As we all know, the majority of Americans are overweight - approximately two-thirds of adults and over 15% of both children and teens are so labeled. It seems so easy to put it on and oh, so hard to take off. Remember the very first diet you ever tried? The weight came right off, and then before you knew it, it was right back on again. The next diet you went on may have been a little more difficult. Oh, those dratted fat cells! What makes them so hard to get rid of anyway? HowStuffWorks.com explains that "Fat cells are formed in the developing fetus during the third trimester of pregnancy, and later at the onset of puberty." Following puberty, the number of fat cells usually remains the same (they just get bigger) unless as HowStuffWorks.com points out, the adult gains a significant amount of weight or has liposuction. Wait a minute! Just hold on there! Don't people get liposuction in order to remove fat cells? So now you tell me they can come back? The culprit is a hormone called Leptin. When fat is removed, Leptin levels drop, causing an auto-correction mechanism in your body to increase your appetite (and of course, eating) in order to restore normal Leptin levels. As eating increases, new fat cells are created to make up for the ones that disappeared. "Whew," the body says, "now we are back to normal!" Doesn't the body realize we are only trying to improve things? Apparently not!

From the Tooele County website, there is more discouraging news. Unlike red and white blood cells, that after they are no longer needed, simply dissolve and leave the body via the skin, urine or bowel, fat cells never go away unless the Liposuction option is exercised and that's beginning to sound like not such a good option! Not only do fat cells not go away, but they can divide and grow, repeating this process infinitum!

So, there you have it! The most you can hope for in a diet is to shrink the nasty little devils and try to prevent them from taking over your body again. Most diets will work, at least in the beginning, but winning the battle of the bulge is going to take more than just a good beginning. The reason most diets fail is due to the poor nutrition, i.e., starvation that the body is subjected to and the leaching of muscle mass to feed the body. Eventually, things get so out of balance that the body once again tries to preserve its fat storage just in case it is subjected to starvation again and increases the appetite in order to restore normal functioning.

Woe is me, you must be thinking! Not only am I stuck with these fat cells forever, but they can divide endlessly! Additionally, my body is fighting me every step of the way. Wait! There may actually be a solution! A major discovery revolving around the amino acid, Leucine that has surfaced lately indicates that sufficient amounts of this amino acid positively affect muscle retention. It is no surprise then, that Leucine-rich diets especially when accompanied by exercise can produce impressive results. There are numerous articles and endless scientific journal data supporting these findings. Just Google "leucine muscle" to do your own research. Keeping muscle is obviously a good thing, but how do you loose weight, or more specifically inches, since muscle weighs lots more than fat, without activating the body's survival responses? The answer is to select a high-quality Leucine diet plan that provides balanced nutrition, energy and satisfies hunger without sacrificing your body's basic needs. I personally have tried a great Leucine diet that I hardily recommend. It may be found at . It is very reasonably priced, comes with everything you need to start immediately, and is the easiest diet to follow and live with I have ever experienced! People on this diet report not only inch and weight loss as a result, but also improved health and increased energy. With most diets, the most you can hope for is to lose a few pounds and just live through it. What I am suggesting is not just a diet, but a whole new "weigh" of life, so don't do it if you are not sincerely committed to making a change for the better. Want to do something really good for yourself? Check it out! The product is 100% guaranteed, but the price is subject to change, so do it right away. You have nothing to lose, but the fat!

Nancy Chappell writes about everyday health issues, real life, and natural solutions.

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