Losing weight is not really that hard, come to think of it. Starve yourself a couple of days, stop drinking sodas for a month, stay away from rich and starchy food, or simply drink only lemonade and you will surely find yourself a few pounds lighter. The question here is whether you can keep the weight off. Many people actually struggle more in maintaining their new weight level than in starting to shed off the weight. Of the millions of individuals who try to lose weight, only about 5% to 10% are able to maintain a slimmer weight for a long period.

Yo-yo dieting can be very bad for your health. The perpetual weight loss and weight gain trend can negatively affect your heart, metabolism and other internal organs. If you really want to look and feel healthy, it would be wise to stick to a diet plan that is sensible, which does not asks you to starve yourself to death. Furthermore, you should also have a plan on how you will approach the maintenance of your new weight level.

Furthermore, when it comes to weight, prevention is still better than treatment. If you want to be healthy, you should try to prevent getting bigger and heavier in the first place because the human body, according to researchers, is actually designed to prevent weight loss. Every time you lose weight, your body will think that there is famine and drought so it will do everything in its power to resist weight loss - thinking that it is a way to protect you. Thus, your body will try to regain all the weight you have lost and then some.

Here are some of the reasons why you can regain the weight you lost:

Tricky Hormones

There are actually two hormones that are affected when you shed a significant amount of pounds. First, the leptin, which is responsible for controlling appetite, drops when you start to cut down your calories. As a result, you will have this sudden urge to eat more and no matter how much food you have already devoured, you still find yourself hungry.

Ghrelin is another hormone that goes awry during your weight loss process. The level of this hormone, responsible for food intake stimulation, usually declines after you have eaten. However, in people who are in a diet, the level of ghrelin hormone spikes up, which means that you can unknowingly eat more.

Stubborn Nervous System

If you think that fat in your body just stays put and does not affect your nervous system, then you need to think again. It seems that your intestines and the fat stored in your belly are sending signals to your central nervous system in order to resist weight loss or find ways to regain the pounds that have been shed. Thus, when you eat lesser calories than your body uses up, your body will prefer to use glucose instead of using stored fat as energy. This is why when you are trying to lose weight, there is a big craving for sweet foods.

So what do you need to do to maintain the weight you have lost?

First, you need to eat sensibly. There will surely be times when you feel so hungry during the process of losing weight. Since you cannot deny your body the food it needs, it would be advisable to eat low fat and low sugar food. Moreover, eat more veggies and fruits because they contain a lot of fiber, which is important to help minimize hunger pangs.

Second, you need to move more. A lot of people who have maintained their leaner weight try to exercise more. If you cannot beat your cravings, what you have to do is increase your physical activities. Scientists believe that weight training and physical activities could help normalize your metabolism and hormones.

Lastly, seek some help. There are many supplements that contain appetite suppressant and metabolic boosters. Just make sure that the one you choose is safe and all natural. One product you may want to try is Phenocal. Visit if you want to learn more about this weight loss supplement.