Dieting Problems

QUESTION: I am forever dieting, between small losses and big gains. Each
morning I weigh myself, but the scale never reflects the effort I felt I put
in the day before, even going up after a day when I practically fasted. Why
can't I be like the girl in the ad in the paper and on TV?
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ANSWER: The weight never seems to drop as fast as we would like it to; and
even the reminder that the weight, which represents years of over eating,
can't be lost overnight doesn't help much. No matter what the fad diets
offer, the simple fact is that the body must burn between 3000 and 3500
calories more than it receives through eating for you to lose a pound. Your
daily caloric need, the amount you burn by daily activities, will vary as it
reflects your weight, age and the amount of physical activity you perform.
Sorry, mental work doesn't count, or there would be a great many skinny folks
around. The morning scale weigh, in addition to the benefit of helping you
track your progress, does have a negative side as well. Frequently you may be
discouraged as you see a weight gain, when the previous day was one of great
self control and food restriction. This may be a reflection of the amount of
salt you ingested, for the salt provokes water retention, and leads to the
message from your scale. Many home electronic scales can only show weight in
pounds, and can not reflect a loss of less than a whole pound from the
previous day's weigh in, though you may have made important progress. As for
the gal in the ad, why do you suppose she is there? Few people achieve those
extreme results, and you will realize your goals if you persist and are
patient.