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Weight Loss Plateau Is A Good Sign!
The first week of a calorie-controlled weight loss diet is easy. The second and third weeks are generally not too hard either. But, around the fourth or fifth week, it seems that the scale will not budge for some people. YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR FIRST WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU! Plateaus (the times when your weight stubbornly stays put) are NORMAL. Of course, plateaus are frustrating - so much so that many people abandon their weight loss efforts.
Surprisingly, however, a plateau is a positive sign. It is a signal from your body that you have lost body fat, but not body weight. That last statement may sound contradictory. How can someone lose body fat and not lose body weight? Basically, the answer is that in place of the fat you lost, your body now retains water (even though you lost some water earlier). Until the retained water is lost, the scale will not register your total achievement. Scales can not tell the difference between weight that is fat & weight that is water. You can not see inside yourself either, but, you can learn what is going on and why.
The human body, like the food we eat, is composed of nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. If you were a trim 150 pounds, your body would contain about 90 pounds of water, 30 pounds of fat and 30 pounds of all the other nutrients. As you can see, you (and everyone else) are mostly ALL WET. Water is not just in blood. Much of the bodies water is part of the chemical configuration of cells, tissues and organs.
Muscles, for example, hold considerable water within their structure. Generally, one pound of muscle tissue in the body is associated with four pounds of water. Even fat tissue is about 15% water so, seven pounds of body fat contains about one pound of water.
When you are eating fewer calories that you are burning up, your body must get the energy it needs from somewhere; that somewhere is you. When you lose weight you are in fact consuming your own fat and protein to get the energy (calories) you need. In effect, you are eating ourselves.
During the first few weeks of any weight loss program, your body tends to use up more body protein in the form of muscle and organ tissue than in later weeks of dieting. As time goes on, your body becomes more selective and relies mainly on fat stored for energy and LESS on the protein tissues essential to body functioning.
When body protein and fat tissues are used for energy, the water associated with those tissues generally hangs around for awhile. In other words, you remain water-logged. This is what accounts for the plateau periods. It is like the body is resting before it goes down to the next lower weight.
To see the pounds disappear, you may want to assist your body in losing its excess water weight. You can do so by reducing your sodium intake. Try to keep from adding much salt in cooking and don not put a salt shaker on the table. Cut down on condiments, such as: pickles, mustard, ketchup and soy sauce. Instead of salty condiments, try applesauce, spiced peaches and other fruits to perk up meats. Use lemon, spices and herbs for flavors, but avoid monosodium glutamate flavor enhancer. Avoid foods canned with salt.
While water fluctuations are frustrating, they are temporary. The true test of dieting success is the pinch test, not the scales numbers game. It is how much real fat you lose, not how much protein and water you lose that makes a leaner and healthier you!
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