The REAL Secret of Successful Weight Loss

Oho, I’ll bet that title got your attention! The “REAL Secret” of Weight Loss. Yes -- I have the secret (right here in my back pocket, in fact), and I am going to impart it to you!

Are you ready?

Here it is: Don’t do anything to lose weight that you are not absolutely willing to do -- and more important, able to do -- the rest of your life.

That’s it.

Yeah, I know . . . It’s not really sexy, is it? And truthfully, it’s not the only “real secret” to successful weight loss. There are many such “secrets,” big and small. But I’ve come to think of this one as being particularly important, especially where long-term weight loss is concerned.

You’ve read it elsewhere, and you've read it here, and it is true: “diets” do not work. A “diet” is a transitory, (sometimes) grossly unbalanced, (usually) punitive, (oftentimes) unpalatable food plan designed to help you drop pounds in near-record time (or so the diet’s promoter would have you think). It’s hard to stay on, and it’s usually abandoned with great relief, once goal is reached -- if not well before.

Furthermore, a “diet” does little or nothing in the way of teaching you how to keep the weight off. Unfortunately, weight loss is not successful unless the weight stays off. A temporary, unnatural food plan is not going to teach you how to eat the right way -- it’s not designed to. And unless you have a workable plan for staying at goal, once you get there, sooner or later (usually sooner) your weight will start taking off toward the stratosphere again.

It’s my observation that those folks who enjoy the most success with weight loss are the ones who do not go to extremes. They don’t cut out specific foods, nor entire classes of foods. They don’t exercise 3 hours a day. They don’t try to exist only on “rabbit food,” gazing with anguished longing at anyone enjoying a bagel, a donut, a dish of ice cream, a “normal” lunch.

Instead, they make small changes that they feel they can live with forever. They may hate low-fat cheese, so they don’t eat it. They eat regular cheese, just not as much. They enjoy real pizza on a regular basis, if that’s something they feel they can’t live without. They have a drink or two when they go out with the crowd, if that’s important to them. They set up an exercise plan that is reasonable, one that provides enjoyment and variety, and can be kept up without incurring overuse injuries.

They may not lose weight as quickly as someone following a more extreme approach, but y’know what? They eventually get to where they want to be, and they tend to stay there.

In the end, it comes down to this: any food approach that is not liveable will be abandoned, sooner or later. If you want to lose weight for good, set up a plan that is tailored to you like the finest suit: one that you feel you actually can keep up forever. Do not deprive yourself of the things you really love: that is not possible to do for an entire lifetime. Aim, instead, to enjoy those things in moderation.

Hey, it worked for me. It might work for you, too. Give it a try.

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Comments

[Helen]

Hello

Thank you for the blog - I really enjoy your writing.

I thought you may be interested in some work by an Australian molecular scientist, Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis. Here's her web site: www.dramandaonline.com

Cheers, Helen
Melbourne, Australia

[Kathy]

I have read and reread this post and agree so much. I have quoted you on WW on-line board and am referring to it again in my blog today. Thanks so much.

[Ann]

This is one of the best and truest posts about weight loss I have ever read. For the past couple years I have done this - deliberately stuck to a slower plan that I thought I could do the rest of my life, rather than my usual crash diet/exercise fixes. I am so excited about the results - and they feel REAL - before I was always scared I would regain, and I always did. This time (fingers and toes crossed) I think I can stick this weight.
Thank you for posting!

[Robert Leutwiler]

Diet and exercise go together but on the news and in general on TV, they talk as if one diet and one exercise program is the best for everyone. Nonsense! I am a real exception since I train very hard to run track races and am in danger of losing too much weight.

I need the opposite of what most people need. Then what about fad diets? Obviously anyone can lose weight if they eat no proteins for weeks but what are they doing to their health?

As you say so well you have to live with your diet and fitness program. Fitness training should be fun and safe in the long run or it could do more harm than good as I have witnessed so many times.

In conclusion, have fun and use common sense.