Weight loss plans come in all shapes
and sizes. Some are fad diets that are
too restrictive to follow more than a
couple of weeks, while others are provided
by professionals that make customized
plans for us. All of them give us some
guidelines on what we should and shouldn't
eat to ultimately reach our weight loss
goals. No matter how many food plans we
try, healthy or unhealthy, there are some
fundamental things you must know in order
to be successful in a weight loss program
that, believe it or not, have nothing
to do with food.
1. Readiness- Are you ready to make change
in your life right now? How would you
know? The reason many weight loss plans
fail is because people are not truly emotionally
ready for change. In order to have true
lifelong weight loss you have to commit
to trading your old habits in for a new,
healthier lifestyle. This has more to
do with readiness for change than a desire
to shed pounds- there is a big difference.
The good news is, as you start on the
journey to change these old habits you
will be amazed how much better you feel
physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
This is the place where the people who
have experienced long term weight loss
have entered and want to stay. When you
are truly committed to changing your lifestyle
you will achieve lifelong weight loss
and so much more!
Ask yourself a few questions. Are you
ready to make permanent dietary changes
for you and your family? Are you ready
to start exercising regularly? Are you
ready to defend your new lifestyle changes
to those who are undermining your efforts?
Don't fret if you aren't completely ready
to dive into change. This is the stage
to keep up the learning process by reading
articles and gathering information. You
will know when the time is right and that
will be when you answer an unequivocal
"Yes!" to the above questions.
2. Developing a vision. When I ask people
what their goals are for a weight loss
program the answer is always, "to lose
weight of course", or "to lose x amount
of pounds". It is crucial to have another
more, heart-felt reason to lose weight
other than losing pounds and appearance.
This is because when times are tough,
and they will be during any change process,
you will need a heart-felt or internal
reason to lose the weight to keep you
motivated. Losing weight for appearance
is ok but it is an external reason and
will not help to keep you motivated for
long.
In the past my clients have chosen things
like, being able to play with their kids,
running a marathon, backpacking trip they
have longed to go on for years, and a
big motivator is often a health condition.
I call this your vision. It is imperative
to take a few minutes to learn what your
vision is. What is important to you that
you will be able to achieve with weight
loss? Write this vision down and plaster
it everywhere so you always see your end
goal and it will always help to motivate
you further when times are tough.
3. Self Talk - is yours negative or positive?
Unfortunately it's true that we are our
own worst critics and like hearing any
critic it often leads us to failure because
we believe the critic is right. Furthermore,
we start to believe things are true that
are absolutely not true. For instance,
if a child is told they are a klutz from
an early age they will likely always think
they are a klutz. We believe what we are
told repeatedly.
What do you tell yourself? One common
statement I hear a lot of these days is,
"I can't eat carbohydrates because once
I start I can't stop". This is a belief
that you have set up from constant defeating
self-talk and once you believe it then
no doubt you will act it out. However,
there is no scientific reason why a person
would not be able to stop eating after
having a bite of carbohydrates. Your belief
makes it your reality. So whenever you
hear yourself say I can't do something
or any other self-defeating talk. Stop
yourself and change the sentence to a
positive. For example, I realize that
carbs have been a challenge for me in
the past but I can eat a portion and put
the rest away for later. Keep working
on your own positive reinforcement by
being gentler with yourself and tell yourself
all that you CAN do.
4. Be prepared for change. All weight
loss programs require us to change a habit
yet no one warns us about the process
of change. The first thing to know is
that the beginning of change is difficult
and uncomfortable. This is because it
forces us to get off autopilot and focus
on our new behaviors. Luckily it takes
about 21 days to make a new habit and
the uncomfortable part goes away and our
new habits become autopilot.
For example: Imagine you get your dream
job and it requires that you have to get
up at 5:30am. Yikes! You normally get
up at about 7:30 am. So, what do you think
will happen that first morning when the
alarm goes off at 5:30? You aren't going
to feel so great and your body is going
to beg you to get back into your warm
bed! This will go on for about 2-3 weeks
until your body stops fighting you and
realizes this is the new habit. The same
thing will happen to you when you change
eating and exercise habits. Just expect
a little resistance and keep going! Your
new healthy changes will eventually become
your new habit. You just have to keep
at it.
© Meri Raffetto, 2005
About the Author
Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian
and a recognized professional in the area
of nutrition and wellness. Get her free
monthly newsletter to receive nutrition
tips, healthy recipes, and more! Sign
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