You might have heard about the ominous statistic! Two thirds of people who lose weight gain even more back within four or five years. 1
Wow! That can be very discouraging even to the most determined individual.
What’s the answer then? What is the secret to not only losing weight but keeping it off?
First the good news is that you do not have to be one of the statistics. You can be in the minority—part of that group who successfully masters their weight for life!
And it’s all about how you view your journey.
You see, what makes the difference is whether you are trying to change your lifestyle or whether you are just on a diet.
The two, can be worlds apart.
Understanding the difference between diet and lifestyle can be the first step in the right direction.
By its very nature, a diet is only temporary. Usually, people view diets as short term with a conceivable end in sight. We view a diet as a focused effort to make some type of body composition change. It could be putting muscle mass on or it could be dropping body fat.
I know a lot of people look at the whole nature of a ‘diet’ is to persevere to the end—to hold out just a little longer until it is finally over and then they can get back to the normal unhealthy nutritional habits that are not working.
If you follow some basic rules during the dieting process you can obtain your desired result! But, you also should make habit modifications and maybe some lifestyle changes to keep the desired result.
A few basic rules when we talk dieting is:
Do not restrict your caloric intake to an extreme
Increase your water intake to ½ your bodyweight in ounces
Keep your protein intake up, women around 100 grams and men around 200 grams and this may vary depending on bodyweight
Minimize simple carbs and replace them with fibrous carbs
Minimize or eliminate your alcohol consumption
Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night
Remember our goal at Transformation Fitness and Wellness is to focus on fat loss and not just weight loss. If you just focus on weight loss then you are setting yourself up for the yo-yo effect.
When a client is dialing in their nutrition for specific results we always use resistance training and cardiovascular activity to help with the processes.
One thing we often see is a client is focused for 3 days, 4 days, or even a week and then “BAM”, they destroy most of the progress with a bad weekend filled with unhealthy food choices, alcohol, and lack of quality sleep.
This one little hiccup will set that client back 3 days, 4 days, and even a week.
If you want to see continued progress you need to focus on more of a short-term time frame like 30 or 60 days. This time frame will help you get closer to your desired goals without taking two steps forward and then 5 steps back.
Another point we like to make is a person on a ‘diet’ may view a food temptation like this: “That looks so delicious. I can’t have it now because I am on a diet. But after a few more weeks, I will be able to finally eat that again! I just have to be strong for a little longer.”
This type of mindset will not allow you to maintain your desired result and that is where the habit modification and lifestyle adaptation will come into to play.
This is simply one example of a dieters mentality vs a true lifestyle change.
You see a lifestyle modification is permanent.
When you are working on your fat loss journey you will need to start making some permeant changes to keep your desired results. When you change your lifestyle, you adopt healthier habits that will continue to provide you with the tools to keep that weight off. A lifestyle change, as its name suggests, is for life. You are not constantly thinking of escaping, as though you are serving a prison sentence. Rather, you are in it for the long haul.
The result is that you begin truly adapting your life and behaviors to match your new lifestyle. Instead of toughing it out and pining away over taboo treats, you find healthier alternatives. You create ways to enjoy your food and figure out how to adjust every area of your life to your new habits. Rather than being unpleasant, your day to day life becomes agreeable and comfortable.
A person who is changing their lifestyle views a tempting food like this: “That looks so delicious! But if I ate it, it would throw me off track from the life that I am creating. It would taste good, but it would make me feel horrible. That food is no longer an option for me. I am going to find something to eat that moves me closer to my goals.”
When you achieve this mindset shift, you will not only lose weight, but you will keep it off, because this kind of weight loss is sustainable over the long term.
What about you?
Think about how you view your personal weight loss efforts. Are you trying to tough it out so that you can finally get back to your normal patterns of eating? Or are you designing a lifestyle that makes keeping weight off not only possible, but also probable?
If you need help with your plan of getting the fat off and implementing a lifestyle change just email me back and we will set up a free consultation.
[us_cta title=”Need help with your nutrition?” message=”Call Us (317) 927-9689 or Fill Out Quick Consultation Form” button_target=”” color=”primary” btn_label=”Click Here” btn_color=”light” btn_style=”raised” btn_link=”url:%2Fconsultation”]
Leave a Reply