Losing Weight is Futile: Experts

There have been a lot of studies in the news the last few years that seem to say that dieting/weight-loss is futile. Scientists now know that the body works against us after weight loss to regain the weight. It sends hormones out to tell us we're hungry when we're not and it works way more efficiently than it did before. We turn from Hummers into Hybrids, to use a car analogy. It's a cruel fact of nature of which there is no medical way thus far to address it.

The solution? Some say you have to do what you did to lose weight all the time. If that means you were  hungry all the time when you lost weight then you have to be hungry all the time for the rest of your life to maintain it. Yay!

I'm not sure what I think about my own situation. I have no specific weight loss goals at the moment other than to become as athletic as I comfortably can. I'm not crazy about being 100 plus pounds over the BMI obesity threshold (one that is now being questioned by the likes of Dr. Sharma and others) and I would also like to buy clothing at a regular store and not have my joints stressed by everyday living. I know I could do more athletically if I didn't have a hundred and fifty pound back pack on me all the time.

I'm starting to truly believe that a very overweight person can be healthy if they're fit. Recent studies have shown that the fat around our organs (visceral fat) is reduced with exercise even when overall weight is not. This is further evidence that exercise is the cure for obesity.

On the one hand, the body works against us after weight loss, but on the other it works with us after exercise. It builds muscle, endurance, reduces visceral fat and our cardiovascular system becomes more efficient. This happens in everyone and it's foolproof, unlike weight loss.

Get as fit as you can. Near as I can tell, it's the only solution. As long as you're making improvements to your fitness, you cannot fail. This is one area where your body is on your side.