The Hype

Weight loss. Google those two words and you will have over 94 Million hits, 62 Million websites are geared towards women alone! Clearly weight loss is something we fret over. We, women, look for the latest diet that will melt those pounds right off. We search for the perfect workout plan that seems to work for everyone else, so why not us too! We will buy books on these matters as well. And we cannot leave out those "magical" weight loss pills that we swoon over as the easy solution to weight loss. And maybe we will go as far as getting a gym membership or purchasing some equiptment for our home.

However, the average life span of each "solution" is about two weeks to a month. You start that diet and are super pumped about eating grapefruit, or all protein, or how about the all liquid diet. After two weeks, you won't even want to look at another grapefruit again, about ready to physically harm someone for a piece of bread, or about to get physically sick from drinking too much liquid to look like a "Hollywood Star". Did you know about the Cabbage Soup Diet? ICK!!
After you have tried these diets and decided to stop them, you will more than likely binge eat to make up for lost calories your body craves and any weight you may have lost will come back with a few added buddies! Now I don't mean to offend anyone who has tried these diets and were maybe successful, but there can only be a small percentage of people who can train their bodies to these fad diets and actually enjoy it. Think of why they call them "fad diets"!

Weight loss pills I believe can fall into the same description...they may work for a short while, but can you really take a pill everyday of your life to keep the weight off? Just like fad diets, if the pills worked, then you stop taking them, it is more than likely the weight will come back. I do not believe weight loss pills to be a healthy solution.

The gym! To some, the gym is a haven, a place to go and cardio away the stress. These are the people who are actually smiling on their machines. OK, maybe not all are smiling, but they enjoy working out. Then there are those who dread the gym. They look at the eliptical as though they were mortal enemies of will-power. Some people are just plain timid of the gym because their self-esteem is low and they've landed themselves in a membership gym for Ken's & Barbie's. And honestly how many of you purchased a treadmill or an eliptical with good intentions, but there it sits as a very expensive clothes hanger? These situations are out there! Most people will get excited about adding fitness to their lifestyles, but it is sad to see that excitement which begins in January fade early to mid February.

Weight loss, weight loss, weight loss! It is everywhere...not only the pressure to be healthy and fit, but to be slim, skinny, a supermodel. It's not fair! Not everyone's body type and bone structure are the same, therefore, our methods of weight loss are not going to be the same either!! You need to find what is right for YOU and YOUR body's needs, not everyone else's.

So, how can you find the right balance of food, exercise, self-esteem, and encouragement to get you to lose your unwanted weight? It's a tough journey, but you have to start somewhere right?
In Zumba4Health I will first share with you my story, my struggle, with weight loss in segments. You will see how my eyes were opened to the world of fitness, healthy eating, and becoming a motivator!

Next: The Downward Spiral