My morning starts with the voice of an NPR commentator announcing the latest news of the day.  Today’s health section focused on the difficulty of maintaining a weight loss, “Losing Weight; A Battle Against Fat and Biology“.  Now that is much more interesting to me than the depressing state of the economy!    Since my passion is helping people get healthy,  I turned the blow dryer off and listened in.   The reporter was commenting that once a large amount of weight is lost, it’s very difficult to keep it off due to biology.

When you begin to lose pounds, levels of the hormone leptin, which is produced by fat cells, begin to drop. That sends a message to the brain that the body’s “fat storage” is shrinking. The brain perceives starvation is on the way and, in response, sends out messages to conserve energy and preserve calories. So, metabolism drops.

“And then other brain signals tell the body it’s “hungry,” and it sends out hormones to stimulate the appetite. The combination of lowered metabolism and stimulated appetite, equals a “double whammy,” says Dr. Donna Ryan. And that means the person who’s lost weight can’t consume as much food as the person who hasn’t lost weight.

For example, if you weigh 230 pounds and lose 30 pounds, you cannot eat as much as an individual who has always weighed 200 pounds. You basically have a “caloric handicap,” says Ryan…….meaning you have to consume that many fewer calories a day in order to maintain your weight loss.

But you can fight back against a lowered metabolism. You can “kick” your metabolism back up by exercising every day.

I was so relieved that they added the last sentence!  Of course you can’t go back to eating the way you did once the weight comes off and of course you’ll be burning less calories at a maintenance weight of 150 than you did when you weighed 100 pounds more.  But that’s not the end of the story!  You don’t have to starve or give up in despair! A healthy diet and regular exercise (which includes strength  training) can boost metabolism enough to maintain your weight loss! 

Most people realize that maintaining  a healthy weight requires healthy eating and exericise.  That’s no secret, so why are so many people unable to keep the weight off?   Choosing the healthier choice, dragging oneself out of bed to head to the gym, and controlling portions when everyone else is stuffing their face is HARD.   That’s where accountability and support is essential.  Living a healthy lifestyle is counter cultural.  Food is always around and turning it down isn’t always received with understanding.   Staying consistent with nutrition and exercise requires support and that is what the Beachbody Challenge is all about.

This week I formed a group of 5 people determined to make a change in their health.  They will be working out to Slim in 6, drinking Shakeology and following a healthy nutrition guide.  Those are  just the basics though!  The aspect of this challenge that will keep them going when the going gets tough is the accountability to each other and the support they receive from  interacting on a private facebook page.  

Diet and exercise is important but knowing WHY you want to get healthy (having a passionate reason to change your life) along with support from others is the secret to success.  I’ll keep you informed of the progress of this Beachbody Challenge group of 5.  It will be amazing!  Stay tuned!

Next Challenge Starts December 1!   WHAT IS THE BEACHBODY CHALLENGE?