The One Thing All Weight Loss Success Stories Share
As a medical weight loss professional, I’ve seen and helped thousands of patients reach their weight loss goals. While some of them have experienced amazing levels of success right away, others would return to my office after prolonged periods of ‘diet backsliding’ completely frustrated. Trust me, it was frustrating for me as well. I hated to see months worth of effort taking a backseat to the return of bad eating habits.
I started to take notice of the patients who experienced a high level of weight loss success. Not surprising, there is a common denominator.
What Do All Weight Loss Success Stories Have in Common?
Clients who lose weight and keep it off have found their “why.” They have a deeper reason that goes beyond the rules or the “how to lose weight.” Numerous studies have been conducted on the rules of weight loss success. In fact, The National Weight Control Registry has identified key habits of successful weight loss. These rules include:
- An average of three hours per week of medium intensity exercise
- Less than 10 hours per week of television viewing
- Resisting the urge to splurge on holidays, weekends and other special occasions. Keeping a consistent diet is one of the keys to success.
- 78% Eat breakfast. Skipping breakfast and other meals can put your body into starvation mode where it actually starts storing fat in anticipation of missed meals.
Unfortunately, rules without reasons will negate the best of efforts. Unless you find your deeper “why,” moments of weakness can quickly end up to days and even weeks of backsliding.
Weight Loss Solutions Start With Finding Your Why
So, how do you find your why? What’s the secret power that weight loss success stories share? It’s easier than you may think, but it’s highly personal. Everyone has their own reason. Here are some considerations:
- Health – Anything, including bad eating habits, will gain a foothold in our lives if left unchecked. Decades of poor choices can result in a compromised state of health, a long list of symptoms and even diseases associated with the weight gain. Fibromyalgia and type 2 diabetes are just two conditions directly connected to obesity. Your health can definitely be part of your reason why. Instead of just thinking about feeling better, think about the things you will enjoy once you’ve lost the weight. Do you want to spend all day at a theme park with your grandchildren? Do you want to run a marathon? There aren’t any goals that are too far-fetched.
- Time – How much time and money do you waste on doctors, medications, and other temporary solutions? The real answer lies in the habits that have become a lifestyle. Think about the quality of life you now live, compared to what you will enjoy when you are 20 or 40 pounds lighter. It is like a whole different world. This can be your why!
- Relationships – Let’s face it, many of your relationships will improve with a changed lifestyle. Have you thought about what your love life will look like once you’ve reached and are able to maintain your goal weight and a healthy lifestyle?
These are just a few of the topics which may help you to find your “why.” I always encourage my patients to write down their goals and keep them somewhere they can go over them often. A journal documenting your progress, feelings, triumphs and reached goals is an ideal way to keep the vision of weight loss success fresh in your mind.
As you follow your health plan, you may be tempted to break out the calorie counter, the weight loss calculator, and follow a list of best foods for weight loss. While these are useful and certainly have their place, the best and most sure plan of action for weight loss success is your decision, and that begins with finding your “why.”