How Diet and Exercise Backfire on You

According to a little known branch of science known as physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

These days, many classic fitness techniques are under fire because of this simple law that we discovered some time ago.

Some experts say that exercise may not work because it can make you hungrier and more tired thus sabotaging your weight loss efforts. At the same time, your body adjusts to lessen the stress of the exercise so that each session is less effective.

By the same token, cutting back and dieting can make you hungry and tired thus causing you to move less to make up for a calorie deficiency and to overeat when you do chow down. Plus you are more likely to indulge in some of the forbidden foods you were trying to keep away from. After all, when is it easier to stay away from gorging on chocolate cake, just after a heavy lunch or when you come home from work feeling famished?

No matter how we look at it, nearly any step we take toward improving our bodies and losing weight will have a "bounce back effect". The body responds with more hunger, more desire to undue, more fatigue and less motivation so if we are not careful our efforts will be all for naught.

I know some folks like to "tough it out" and think that discipline and self control will carry them through but as I always say, excess stress and fatigue weakens even the deepest resolve sooner or later. Anyone can feel strong when they are fresh and push away another helping when they are full but what about when you're very tired and feeling the urge to attack a Little Debbie truck?

This is why I'm always such a big fan of a slow progressive approach to change. Going from doing nothing and eating lots of junk to running 10 miles a day and eating nothing but salad is sure to create the desires and hunger to cause you to bounce back like a rubber ball. The more extreme the effort you use to change, the more you will tend to rebound.

So take it slow. Make the changes as smoothly as possible so the urge to rebound is not nearly as strong.

Of course you need to be aware of the tendency to rebound. Know that a three hour workout at the gym might make you tired and not want to move for a few hours (or a few days) and try not to let that happen. Know that cutting back drastically on your diet will make you want to attack a Chinese Buffet like an animal in a few weeks.

With a smoother progressive approach, you can ward off the tendency to bounce back and fight off the slight hunger much easier than a ranging hunger from a drastic change.

Be fit and live free,

Matt Schifferle
Keeping fitness simple, easy to understand and above all, crazy effective: http://www.thefitrebel.com