. It responds to your actions. If you go extreme one way, your body will respond a lot differently than you were anticipating.
…And, you won’t like the consequences.
You most certainly will end up quitting that crash diet, and you’re going to end up feeling a lot worse than when you started. Sure, you’re going to lose some weight at the outset. But, your body will not be pleased.
And, after you stop that crash diet, we can guarantee that not only will most of you regain the weight you lost, but many of you will even add more pounds back on your waist line.
The same applies to your big plans to hit the gym 5 times a week. You’ll start out fine, but after a few weeks, most people will start skipping a night – then more nights. After a few weeks of sore muscles and becoming bored with the treadmill, your gym membership will soon be gathering cobwebs in your wallet.
It’s not your fault!
People and their bodies are simply not designed to take MASSIVE ACTION!
It simply does not work.
Let’s find out why.
Reasons Why Massive Action Crash Diets Fails
The main reason why crash diets fail is because the whole process and regardless of the type, the crash diet causes more physical harm than good.
Your body is being starved. It is not receiving the proper nutrition it needs to maintain good health.
Most people think that when you diet, the body will burn fat and you will shed the pounds.
NOPE!
In their article, “Crash Diets Rarely Work”, what really happens is that:
When a person suddenly goes on a crash diet and restricts their calories, the body, fearing it’s starving, rebels to protect its set fat point by lowering the body’s metabolism to click into the fat storage rather than fat-burning mode.
And, because you body has begun adjusting, you will end up gaining weight at lot faster than the period of time it took to lose a few pounds when you started the diet.
Now, just about every person will likely boast that they lost a number of pounds when they started the diet. This is true, but the perception is false.
It’s NOT FAT, you are losing – it’s because you are losing WATER AND PROTEIN!
This is the main reason why people feel so physically lousy the first week or so of their crash diet.
When you crash diet, your body fights back by producing various hormones and enzymes to counter your nutrition deficiency. Crash diets mess with insulin production, fat storage and carbohydrates.
Crash diets can also mess with your blood sugar levels and cause you to feel fatigued and feel depressed or run down. Read “Ramp Up Your Personal Habits Before Losing Weight”
These diets can also result in loss of muscle mass. Muscle mass is not fat loss! This is your body feeding on itself.
THE SOLUTION
Forget Crash Dieting! Change how you eat and what you eat and the amount you eat. For example, in their article, “5 Reasons Crash Diets are Dumb”, the author points out that:
For every carb gram you consume, your body retains 4 grams of water, explains White. Drop pasta, rice, and other grains from your diet for three days and you’ll pee out a bunch of water and look slimmer. But it’s not fat you’re losing, and it’s all temporary once you eat normal again or drink water.
We know that the real way to lose weight is by making small changes at a time:
• Stop eating when you feel full
• Eat smaller portions
• Stop eating foods with lots of sugar
• Don’t eat processed foods because home cooking rocks
• Reduce your carbs with more vegetables
• Drink water instead of sodas
• Lose or significantly reduce the junk food
Most importantly, don’t try it all at once. Make it a conscious step by step process so you body can adjust to changes. Most importantly, keep in mind that weight loss should be gradual and a lengthy process.
Don’t worry if you cheat occasionally. Everyone does it so DON’T beat yourself up over it. But also keep in mind that occasionally means occasionally.
Check out “Darren Hardy’s Guide to Losing Weight and Achieving Any Other Goal”
Reasons Why Massive Action Exercise Programs Fail
One great way to lose weight is to exercise.
You also have the added benefit of improving your cardiovascular system and building some muscle mass in the process.
One thing to keep in mind is that when you start exercising is the weight loss doesn’t happen as fast as you probably would like.
The reason is because you are replacing fat with muscle – that’s a good thing.
A lot people get real keen and figure they’ll hit the gym on a regular basis. Unfortunately, for many of these people, your hectic busy lifestyles often get in the way.
People end up getting frustrated that their good intentions are going by the way side and you simply give up altogether.
Also, people simply get bored with all the fancy gizmo devices you find at gyms. Running the treadmill or the exercise bike simply becomes monotonous after a time.
Another problem is that you try to all this on your own. You have no back up support nor do you receive encouragement from other people.
What’s the best way to counter this?
Well, when it comes to time management, the ball is in your court. You have to consciously plan your time and make it available to perform your activity. You might want to read this article
If you don’t have the time to hit the gym, then plan something with a friend or 2 at home. Instead of the boring treadmill or exercise bike, get outside! Find some good jogging or bike trails.
An even more approach is to do a sport or activity you actually like to do. Join a softball or bowling league.
Take a look at “Lose 50 Pounds By Doing 5 Pushups and Squats Per Day”
Mix your activities up. If you have an hour for lunch, eat you lunch and go walking for a half hour. If you use public transport then get off several blocks before you normally do and walk the rest.
You can add a lot of physical activity in a multitude of small ways such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to the corner store instead of driving there.
Plan activities with others where you can offer each other support and encouragement.
You can still do the gym thing but it doesn’t have to be all the time.
Keep in mind that it’s up to you to take the first step. In their article, “4 Reasons that People quit on Fitness Goals” they point out:
Using lack of time or a busy schedule as an excuse is just that, an excuse. We’re the makers of our destiny. It’s up to us to determine how we spend our time. If your mindset is that there’s no time for exercise, well, of course there won’t be.
START SMALL – MASSIVE ACTION IS A RECIPE FOR FAILURE!
