“Why can’t I lose weight?” is a question that many of us have asked ourselves. However, effective weight loss means dealing with several variables.

• Poor diet: Most of us eat ethnically or habitually, or follow the recommendations of the processed food and fast food industry who encourage us to eat much more than we need to and more poorly than we should. This also extends to the over  sized food portions being served in the more popular restaurants.
• Lack of exercise: The purpose of food is to provide us with the energy that we require for our level of activity. If we consume more calories per day than what we expend in activity, we store the excess calories as fat. As we increase exercise, we decrease fat.

• Lack of accountability: Successful weight loss is best accomplished by being accountable to someone.
• Failure to commit: Successful, healthy weight loss can require a commitment of six months to two years, with a LIFE TIME commitment to a new healthy lifestyle to keep it off.
• Psychological make-up: Food as a reward mechanism is common in American culture.
• Genetic make-up: Research has found that some individuals possess a genetic profile which makes it difficult for them to lose weight. However, genes only indicate predisposition; they do not mandate outcome.
• Hormones: There are a number of hormones that can come into play in weight loss, including thyroid hormones, adrenal hormones and dopamine. Hormones can impact metabolic rate,weight gain and food craving.

What ANY animal is designed to eat for a healthy life is known as its diet. A weight loss plan is not a diet, but a special program designed to encourage consumption of calories that are being stored in the body as fat. A weight management diet is used to retrain and recondition the body so that weight does not return. The following diet references are not endorsements but just a list of popular weight management diets are the Mediterranean Diet, the Elimination Diet, the Gluten Free Diet and the Paleolithic Diet. Generally, a weight loss plan is used for 30 days and then followed by 30 days of a weight management diet, with the sequence repeated until the desired weight is lost. For successful weight loss, an individual cannot return to the diet that created the weight gain to begin with.

In designing your personal weight loss plan:

• Correct all variables to insure that you have the ability to under take a serious weight loss plan.
• Design a nutritionally sound meal replacement weight loss plan.
• Limit the weight loss plan to no longer than 4 weeks. Then, move on to the weight management diet for 3-4 weeks. The weight management diet will support the weight loss that occurs during the weight loss plan. Repeat this cycle until desired weight is lost.

• To insure that your weight loss plan and your weight management diet is nutritionally sound, seek out the advice of a health care professional. At The Diabetic Shoppe, ask our friendly customer service agents how we can help you manage your blood glucose through weight control. Diet, exercise, and activity are key and we can make quite a few excellent suggestions on how to accomplish these things. If you are a diabetic, watching your weight is even more important than watching weight for those who are not diabetic. Improving your health starts with improving yourself.

*The author of this blog is not a medical professional and this article does not contain professional medical advice. This blog is not intended to substitute for medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the contents of this article. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.