Weight loss and weight gain are associated with a host of physical problems. There can be weight loss as a result of medical conditions, disease or injury. It can also just be an indicator of an underlying serious disorder, but sudden, noticeable weight loss sometimes can occur suddenly after a traumatic event. It is natural to shed a certain amount of weight immediately after the shock of losing a job, divorce, redundancy, or bereavement. You may want to buy a new outfit or go on an expensive diet to regain your previous figure. This temporary weight loss is the bodyҳ way of coping with the immediate changes. But once you have reached your weight loss plateau or target weight, things start to get out of whack. The body is not used to this sudden change in weight and is confused. In fact, your metabolism slows down slightly and some of the diet products you have taken may have a calming effect, but you are now experiencing signs of dehydration, hunger pangs and headaches. Your body starts to hold on to some of the lost calories until it is ready to burn them off again. It may sound counterintuitive, but what is really happening is that your body is returning to a state from which it adapted, a state that was once optimal for your lifestyle. The normal weight loss plateau is considered a moderately difficult situation wherein a person is most likely to regain their previous body weight and activity level after two to three months. It is extremely challenging to maintain this state indefinitely because your body weight fluctuates so rapidly. It becomes extremely difficult to maintain a set-point range for you. Sooner or later, you reach a point at which you need to decrease your caloric intake to burn-off extra fat. The process of maintaining a healthy set point range becomes easier as you advance from one level to another in the journey of weight loss. What if you encounter sudden unexpected weight loss, such as a massive drop-off in your consumption? If you had not planned to lose weight, then the sudden drop-off can be disconcerting and disorienting. It is very easy to go back to your old habits, especially if you had adopted healthy habits prior to the sudden shock. It is hard to break bad habits when you are trying to lose weight, but it is one of the most effective methods for long-term weight loss. It is important to break habits, even when you want to lose weight, so that your body can learn new and more effective ways of burning-off calories. Diet is also a key element for long-term successful weight loss. It is extremely challenging to have a diet that is sustainable over a long period of time. You need to make permanent changes in your diet and lifestyle that lead to sustainable weight loss. Many diets fail for one reason: people adopt the wrong type of diet. They either eat the wrong foods, which makes them gain weight, or they try to follow an unrealistic diet, which only leads to frustration and failure. In order to make long-term changes in your body weight, exercise must be incorporated into your daily routine. This means that you will need to commit to a daily exercise plan. There are many types of exercise that are effective for weight loss. The choice is up to you. Some types of exercise include aerobic exercises, strength training, and stretching, and even some types of sports like skiing, tennis, squash, basketball, football, and bicycling. Another factor for long-term weight loss success is the way you approach portion control. Most people are either too soft or too hard about the way they cut their calories. When they try to lose weight, they find themselves eating a little more than they think they should because they have been tricked into believing that they can eat as much as they want, when actually the truth is that they canҴ. This is the point at which you must learn to eat smart. When it comes to eating smart, there are many books and websites that provide great advice on what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. You should not have to spend hours looking through nutrition literature to find information on how to set-point your diet. All you need is access to a personal trainer who can teach you how to set-point your meal plans so that you always stay within your healthy habits. Eating smart is important for long-term weight loss success. If you make the effort to change your eating habits and live by the set-point theory, then you will find the results you desire and be able to reach your goals for permanent weight loss.