"Eat less and exercise more" has been the weight loss mantra for years. But research shows that 90% of people who lose weight this way gain it right back. Why is it like this?

Well, to start, the body's messenger chemicals control hunger, metabolism, and mood. When you cut down on calories, the body's cells think there's a "famine" going on. In response, cells send chemical messages that slow down the body's metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories). This saves energy for when the body is "starving."

Since your metabolism is slower, you have less energy, so you move around less. Your mood also changes because you feel like you don't have enough, so your body is drawn to foods that boost mood, especially carbs. When there is food, the body sends out other chemical signals that make you hungry and tell your body to store energy (fat) in case there is another famine. So, there is a cycle of "feast" and "famine."

Also, fat is like a gland in that it sends out its own chemical messages. One of these is leptin, a hormone. Leptin is meant to speed up your metabolism and make you feel less hungry. But inflammation stops leptin from working. Leptin resistance can also be caused by weight, just like type II diabetes is caused by insulin resistance.

Most Americans have inflammation because there are so many chemicals in our food, water, and air. Inflammation causes fluid retention, and since it's very common for Americans to have intestinal inflammation, it's very common to have extra fluid and fat in the abdominal area. Since a gallon of water weighs eight pounds, it is easy for the body to store 5 to 15 pounds of extra water in its tissues.

One can see that one is fighting a losing (or "gaining") battle if they don't change the type of chemical messages that the cells are sending. On the other hand, if our cells send the right chemical messages, we can have more energy, less hunger, a better mood, and a stronger immune system. There are four main things you need to do to reach this goal.

1. Start by changing your attitude.

A simple but powerful rule is that we tend to create what we think about the most. If you constantly think bad things about yourself or your body, these thoughts will cause and keep you from fixing health problems, such as being overweight. Most people dislike some parts of themselves and their bodies. For example, they might not like their stomach, thighs, or skin tone. Even actresses and models, who are seen as the most beautiful people in the world, have these kinds of problems and often abuse their bodies to try to reach a perfect image that doesn't exist.

We think and feel that being "wrong" means we need to be "punished." So, when we have bad feelings about our bodies, we want to punish them for being "wrong." This is why many people try to reach the ideal weight and beauty by eating or working out in unhealthy ways. True beauty comes from being healthy and happy inside. It shows up as a glowing skin tone, clear, sparkling eyes, and a happy face.

If you think about it, the main reason people "pig out" on junk food (or pick up any other bad habit) is because they are unhappy. When you are unhappy, your cells get the wrong chemical messages. So, mentally and emotionally "beating yourself up" for being overweight will only make the problem worse.

On the other hand, science has shown that happy things (like loving relationships, laughter, fun activities, time spent in nature, etc.) cause the body to send out chemical messages that reduce inflammation, boost immunity, speed up healing, improve metabolism, and otherwise improve health and well-being. In fact, if you want to live a long and healthy life, the single most important thing isn't your weight, your diet, or how much you exercise. It's your attitude. People live longer, healthier lives when they have things they enjoy doing.

So, instead of being hard on yourself, be kind to yourself and look for ways to enjoy your life. Do things that bring you happiness and satisfaction.

Also, eat with pleasure! Decide to enjoy whatever you choose to eat, even if it isn't the healthiest thing. This means taking time to notice how each bite looks, smells, feels, and tastes. It also means to eat slowly and chew your food well. You can train yourself to do this by putting your fork or spoon down after each bite and taking some deep breaths while you chew. If you just do this, you'll eat less and feel fuller without even trying.

Remember that love and nurturing are at the heart of all healing, including losing weight. Fear and deprivation are not. So, even if it's hard, start changing the way you talk to yourself. Write about how you feel about yourself and your body in a journal. Then, tell yourself that you love yourself and that you are loving and caring for your body.

2. Don't worry about calories. Instead, pick healthy foods.

The main reason why so many Americans are sick and overweight is that we eat too many refined and processed foods. These foods don't have enough of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytonutrients that the body needs. Even though we may be getting enough calories from these foods, we still feel hungry because our bodies are still looking for the nutrients they need.

Refined sugars (sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, etc.), white flour, polished rice, processed vegetable oils, margarine, shortening, and almost all processed and packaged foods fall into this category. If you want to lose weight and be healthy, you need to stop eating these foods and start eating whole, natural, nutrient-dense, and unprocessed foods instead. When you do this, your body will get the food it needs and stop telling you it is hungry.

Of course, you'll never be successful if you only think about what you shouldn't eat. The best way to do well is to start eating more whole, natural foods. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (with a greater emphasis on vegetables that are not starchy). Choose good protein sources based on your blood type and eat mostly high-quality protein and vegetables. Eat less bread, pasta, and other grains, and only use whole grains when you do. Eat good fats as well. If you eat healthy foods first, your body will start to crave those foods and your desire for "junk" foods will go away.

3. Regularly eat small meals that are well-balanced.

Here's a surefire way to gain weight, even if you eat healthy food. Don't eat breakfast and eat a big meal right before bed. This makes your blood sugar go up and down like a roller coaster and causes a daily cycle of hunger and fullness. You're not hungry when you wake up, so you don't eat. Your body sends signals to slow down your metabolism and energy level throughout the day when it thinks you are hungry. By the end of the day, your body is hungry, so you eat too much. But since you're not moving (because you're sleeping), your body stores the extra calories for a "famine" tomorrow.

To break this pattern, you should always eat something for breakfast. Always start the day with some healthy fat and protein. For example, avocado, eggs, meat, whole milk yogurt with fruit or nuts, or oatmeal with butter or cream (not sugar). This changes the way your body works so that it burns fat instead of storing it. When you eat carbs for breakfast, you raise insulin levels, which tells the body to store fat. Starting the day with a meal that has fat and protein and not just carbs sets off a hormone called glucagon, which releases sugars from your body's stores.

