But those last few pounds, the last 10, 15, 20 or so are generally the hardest to lose. Dr. Shawn Talbott in his book, The Cortisol Connection, provides an excellent illustration of why this tends to be the case. He describes this as Metabolic Adaptation and uses a balloon to explain it. Imagine holding a balloon. Balloons come in a variety of shapes and sizes (just like our bodies), and when you push on one side of the balloon (one aspect of our bodies' metabolism), we get an equal reaction on the other side (another reaction of our bodies' metabolism).
This is one of the reasons why people in the health pushing business fail to see the bigger picture. Often times, you'll hear someone tell their client to, "Eat only this, or don't eat this, or eat this at this time, or exercise only after eating this...." (one side of the balloon), but fail to explain how that might affect another aspect of your metabolism (the other side of the balloon). A typical example would be to cut calories. But when you cut calories, your resting metabolic rate (RMR, the amount of calories your body burns at rest) also will drop. So you will lose weight ("Man, my trainer is brilliant"), but eventually your body adapts it's metabolism (by burning fewer calories) to its new environment (fewer calories being consumed).
In future discussions, I wil be discussing why the most important area of losing weight permenantly is to be a lot smarter than your body's ability to adapt to its metabolic environment. I will explain this as the "Four-T" method (get it, "40"). This is a way to create an environment where your body will make "tiny" changes; this is my two-week approach. Secondly, it's "together". By this I mean we must make changes in metabolism while together make changes to other areas, i.e. digestion, inflammation. By focusing on different areas of your body's "balloon" we can contol it's ability to adapt and plateau.
The third area is "timed". This is where you can focus on when you eat and how you eat. Certain foods affect your body differently than other, and it is important to know the difference. Lastly is what I call "tidy". When all is said and done, it is ultimately up to you to maintain your healthy lifestyle. Moving forward, only you can keep your body clean, neat, and "tidy." I can provide you with the instructions and tools, but ultimately it is you who will have to build it.
Jared Toay, aka. the "Digestion Dude" has actively been promoting the importance of health and digestion for more than 4 years. A weight loss expert, Certified Nutritional Specialist, and creator of Be A Fitness Freak, he has had a lengthy journey on his way to healthy living. An accomplished author and speaker, he would love to send you an eBook focusing on digestion and nutrition by entering your email address below or join him on his "Be A Fitness Freak" fanpage on Facebook by clicking the "like" button below to learn about his revolutionary Focus On Foods wellness program.