What drives people to losing weight is the belief that thin is beautiful. People want to look beautiful in their clothes, and they are led into believing that reed-thin bodies that most catwalk models have is the ideal way to look. The obsession to look thin is making people go in for diets that cause more harm than good. In a way, it is nice to be motivated by extreme examples of thinness. Overweight people need to have some role models to follow. With so many diets and exercise regimes available, why is it that the average citizen is overweight? You may be tempted to ask why people can’t lose weight. There could be any number of reasons for their inability to shed those extra kilos, prominent among which are:

• Common Mindset

• Lack of Power of Belief

• Lack of Self Discipline

• Hereditary Factors

Common Mindset

The kind of media blitz against obesity and overweight problems, and the emergence of numerous fad diets have not only created heightened awareness among the masses, but also motivated them to lose weight. Motivation apart, their focus on losing weight is so intense that people have put themselves under pressure to achieve their weight-shedding targets. You could not agree any less that the entire approach to the weight losing process seems to be flawed.

There is no point in getting so intense about the whole exercise. It is difficult to sustain such intensity over a period; and as you lose intensity, the whole exercise peters out, resulting in disappointment and frustration. Goal setting done by professionals is fine, but different physical constitutions respond differently to diet and exercise. So, you should not look upon the achievement of a weight loss goal by your friend as your failure, if you have not achieved that goal. Please note particularly that putting a time limit to weight loss is not the correct away to approaching the issue.

People who fail to achieve their goals have been seen to hit the refrigerator harder than before. They tend to eat more to drown their disappointment and sorrows. To overcome such situations, it would be better for you to form long-term goals than short-term ones. You should consider weight loss a fun exercise with a sensible approach to eating. The forced weight loss approach makes people indulge in over-exercising and heavy dieting, which can be harmful for health.

Take note that people looking for quick fixes are the ones who lose interest soon. Slimming centers in their bid to outdo the competition, come out with all sorts of weight loss systems exhorting people to lose maximum weight in the minimum possible time. This has made people think that the best way to lose weight is the quickest way. Moreover, with time at a premium, most of us are looking for short-term solutions. We may succeed in losing weight quickly, but our inability to maintain that weight brings us back to square one. Short-term goals are fraught with risks of weight gain once the diet regimen is discontinued.

Apart from the above, people have a common mindset and approach to weight loss. For many, it is difficult to stick to a particular diet for long. They are the kind that looks for easy solutions, which fad diets provide. They are the impatient kinds who need to learn the virtues of patience and persistence that come in handy with a long-term plan in mind.

Another common feeling attached to being overweight is that of worthlessness. Such is the hype created about being thin that people who are heavy consider themselves worthless. Looks seem to have taken precedence over all other qualities, thanks to the media blitzkrieg associating beauty with thinness.

Weight loss strategies should be free from time limits and targets. A long-term healthy diet and exercise regime would be good enough for the purpose. You should be having fun and not adding pressure on yourself.

Lack of Power of Belief

Faith and belief play a crucial part in your mental build up to weight loss. If you believe that you can lose weight, there is no reason why you cannot. But, overweight people find it difficult to get to that stage. It is not that easy for them to imagine getting slimmer, may be because of the hard work involved. Getting to raise their self-belief is an even more difficult task, if they are on the heavier side.

What they need to understand is that nobody else can lose weight for them. It is going to be their choice and effort. The weight loss equipment and diets are there to help them achieve their goal. People have to work out what they want to do with their body. The tendency for such people is to keep putting off their decision to start their slimming program for the reason that they lack self-belief. The sooner they begin, the better it is for them. Delays make things only more difficult, as they may have to work that much extra to get rid of the excess weight they may have put on in the meantime.

Lethargy and mindset both need to change and be replaced by an attitude and the will to achieve success. This should be followed by a dietary and/or exercise plan. Most programs consist of a diet and exercise regimen. They normally consist of suggestions on the kind of foods to eat and exercises that need be performed. Diet suggestions include keeping a count of calories through calorie-counting books, and menus and recipes. To keep the self-belief going, it is important for you to address some personal issues like what motivates you; the reason for your unwanted behaviors; and the support system that is good for you.

You will need to determine the factors that motivate you. You will have to find out whether you are comfortable with short-term goals or long-term ones. However, it is in your best interest not to be very serious about goals, as non-achievement can very easily put you off track. The focus should be weight loss with no particular timeframe in mind. A general timeframe can be put in place to observe improvement. Weight loss, howsoever minimal, should be motivation enough to continue with the program. Non-achievement of set weight loss targets act as a de-motivating factor. People who lack power of belief can easily get distracted and discouraged when they miss their target.

