Do You Need to Lose Weight?

This post is brought to you by Herbal Magic. All thoughts and opinions were written by Cara.

That is the question of the day. Do you need to lose weight?

For so many people in our country, the answer is yes. There has become a huge NEED to lose weight for the vast amount of people who are overweight or obese. In fact, obesity rates in the US are among the highest in the world. Losing weight has become a matter of life or death. Unfortunately, there is no easy fix. Counting calories, Weight Watcher points and fat grams hasn’t lessened the numbers of people whose healths are suffering. In 2010, more than 25 percent of Americans had pre-diabetes and another 1.9 million got a diabetes diagnosis, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The single most effective way for people to avoid obesity, diabetes and other conditions that follow? Get rid of the excess weight.

In my experience with my own overweight and obese clients, this is not easy. Here are some suggestions for getting started with natural weight loss:

Eat what your ancestors ate – if it wasn’t available 5,000 years ago or even 200 hundred years ago, you don’t need it now. Our bodies haven’t had time to adapt to the huge increase in processed carbohydrates over the past 100 years. These refined carbs kick up our blood sugar levels, which triggers insulin production, which results in fat storage. Avoid the regular no-no’s such as candy and soft drinks, but also stay away from sneaky, sugary condiments like ketchup; dried fruits, which have more concentrated sugar than their hydrated counterparts, and anything with high fructose corn syrup.

Try a weight loss program or partner up with a buddy with similar goals. Many weight loss programs are convenient and allow you to lose weight in a healthy and natural way. Be sure the program incorporates healthy eating and exercising. If you are getting healthy with a friend, motivate and challenge each other to hit your goals. Help hold the other person(s) accountable for their choices and make it fun!

Vary your workouts to speed up fat loss. Both high-intensity and low-intensity exercises play a role in maximum fat loss. Low-intensity exercise, like walking, is effective for reducing insulin resistance so you store less fat. Alternate walking with high-intensity interval training to build lean muscle mass and increase your metabolism. Interval training can be cardio blasts such as running up stairs on some days and lifting weights on others. This type of exercise forces your body to burn up its glycogen – a readily accessible fuel for your muscles – faster than an equivalent amount of cardio exercise. When you’re done, your body will replenish that fuel by converting stored fat back into glycogen and you’ll lose weight.