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I made an observation in the gym where I do my workout. Please don’t send angry emails or comments after I say this. Some people in the gym were looking at their phones or standing around, not exercising. Most of those people were overweight. The fit people did not let up on their exercise routines. They went from one machine to another until they were done. The overweight ones looked a little lost.
I get the feeling that overweight people are overwhelmed with weight loss efforts. They know they have a long way to go. It is hard for them to know how much of what to do and at which machine and for how long. How do you get from here to sustained weight loss? That’s where personal trainers come in. More on that in a moment.
I don’t care what you read, what you believe or attempt at weight loss. If exercise and burning calories is not included in the mix you will not be successful. Yes, people are losing weight on Keto diets but the loss will not last and they are doing terrible things to their bodies in the process. Regardless of the diet, diet alone will not result in sustained weight loss. After all, someone has to keep those muscles toned and the flab down.
People try to make weight loss more complicated than it is. You have to burn more calories than you take in. It is no more complex than that. Once you resign yourself to that fact, the rest falls into place. That’s not to say that weight loss is easy. It is not. It still takes a plan and a bit of effort.
Think about your weight loss the same way as people who are on the program “The Biggest Loser”. Everyone knows that program because, well, they are successful at losing weight. A few very obese people are put through the rigors of diet and exercise until they lose 100+ pounds. Why does that work?
On “The Biggest Loser” each contestant has a personal trainer who follows them through the entire process. That means every bite they take and every move they make is scrutinized by an expert who knows how to lose weight. If you had a trained person with you daily telling you how to eat and what exercises to do, you would lose weight too.
The problem is, most of us don’t have that luxury. How do you think movie stars are able to stay in shape? Personal trainers. Movie stars are no different than you or me (other than having more money). They like to eat rich foods and not exercise, if they can help it. Of course, to make the big bucks their reputation depends on them staying fit and slim. What better way than to have a guide who follows your progress.
That leaves us poor slobs to go it alone; not knowing what we are doing then becoming frustrated when we can’t lose weight. We end up feeling like failures. Not much incentive to try it again even though most people with a weight problem do try over and over again. It’s not that the obese are failures. It is the lack of knowledge about what to do that leads to failure.
If you decide to lose weight, get help. Join a gym where you can get the assistance of a trainer. You may have to pay a little more, but it will be worth it in the long run. Weight loss is not a static thing. It will never be “once and done”. Learn from the experts how to get your weight under control. Then you won’t be standing in the gym, looking at your phone, not exercising, and not losing weight either.