There are few things as controversial as losing weight ? though everyone would agree that many people in our society have a pressing need to do just that, we disagree over the best way to do it. Hence, there are so many approaches to weight loss that it becomes very confusing to many of us. In a sense, the best way to lose weight can be a very individual thing. What works for you may not work for your friend or your neighbor. So, while for some of us the goal is to integrate weight loss measures into our regular daily routine, for others the opposite approach is what's needed ? we have to ?get away from it all?, in a sense, to give weight loss a head start.



The trick is to allow yourself to experience success by removing all temptation for a time ? in this way, you can have almost guaranteed success at the beginning, and carry this on by yourself afterwards. It is the eating equivalent to ?detox?, in a sense. To facilitate this, there are residential facilities where some people go in order to lose some weight or improve their overall health and fitness. These bear little or no relation to the ?fat farms? that were spoken of so disparagingly in the past. On the contrary, they are spas ? often luxury spas ? that help you lose weight, exercise and resolve some of your issues about eating in a supportive, even luxurious, environment.

In these spas, your food will be prepared for you at prescribed times and controlled amounts. It will be healthy and well-prepared, and will also be (depending on the weight loss plan you are following) either low fat, low calorie, low carb, or restricted in terms of amount. At the same time, you will be encouraged to join in a variety of exercise programs throughout the day. The point is not to make you feel bad or deprived ? in fact, the eating and exercise plans at most of these spas are designed in such a way that people following them feel good about themselves psychologically as well as physically. Many spas also include a variety of luxury services, such as a daily massage, facial, or pedicure, or a yoga or meditation class. These allow you to feel pampered despite the fact that you are on a weight loss regime.

There are other benefits to this approach. You are away from your kitchen ? you have no hand in preparing food, which is a ?danger? area for many would-be dieters. You can't snack whenever you feel like it ? food is given out in controlled amounts at certain times. You are also surrounded by others who are in the same boat, so to speak ? everyone is there to lose weight or improve their health, so there are no temptations built into social life as there are at home. All in all, this is an approach that works ? at least in the short term ? for almost everyone. In a supportive environment like this, almost everyone meets his or her weight loss goals during the time that they spend there. You almost can't help it, in a sense. Once you get home again, however, long term results vary.

For some of us, the lessons learned at the weight loss spa and the weight loss we have experienced while there are so encouraging and inspiring that we continue with much the same regime at home, and lose a great amount of weight. That, really, is the point of these spas ? they are meant to teach us a different way of eating and exercising that we keep on doing for the long term. They are training programs, in a sense. So, when you get home, your eating habits will have changed, and you will have successfully implemented exercise in your life. Your weight loss may not be as rapid as it was at the spa, but it will continue.

Others, though, have a different response. The isolated nature of life at the spa leaves them ill prepared for the pressures of the ?real world?, and getting back to a day-to-day routine reinstates old habits. Some people may even react as though they are ?getting out of jail?, and for those personality types, this clearly isn't the best approach to weight loss.