Weight Control And Your Longevity (1)

Weight Control And Your Longevity (1)
Weight control holds the key to longevity. You don't find
overweight centenarians, do you? So, to live long, you
need to lose weight, at least control it.

This week marked a milestone in the pharmaceutical
industry: the launching of the first FDA-approved
over-the-counter weight-loss drug ? ALLI. It has already
created a sensation in the media: a multi-million
advertising campaign for a multi-billion drug for millions
of consumers craving for a miracle drug that would stave
off their craving for food.

This sensation created by ALLI goes to show how desperate
consumers are in their search for the holy grail of a
weight-loss drug. With the blessing from the FDA, many
consumers seem to have the illusion that they can now
continue their binge without adding weight ? something akin
to "no pain and no gain."

ALLI is no magic bullet. "This isn't a pill, it's a plan,"
says Pat Barid, a registered dietitian and consultant for
the drug manufacturer. Apparently, the drug is efficacious
in guiding and preparing you to lose weight gradually by
eating smaller portions, following a reduced-calorie,
low-fat diet, and becoming more physically active. If that
is the scenario, then why do you need to take the drug? A
drug is still a drug, which is a chemical ? you don't take
it unless you absolutely have to.

Ah, but you want to lose weight ? and you want to eat to
your heart content too!. In other words, you want to eat
your cake and have it too. You can do that at the expense
of gaining unwanted weight. It is not only a dilemma but
also a frustration.

Focusing on losing weight is like running after a red
herring ? it is frustrating and futile.

Why?

The bathroom scale just indicates your body weight, and
that is all. It does not tell you how much fat or muscle
you may have lost during a given diet. It may not even tell
if you are healthy or not, unless you are grossly
overweight. Therefore, do not become obsessed with your
weight. After all, your body weight always fluctuates ?
which is a fact, and which is very normal.

When you go on any diet, your body's metabolism immediately
starts to react and to slow down, and that accounts for the
initial weight loss in any diet program ? so do not be
overjoyed and jump to the conclusion that it works. It is
only a self-delusion: initially your body loses only water,
not your body fat.

Given that lean muscle mass requires calories at times of
rest, the amount of muscle you maintain directly affects
your metabolism in a positive way. You burn calories while
you sleep. In other words, the more muscle you have, the
higher your metabolism rate is, and the more calories you
will burn. The converse is also true: as you lose your
muscle mass, your metabolism rate decreases, and so does
your weight-loss rate. That explains why you would stop
losing weight after have been on any weight-loss program.
On the other hand, fat, being inert, has little or no
effect whatsoever on your body's rate of metabolism. These
are the fundamentals for better understanding of how weight
loss occurs.

The maximum amount of weight (fat or muscle) you can
actually lose in one day is about one half pound. Since
your body is about 60 percent water and one gallon of water
weighs approximately eight pounds, any additional weight
loss greater than one half pound may only be water, and not
your body fat. Therefore, when your body replaces the water
lost, weight gain will re-occur, and you are right back to
where you started at an unhealthy weight. Does that sound
familiar to you?

Consider this: 3,500 calories equal one pound of your body
weight.

Do your math: To lose 10 pounds, you have to expend 35,000
more calories than you consume; and to lose 10 pounds in
two weeks, you need to burn 2,500 more calories a day. You
know very well that it is not a piece of cake! That
explains why you forever cannot lose your weight, not to
mention controlling it. So forget about weight loss!

Losing weight is forever "impossible" to many individuals
because they have become obsessed with numbers. They are
forever playing the losing game of numbers. They have to
count their calories, their carbohydrates, and their
proteins, among others. Profit-making dietary plans allure
them with numbers, both "hard" and "soft" data, to the land
of myths and fallacies, where they end up only in
frustration and disappointment.

Remember this simple factor: Weight loss occurs only when
the calories you consume are less than the calories you use
up. This is the most important factor in weight loss, also
one most difficult to achieve. Trying to circumvent it with
state of the art is nothing short of impossibility. That is
why most weight-loss plans are always about counting
calories: giving you a calorie chart, calculating your
daily total calorie need, and then instructing you to eat
less than that, hoping against hope that your weight will
drop dramatically.

So how to lose weight without drugs? Read Part Two of this
article.

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Stephen Lau, a writer and researcher, has spent years in
writing research synopses of doctors and scientists in the
United States. For more information on health and wellness,
visit: http://www.longevityforyou.com . Mr. Lau also has
avid interest in golf. For more information, go to:
http://www.golfingsuccessinfo.com