Can Natural Weight Loss Work?

An often asked question is "can natural weight loss work really work?".

Through the press, online websites and from magazines, there are literally hundreds of stories every week of the successes and failures of dieting. This makes is so easy to lose sight of the things that do work and things that don't - which really doesn't help if you are about to try and lose some weight.

How Do I Gain Weight?

At it's simplest level, weight gain occurs when we consistently consume more calories than we burn off through our daily routine. However, there are various elements that can contribute to that happening:

• How much food you eat
• What types of food you eat
• Your activity levels

Although many people like to blame a "slow metabolism" for their weight gain, the reality is that the metabolism - the rate at which you burn calories - is mostly determined by your diet and exercise.

In fact, most people who are seriously overweight have a fairly high metabolism, which is required to move the excess pounds around. For many people, the problem is simply too many calories.

How Many Calories do We Need?

The average man needs about 2500 calories per day, the average woman around 2000, yet the average daily calorie consumption in America is estimated to be around 3900!

Europe isn't much better at around 3600. Eating that many calories per day, weight gain is inevitable.

What About the Food We Eat?

The other issue is what we actually eat. Diets that are high in saturated fat and particularly those high in refined carbs and sugar, encourage the body to store fat.

Finally, sedentary lifestyles reduce the daily calorie consumption and slow the metabolism.

What Ways are There To Lose Weight?

How long is a piece of string? There are many different paths to losing those pounds if you need a little help or want to lose weight fast.

Just some of the options include:

• Slimming Pills
• Slimming Patches
• Fat Burners
• Diet Shakes
• Weight Loss Surgery
• Body Wraps
• Teas
• Underwear (Yes slimming underwear!)

As you can see there's lots there to spend your money on.

What Natural Ways Are There?

Natural weight loss offers the prospect of a healthier approach without the need for products or pills. This route can achieve great results, but may require more fundamental changes from you if you are serious about achieving them.

The good news is that a big proportion of slimmers that choose natural methods change their lives for the better for the long term. So how do you define natural weight loss?

The term healthy weight loss can be applied quite widely, but in general it covers the methods that include the following features:

• A gradual, sustained approach, rather than a crash diet
• An approach that is based on good science, rather than the latest celebrity fad or fashion
• Eating good, healthy food rather than artificial or packaged meals

In evaluating natural weight loss, it helps to understand why we put on the extra pounds in the first place and exactly what we have to do to get rid of that weight.

Options for Losing That Weight

So what can you do to lose the extra pounds? Ironically, although most people opt for the quick fix, crash diet approach, the natural approach is far more likely to lead to sustained weight loss. People put on pounds gradually, as a result of cumulative bad habits.

Adopting a natural approach allows you to lose weight in the same way - gradually, by changing bad habits for good ones. There are a range of examples we could give, some difficult some very simple. From switching fizzy drinks to water, changing snacks to healthy fruit or veg and starting your day with a good healthy breakfast rather than a piece of toast!

Similarly, ditching the processed meals and the junk food and replacing them with fresh food - fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein - will ultimately be the best way to lose weight.