The Magic Weight Loss Pill...?

Hate to break it to you, but there isn't one, and there will never be one.  From time to time there have been "breakthrough" drugs and fads - phenphen, HCG, juicing, grapefruit, caffeine, you name it.  People want big results quickly for little or no effort.  Even when people started noticing a change in me and asked hopefully "What are you doing?"  It was funny to see their faces fall sometimes when I said "I'm eating better and exercising," as if they were hopeful that at last there were some way around immutable laws of nature. And yet you see a multibillion dollar industry built up just around that - with pictures of chiseled abs and skinny midsections.  As if to say the models in the pictures actually used the products to get that way...not!

At the end of the day, if whatever you are doing doesn't incorporate better eating habits and exercise, it's not going to work.  But that doesn't mean that the age-old, tried and true method of eating better and exercising can't be enjoyable.  Yes, it's hard.  Yes, it takes self control.  But yes, it comes with its own rewards and benefits...from day one!  You don't have to wait until you are down to your goal weight to enjoy the benefits of healthy eating and exercise.

When I was overweight and not eating a healthy diet I would basically eat whatever was available whenever I wanted it.  And my body paid the price...I was taking a pill for heartburn quite regularly.  And it didn't always work.  A regular burning sensation in your chest and gut isn't a fun thing.  As soon as I started eating healthier, I no longer needed the heartburn pills and the heartburn went away.  An immediate reward.  I didn't have to turn to the scale, look in the mirror, buy looser clothes - I felt better immediately.  Eating right is its own reward, outside of the overall goal of losing weight.  You've probably experienced this yourself - you just feel better.

As for exercise - going to the gym, using exercise videos, going for long walks - whatever you decide to do, these have fairly immediate rewards as well.  I'm not going to lie and tell you that adjusting your routine and the inevitable soreness and exhaustion you feel from working out when your body isn't used to it is fun.  BUT there are immediate and longer term benefits.  According to the WebMD site:

Regular exercise has been proven to:

• Reduce stress
• Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
• Boost self-esteem
• Improve sleep

Exercise also has these added health benefits:

• It strengthens your heart.
• It increases energy levels.
• It lowers blood pressure.
• It improves muscle tone and strength.
• It strengthens and builds bones.
• It helps reduce body fat.
• It makes you look fit and healthy.

It's pretty certain that after you start exercising regularly, you'll start sleeping better, just because you're more exhausted.  And you DO feel better about yourself mentally - you have this great feeling that you are finally doing something for yourself.  This helps with symptoms of stress and depression.  You're getting some endorphins as well which also help your general mood.  Blood pressure becomes better quickly (I was able to drop both blood pressure medications after only two months!).  It revs up your metabolism, eases stiffness, and you start to feel more energy.  The list goes on and on.

My main goal with this post was to tell you no, there isn't a magic pill that just makes you lose weight and feel better.  But yes, eating right and exercising - even starting out with small changes - bring their own immediate rewards, which in a way is a bit of magic.