In our bodies, fat is the primary form in which we store excess long-term energy. It is not readily available as an energy source like carbohydrates, and is meant to be used to sustain us in times of starvation, whether it is self-imposed or otherwise.

This is one of the main reasons why it is so difficult to lose body fat, especially when your drastically lower your daily calorie intake.

As soon as your body senses a sharp drop in your daily calorie intake, instead of burning unwanted body fat, as most people would like, it triggers the starvation response and starts to conserve its energy.

Converting your muscle to glucose and burning it as an energy source, is one of the ways your organism lowers its calorie burning ability, getting ready for starvation.

Your body can’t tell the difference between low calorie dieting and the beginning of starvation. As soon as your daily calorie intake drops below a certain point, your body will adjust to this new calorie intake by burning your muscle.

The other reason why it is difficult to lose unwanted body fat, is that our organism views body fat as a source of protection, and because of this, it is reluctant to give it up easily.

Throughout our bodies, fat is a component of cell membranes, it serves as a precursor to a variety of hormone-like substances, acts as an insulator against heat loss, and protects vital organs such as the kidneys and heart.

So if your goal is permanent fat loss, you must move toward this objective very slowly. The ultimate long term fat loss strategy is losing one to two pounds of body fat per week.

If you attempt to lose much more, your body will resist and fight you the whole time. In the end your body will always win by triggering its defense mechanisms and forcing you to eat what it needs to function properly!