Then, whenever you get a little bit hungry during the day, eat a healthy snack like nuts, fruit, organic cheese, fresh vegetables, tuna, a salad, etc. By eating small, regular meals, your body learns that there is no longer a famine and starts to adjust your appetite to match. You won't be as hungry at night, and you won't eat too much before bed. You will feel better and lose weight by eating these meals.

4. Do something physical.

About 48 million Americans are considered to be sedentary, which directly leads to obesity. When someone is sedentary, they don't get enough exercise to stay healthy.

Exercise affects almost every part of the body. The heart is a muscle, so it needs to be worked out just like every other muscle. It also makes the body better at using oxygen, pumps more blood through the body, lowers blood pressure, lubricates the joints, and helps the body use and store calories more efficiently. That means being healthier and having less fat on the body.

Don't stress. You don't have to go to the gym just because of this. Choose physical activities that you like, like swimming, riding a bike, playing a sport, gardening, or hiking. Just getting out and taking a walk every day can help. You could also try yoga or tai chi, which are also good ways to relieve stress. Weight lifting and other forms of resistance exercise can help you lose weight because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat. So think about doing some weight lifting, even if it's just a little bit.

5. Fix health problems at their roots

Part of the key to losing weight is to figure out what health problems might be stopping you from losing weight. Then, these can be fixed with the right supplements or by making changes to how you live. Talk to a natural health expert in your area to help you make a program that fits your needs. Here are some of the most important things to think about.

Low Thyroid

To stay warm, the body burns fat, and the thyroid gland sends the chemical messages that tell the body to burn fat. Low thyroid is very common, especially in women, and can cause weight gain, fatigue, depression, cold hands and feet, and dry skin. If you have any of these signs, you might want to think about taking care of your thyroid.

If lab tests show you have normal levels of thyroid hormones but you still have symptoms of low thyroid, you may have a problem converting T4, the inactive form of the hormone, to T3, the active form. In this case, 7-Keto, which is a metabolite of DHEA, can be very helpful because it increases the conversion of T4 to T3, which speeds up the metabolism and breaks down fat.

Toxicities and Symptoms

There are two ways that toxins cause weight gain. First, toxins cause inflammation, and inflammation makes tissues hold onto water. Most of the time, when people start a new diet or cleanse, they lose weight quickly because inflammation and fluid retention go down.

The second reason toxins cause weight gain is because many of the toxins we are exposed to dissolve in fat. So, if the body can't break them down, it stores them as fat. To move them may also raise cholesterol levels. If the body can't get rid of the toxins, it won't let go of the fat.

This is why it's so important to learn how to eat natural foods if you want to lose weight. Natural foods don't have any of the chemicals that are added to processed foods, and they also have more vitamins and minerals that help get rid of toxins. It also explains how a cleanse can help a person lose weight.

Dieter's Cleanse is an easy-to-use cleansing program that comes already packaged. It can help anyone who is trying to lose weight. It has herbs that help balance hormones and metabolism as well as herbs that help the body get rid of toxins and hold less water in the tissues. Be aware that most of the weight you lose on a cleanse is not fat, but just water that has been held in the tissues because of inflammation. People often lose 5 to 10 pounds while on a cleanse, but fat loss happens more slowly (about one to two pounds per week).

Adding fiber to your diet is another way to help you lose more weight. Fiber binds to toxins and makes you feel full, which makes you less hungry. Psyllium Hulls Combination and Fat Grabbers are both good ways to help you lose weight. Be sure to drink a lot of water with fiber supplements.

Stress
Stress and emotional problems that haven't been solved can also make people gain weight. People often eat to meet their emotional needs. Stress also causes the adrenal glands to release hormones like cortisol, which breaks down muscle tissue and can lead to fat deposits. Stress can also make the body release other chemicals that make people want to eat and mess up the body's biochemistry in other ways.

Keeping a journal where you can write down how you feel when you want to eat junk food or don't take care of your body can help you figure out and meet your real emotional needs. Sugar and sweets cravings are often a sign that a person's life isn't "sweet" enough. Finding ways to bring more joy into your life can help you meet your emotional needs in more constructive ways.

Nutri-Calm and Adrenal Support are two other options. These also make you feel less stressed. Nutri-Calm helps a person who is always "running around like a chicken with its head cut off," while Adrenal Support can rebuild the adrenals of people who are "burned-out" and addicted to stimulants like caffeine.

Depression may also lead to weight problems and a strong desire for food. 5-HTP can help raise serotonin levels, which can make people feel better and reduce their appetite.

Remember that cortisol is also released when there is chronic inflammation, so a supplement like Thai-Go that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can also help to reduce cortisol output. Reducing inflammation also speeds up the metabolism and makes the hormone leptin, which burns fat, work better.

Needs for Food

When we're trying to change our diet, food cravings can seem like our worst enemy. So, supplements that reduce hunger or cravings for certain foods may also help as part of a plan to lose weight. Combination Garcinia speeds up the metabolism. Stixated helps with hunger and sugar cravings.

Sugar cravings are usually caused by a lack of fat and protein in the diet or by problems with blood sugar. Licorice Root is another supplement that can help control blood sugar and reduce the desire for sweets.

Some people have a big problem with being addicted to sugar and other simple carbohydrates, so it can also help to switch to a healthier form of sweets. For example, chocolate bars, gum, and mints sweetened with xylitol can satisfy occasional sweet tooth cravings without causing blood sugar spikes that lead to weight gain. Sugar can be replaced with the same amount of bulk xylitol, but not in yeast breads.

Here is a complete list of things that might help you lose weight.