Although most people would like to believe there is a magic pill that will allow them to lose all the weight they want quickly and easily, the fact is that permanent weight loss takes time, willful effort and requires that we apply the correct knowledge. Of course this isn’t what most people want to hear, but if it were not true and everything we heard about weight loss was, our society wouldn’t be in such a rut.
Fact #1: Approximately 66 percent, or two-thirds, of our population is overweight or obese.
Many “experts” say our excess weight gain is due to a lack of a commitment and desire, but I disagree because I know there are a number of external factors that are causing us all to gain weight. The first and biggest of them all is the addictive food products that are being produced today because they’re full of ingredients like sugar, fat and salt that make us want to eat until we pop.
Ever notice how the bag of cookies or chips is hard to put down? That isn’t an accident; it’s exactly what food product marketers want because it feeds their profits!
Another major factor that is causing us to gain weight is our technological click-of-a-mouse lifestyle. Today, technology and the Internet are making everything in our lives easier. The trouble with all these new conveniences is that we don’t have to leave the house as much and can sit around while everything is done for us.
Think about it: our groceries come to our door, we can telecommute to work, and we can even have all the entertainment we want come to us for a small cost at almost any hour of the day. In other words, too much convenience is leaving us without an incentive to get out of the house and live an active lifestyle.
The bottom line: The world has created an environment around us that encourages us to eat more, sit more and gain weight. This means we have to be smarter with our food choices and make a greater effort to be more physically active.
Fact #2: Effortless and rapid weight loss is only a marketer’s mind trick.
Whether we like it or not, fat can only leave our body in two ways: 1) it has to be sucked out through liposuction (which is dangerous and costly), or 2) it has to be burned off as energy. This means two things: a) we must steadily burn excess pounds off over time by using more energy (calories) than we consume, which is not an overnight process when you consider that a pound of fat is about 3500 calories, and b) no pill or product out there can “melt” fat off—regardless of what the marketer claims.
The bottom line: Permanent weight loss takes time because it is the result of progressive and small incremental lifestyle changes. The more willing we are to make changes, the faster we can reach our ideal weight and avoid future weight gain.
Fact #3: There are an overwhelming number of sources of bad and inaccurate information.
Along with those who are innocently repeating what they’ve heard about weight loss because they have been misled, there are the real culprits that create all the false sizzle. The biggest offenders, in my opinion, are the product pushers who boast spectacular claims to sell their products. They mix facts with fiction by referencing studies that “suggest” their products could have some use for weight loss, but they almost never have any solid science backing them up. Then, people who don’t know any better accept their messages as truth and contribute to the ever increasing sea of confusion.
The bottom line: Be very skeptical of the information you are accepting! The best indicator of the truth is results. Even then it is imperative that you understand that not all weight loss advice applies to everyone because we are all different. This means that you will still need to test different approaches to eating and exercising to see what works best for your body.
Having fallen victim to all the marketing hype and misinformation myself, I too chased the “effortless” pie-in-the-sky approach to losing weight for many years. And, just like most people, in the end, I was frustrated with my lack of results, angry that I’d wasted my money, and full of regret for the time I’d lost.
As upsetting as these experiences were, they motivated me to tell others the truth once I understood what it really took to lose weight. Now that I’ve reached my ideal weight and am a “fit” person, I have people asking me questions all the time. Almost everyday I come across people who tell me the same story, “I’ve tried everything but I can’t seem to lose weight. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get my body to cooperate.” Then they usually follow up with “How do I lose weight?”
Although the popular answer to this question is usually eat right and exercise, I know from personal experience that losing weight goes much deeper and can be much more complicated. (You can read my story here: http://www.superstaruniversity.com/my-story) While it is true that the foods we choose and the amount of physical activity we engage in play a large role in determining our results, there is much more to weight loss than simply eating the right foods and exercising on a regular basis.
Since we all have different circumstances and live different lives, we all have difficulty losing weight for different reasons. In my experience with losing weight I hit just about every brick wall possible; from emotional junk-food binges to compulsive eating habits and lack of motivation. I tried almost everything one human can think of, and in the end, I had to do so much more than the typical “eat right and exercise” cliché advises.
Although it took me 18 years of in-depth research and trial and error to finally reach my ideal weight and body—because I had to figure it out on my own—I can definitely say that it was well worth it because I’m leaner, more energetic and happier than I’ve ever been. On top of that, I can honestly say that I’ll never have to be overweight again.
Now that I’ve moved past the struggle and confusion of losing weight, I’m using all my years of research and experience to benefit you. To encourage you, inspire you and to provide you with a path you can follow to support you in your efforts to lose weight. If you’re wondering why I’m doing all this for your benefit, I have three very compelling reasons:
1) First and foremost, I truly believe helping people lose weight is my purpose in life, and with the current state of our population I know someone has to do something now or the problem will only become much worse in the future.
2) I do all this writing and research so you don’t have to sift through mountains of confusing articles, medical journals and data. I make it easy for you to get all the relevant weight loss information you need in one place.
3) The last reason, as much as I hate to admit it because I know I shouldn’t allow it to bother me, is that it really **pisses** me off when I see some product marketer making false claims to manipulate us and take our money. I guess it kind of hits a soft spot for me because of all my personal frustrations in the past.
Although most people who see me today think I’ve always been in shape or just have “good genes,” I’m actually able to stay lean and fit for one reason: I make the choice to be lean every day. And just like I make choices that support my current results, you can do the same and have the rockin’ body you’ve always dreamed of as well.
Contrary to popular belief, anyone can lose weight and get in shape (including you) regardless of their current situation—without the need for “magic” pills, special exercise gadgets or dangerous surgery. The first step is to make a definite decision to lose weight right here and right now, and once you’ve done that, this website will provide you with the information you need to reach and maintain your results.
My commitment to you is to provide you with the inspiration, information and ongoing support you need to help you achieve the results you want. That means your commitment to yourself is to take action and to stick with your efforts until you reach your ideal weight.
Since I’m already fulfilling my end of the bargain through this website, my part is basically done. Now it’s your turn to fulfill your end of the bargain and make the commitment to yourself to lose weight. Assuming you can do that, and I know you can, your weight loss success is no longer a question of “if” it will happen, but a question of “when”.
To get you moving in the right direction now, I have 5 Superstar Steps to Success for you to follow:
1) Find out what your “Eating Personality” is by going to this page: http://www.superstaruniversity.com/eating-personalities
2) Download and read these three PDF cheat sheets to help you get a feel for the weight loss basics:
- 5 Simple ways to effectively reduce your appetite
- It makes champions and produces instant results!
- Eat less or exercise more?
3) Think about why you want to lose weight and then write down three good reasons.
- Do you want to look good for a special event?
- Do you want to feel better about yourself?
- Do you want to fit into an old pair of jeans?
- Why do you want to lose weight?
The importance of completing this step is that humans need a compelling reason to succeed. That means in order to win in the long run you need to make sure you know why you’re doing what you’re doing.
4) Decide that you will reach your ideal weight regardless of how long it takes.
When you make the decision to keep going no matter what, nothing will be able to stop you from succeeding. If that sounds like a difficult thing to do, then I would advise you to take a good look at the answers you came up with for step number three. If they really were good reasons this shouldn’t be difficult; otherwise you may want to re-evaluate them and find other reasons that motivate and inspire you.
5) Be one of the 10 million people we help to lose at least 10 pounds each. Click here for all the exciting details NOW!
All the best,
Alex Hernandez
