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A Faulty Body Fat Set Point May Be Why You Are Overweight

By: Gen Wright Home | Health-and-Fitness


Never before in history have people been so overweight and the more overweight they become the more they desperately search for solutions. For many years the medical community has blamed overeating for all fatness and has even suggested dieting as a cure.

They said (and still say) that all you have to do is eat less food than your body needs and your body will use the excess fat and weight loss automatically follows.

It all seems like a logical solution but the problem is dieting doesn't work; it is simply not effective in controlling weight, never has been and probably never will be. The figures speak for themselves; ninety five percent of all diets fail for long term weight loss.

Short term they work, temporary weight loss does happen with a diet but as soon as the body catches on after a few weeks it puts the brakes on and fights to keep every little gram of fat. You are effectively teaching your body to store fat and each new scheme ultimately gives way to weight gain. Future losses become more and more difficult.

The truth is that becoming overweight has relatively little to do with the amount of food eaten. Instead, our body fat is regulated by a control centre in the brain referred to as the weight regulating mechanism. This maintains a set point that is customized to our needs and environment and the body works tirelessly to defend that set point.

This set point regulating mechanism controls body weight and has a huge influence on the amount of food that you eat, dramatically increasing or decreasing your appetite as needed to maintain the set point weight.

The factors that can raise the set point are the types of food you eat. High fat, high sugar foods and processed and refined foods increase hunger and if eaten regularly, will raise the set point. These foods have non existent nutrition and it is thought that appetite is raised in the hope that body will receive the missing nutrients.

Proper exercise levels will lower the set point. An exercise program containing mostly strength training exercise will work the muscular system mobilizing excess body fat stores and using them for energy. In time the set point is lowered and fat stores are 'willingly' given up to produce a strong, lean and more stream lined body.

Often people who have tried to lose weight for years are amazed at how they can effectively lose weight while eating more food than they have eaten for years. Hunger comes under control, cravings are eliminated and energy levels are increased so that a proper exercise program is supported and can do its job. It is hard to want to be active when poor eating habits barely allow a person to get through the day.

Obviously, proper exercise is the most important factor in weight control. Inactivity is damaging and so is low quality food in pretty boxes that does not supply what the human body needs to stay healthy and slim.

If you are overweight start yourself a new cycle of eating natural whole unprocessed foods and begin a proper exercise program and you will be amazed at the strong, lean slim and healthy body that will emerge. Sounds simple doesn't it? It is.





Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

About the Author:
My name is Carolyn Hansen, and my goal is to show you how to burn fat - without starving yourself - by combining strength training with the right foods that increase metabolism, decrease food cravings, and keep you looking trim. Come find out how it is done.

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