Anyone, who finally sets out to achieve weight loss needs to determine his or her support system. The system could include family, friends, colleagues, or fellow weight losers. It is always better to involve someone in a weight loss program to keep providing support and encouragement at times of disappointments. Weight loss results are never consistent. It is during the periods when results are not forthcoming or not as expected that people tend to lose interest in the program. This is the time when support and encouragement are required for them to keep moving ahead with their weight loss plan.

So, in the first place, it is important to strengthen the belief that weight loss is achievable. Then, a suitable plan needs to be worked out. A plan that is forced upon you is not likely to be adhered to. Finally, a support system needs to be worked out to ensure that the program works long term without any hiccups.

Lack of Self Discipline

Success for people following a weight loss program comes after a lot of grit, determination, and self-discipline. A large percentage of people normally give up before they achieve their weight loss goals. Make sure that you are not one of those. Discipline is an important element to guarantee success. The younger generation has been brought up in an environment of instant gratification and results. Patience is a virtue that appears lacking in them. If weight could reduce that quickly, it would simply take away the fun out of hard work. The weight loss exercise really puts to test a person’s patience and discipline. Let us see what self-discipline has to do with weight losing.

Weight loss must be at the top of an average American’s must-do agenda. The reason could either be improvement in appearance or good health, or both. There is a plethora of information available on the Internet on how to grow slim, and what all needs to be done to achieve that goal. The average American is smart enough to know that. If they know it all, then what is keeping them from achieving their dream body? Knowledge is good, but putting that knowledge to use is what matters. How many of us Americans have the inclination and the self-discipline to take that all-important step and stick with the weight loss program? People normally come up with the excuse of lack of time, when, in fact, it is discipline that they lack.

Besides lack of self-discipline, people may not be willing to come out of their comfort zones. People tend to settle down comfortably into their routines eating their way to all that they can lay their hands on and lazing around with hardly any physical activity. They probably know that this excessiveness is causing harm to their health, but they simply do not have the discipline and drive to get out of the rut of their own making.

It is so easy to get overweight because you do not have to make any special efforts to accumulate those extra kilos. All you need to do is enjoy those high-calorie delicious foods. People who get used to eating those kinds of foods find it tough to change their pattern of eating. Having pampered their taste buds to the extreme, a changeover to healthy foods calls for discipline of a high order. It gets even more difficult for people to get into a weight loss program, if an earlier attempt ended in failure. It is easier to put the blame on the weight loss program rather than question one’s own sense of commitment and discipline. The ideal way to find out whether a program is workable is to talk with people who had used it in the past. Even current users would be able to tell you about the efficacy of the program.

There is no denying the fact that weight loss programs are not easy to pursue. There are hurdles that need to be crossed. A large number of people use these hurdles as excuses to discontinue the program. What needs understanding is the fact that nothing comes easy. Hurdles are a means to point to us our weaknesses. Goals can only be achieved by overcoming weaknesses. Thus, the success of a weight loss program is determined by the manner in which we prepare ourselves to cross these hurdles.

Most overweight people have been ridiculed for their excessive weight. They have been told repeatedly that they can never lose weight, or how difficult it is to lose weight. Such repeated comments tend to condition them into believing that they can never lose weight. It is important for such people to get out of the negative rut they find themselves in. There is no way that they should allow themselves to be affected by such insensitive and non-caring comments and actions of others. If they do, it is akin to allowing others to take control of their lives. It is best to discuss the matter with people who are understanding and capable of giving positive and encouraging advice.

Hereditary Factors

A large number of people put in a lot of effort to lose weight and spend a fortune too, but do not find success, which can really be baffling. There could not be any thing more heart breaking than seeing your sincere and hard put efforts going waste. Even if such people lose weight to an extent, they quickly regain what they lost. Hereditary factors are also responsible for the way weight loss or gain take place.

Research has shown that biological mothers, who are heavy as adults, have an approximately 75% chance of having children that are heavy. For that matter, thin biological mothers are likely to have a 75% chance of producing thin offspring. Metabolism that you inherit from your biological mother plays a major role in your weight pattern.

Overweight people would normally complain that they could not do anything about their condition because that is how they are – big boned. They could be having parents who are big and heavy. All members or most members in their family could be heavy. It could all be in the genes. What needs to be looked into is whether people who belong to a family of overweight members can do nothing about their weight because of the fat gene factor. Are they prisoners of the fat gene inheritance for the rest of their life?

