Frequently Asked Questions on Weight Loss

Q: Diets really don't work for me. How can I still lose weight?

A: Perhaps you have selected the wrong diets!

While some diets are harder to stay with than others, we feel that any diet that reduces your daily caloric intake and encourages some exercise will help you lose weight.

If you just start with what you eat right now, you can probably mold and balance it into a "diet" that works by reducing or removing heavy calorie foods and replacing them with fruits and vegetables.  

 Q: I'm a yo-yo dieter. Is this harmful?

A: Yes. Yo-yo dieting will send your body into defense mode. Through centuries of feast and famine, our bodies have developed a defense mechanism to stop them from starving to death. That defense is simply to slow down the body's basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories the body burns on a daily basis just by living). If this becomes a chronic state, your body will just slow down permanently, waiting for the next time you go on a diet and starve it again. With a slower than normal basal metabolic rate it becomes nearly impossible to lose weight. The key here is to have a consistent caloric deficit without starving your body. That means that you have to consume at least 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day no matter what.

Q: What do I do if I have a bad day?

A: Bad day? In other words, you ate too much? Simple; enter your foods and go on with life. In other words, don't panic. It's over. It happened. Get rid of the fear and just look objectively at the numbers.

Many times it isn't as bad as you think! You just need to adjust. Eat fewer calories for the rest of the day or week. Or exercise a little more. Or, adjust your goal date.

The war against weight isn't a one day battle. Rome wasn't built in a day. Your excess weight didn't spontaneously appear one day. So don't panic. It's the long term trend that is the way you will win the war.   

Q: What is "Starvation Mode" and how do I avoid it?

A: If you eat too few calories per day, your body could enter into a starvation mode where it will actually slow your metabolism and slow your ability to lose weight.

It's a simple "caveman" reaction that all of our bodies have to weather the harsh conditions that nature used to place on us--winter, drought, etc. But this "caveman" reaction has no place in trying to lose weight.

To lose weight correctly and keep it off, you need to consume less than you burn each day--but not enough to trip this mechanism.

In general, woman should not go below 1,200 calories and men shouldn't go below 1,500 calories.

 Q: What is bingeing and how can I tell if I have a problem?

A: Bingeing means an unrestrained and often excessive indulgence. We assume your question refers to binge eating. This can become a problem when you're overweight or it can lead to bulimia (bingeing and purging). The best way to find out if you have a problem is to consult your physician.

Q: Can I train on an empty stomach?

A: The theory behind this is that your blood sugar levels are low when you're in a fasted state (after going all night without eating) which targets more fat burning.

The problem is that just because you're using more fat as fuel doesn't mean you're actually burning more fat off your body. Another problem is that you may not be able to workout as long or as hard if you're hungry, which means you may end up burning fewer calories than if you'd eaten something and worked harder.

Don't go hungry just because you think you're burning more fat...after all, if you cut it short or lower the intensity because of low energy, how much fat are you burning anyway?