The hereditary factor needs to be viewed seriously, as it is not to be used as an excuse for your being overweight. The decisive factor determining your body shape, weight, height, and health risks is genetics. If your family has a history of obesity, there is a high possibility of your being obese. But, it is not necessary that you or each member of your family will grow obese. Though most or all your family members may have inherited a heavier cluster of fat cells, yet it is not mandatory that all of you will grow fat. A major contributor to your being fat would be the kind of food habits that you acquire from your family. The gene factor provides the potential or the tendency of your putting on fat quickly. However, this tendency can be curbed through a better diet management.

Given here is some information to make you understand the reasons you put on weight, besides your family history.

Food plays a very important role in determining your body weight and size. The food habits that are instilled in you as a child will go a long way in contributing to your physical shape. If your parents had been taking high calorie diets and were feeding you the same as a kid, you naturally grow up used to eating such foods. Similarly, if you have developed the habit of taking second or third helpings, you are likely to continue with the same. It is very difficult to change eating habits, because it requires great will and effort to change food patterns in people.

Talking of the heredity factor, athletic parents are likely to produce athletic offspring. Similarly, parents who have been physically inactive and lazy through out their lives could have children who are physically inactive. Coupled with poor eating habits, physical inactivity can only lead to weight gain. Otherwise too, lack of physical activity along with normal diet can make a person gain weight. Age too is a factor that leads to weight gain. With age people tend to become inactive and lose around 1.4 kilos of muscle tissue in a year. Muscle loss leads to slowing down of the metabolism rate. A high muscle tissue ratio ensures of a high metabolism rate. Thus, you need to exercise more as you grow older to compensate for the muscle tissue loss. A slower metabolism means weight gain.

Body Weight and Genes

The World Health Organization report on obesity says that there is a possibility of single or multiple genes causing overweight and obesity directly in some individuals, but this does not appear to be the case in the majority of people.

A number of links between weight and heredity have been identified. These genetic factors linked to weight are mentioned below.

• Genetic factors are likely to have an impact on our basal metabolic rate. Our metabolic rate determines body weight. An active metabolism keeps our weight in check, while a slower basal metabolic rate can lead to weight gain.

• It has been found that abdominal fat may have a genetic link in most cases. It leads to a tendency to develop a paunch around the waist, which can be checked through a proper healthy diet and exercise.

• Appetite is also affected by genetics. Heavy eaters could produce heavy eating offspring and vice-versa.

• We all need energies to keep the metabolic function going. This energy too is affected by heredity factors and can affect our weight.

• The ratio of muscle and fat in the body is also determined by heredity factors. This ratio has a direct bearing on our basal metabolic ratio, and hence on our weight.

The Heredity Causes of Obesity

Not all obesity cases can be attributed to heredity factors. However, genetics does play an important role in obesity, and the factors that cause obesity genetically include:

• Insulin Insensitivity: When the body does not remove insulin from the bloodstream quickly enough, hunger will not seem satiated and you may feel hungry soon after having your meal. This could normally happen when you take diets with high sugar content, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats. Lack of physical exercise also leads to this condition.

• Serotonin Levels: Lower serotonin levels lead to deficiency in tryptophan. When the tryptophan levels are lower, the body feels hungry and craves for carbohydrates.

• Lipoprotein lipase (LPL), an enzyme produced by the body, transports fat from the blood and deposits it in fat cells. A high LPL level in the body means that the body will store more fat in the cells. The LPL level is determined by genetics. Thus, children of obese parents are likely to have higher levels of LPL and high fat storage ability. Low calories enhance the ability of LPL to store fat. People with high LPL levels will be prone to gaining weight, if they resort to a low-calorie diet.

Children and Genetics

Children, who eat unhealthy foods, including fast foods, high-sugar and high-calorie diets, do not necessarily gain weight or grow obese. Coupling the poor eating habits with lack of physical activity does not mean that a child will be obese. There are other reasons too including heredity factors.

Scientific research shows that genetics has a definite say in a child being obese. Children with obese parents are more likely than not be obese. According to estimates, between 5% and 25% obesity cases are due to heredity factors.

Genes cannot always be blamed for obesity in a child. The environment in which children grow also contributes to a child being obese. Children with a tendency to grow obese need to be provided a healthy diet. Parents should take care and make sure that the child remains physically active. Regular sporting activity will help the child burn both calories and fats stored in the body.

If we observe the dietary patterns of the American society in the past few decades, we will find that there has been a dramatic shift from healthier foods to junk food. Not only the adults, but children too have been affected by the trend of fast foods. High-calorie and low-on-nutrition diets are the real cause for an unhealthy growth of children. Exposure to ‘super-size’ meals and ‘all you can eat’ buffets has only promoted overeating.

Parents, who are obese and in the know that their children have the tendency of getting obese, need to keep a strict vigil over their child’s eating habits and ensure enough physical activity so that the child efficiently burns off those calories and fats.