Once fat, always fat?
Less than 1% of the formerly obese will maintain weight loss for more than a year, according to a study conducted in the UK in 2015. Specifically this broke down to just 1 man out of 210 and 1 woman out of 124.
Does this mean that once fat we are all doomed to stay fat?
Participants in the study were told to eat less and move more, a method that failed to deliver long-term results. Clearly this sound bite advice wasn’t enough.
Now I could launch into a debate over whether or not this study practiced sound research and whether or not the participants really did eat less and exercise more, but instead I’d rather share with you what I know to be true about lasting weight loss.
Make no mistake about it, long-term fat loss results are very possible and are enjoyed by the majority of my clients – in stark contrast to the UK study results!
Since there’s more to it than simply eating less and moving more, how does one go about losing fat and then keeping it off for the long haul? Here are 5 Steps to Lose it For Good…
Step #1 to Lose it For Good – The Right Mindset
There are only two mindsets to choose from when you approach your quest for weight loss:
1. This is a temporary change in my behavior.
2. This is a new way of life.
There’s no middle ground, you either see it as temporary change or you see it as permanent change. It’s pretty obvious which mindset produces permanent results.
Step #2 to Lose it For Good – New Habits
Understanding how to put new habits in place is the second step to losing the weight and keeping it lost.
As we just saw in step one, looking at your weight loss behavior as a new lifestyle is the only way to ensure permanent results and this means adopting healthy new habits.
Habits are best taken on in gradual steps. This has been proven to be the most effective way to make the new habits stick. Approach building new habits with baby steps instead of grand leaps.
If one of your current, fattening, habits is that you drink sugary soda then first switch to drinking diet soda. Once the habit of drinking diet soda has completely replaced your sugary soda habit then you can start replacing some of the diet soda with water. You didn’t jump straight from drinking flavorful, fizzy soda to just drinking water, that’s too extreme and will make success unlikely.
Step #3 to Lose it For Good – Your Environment
In order to permanently change your body you must permanently change your environment. It makes sense that you won’t maintain a lean body in the same environment where you gained the weight.
The term “environment” sounds vague, so let’s break it down. Your environment is the world that you create around yourself. These are the foods that you see, smell and have easy access to. This is the ease or difficulty you have in consistently accessing exercise. This is the lifestyle of the people closest to you that casts an influence on your own lifestyle whether you realize it or not.
I’ll bet you could draw out the ideal environment for permanent weight loss. You know the path. Now put in the effort to walk the path.
Step #4 to Lose it For Good – Good Nutrition
The problem with the advice of eat less and move more is that it doesn’t make a distinction between calories. When total calorie count is your only goal you’ll end up consuming lower quality calories than you should, which leads to mindless eating and malnutrition.
Educate yourself on healthy calories versus nutritionally void calories. A great rule of thumb is that calories that are created in nature are always superior to calories created in a factory. Stick with real food over anything from a package.
Step #5 to Lose it For Good – Your Support System
If you just did the first 4 steps then you’d be well on your way to successfully transforming your body from fat to fit, and keeping it that way for the long haul. However, in order to fully ensure that you make the switch from where you are to where you want to be it’s important to put a support system in place.
Nothing is more powerful than social accountability. Instinctively you don’t want to let people down, and so you’ll work harder and more consistently in a support group than you would when working on your own. It’s hard to sleep in when you know someone is at the gym waiting for you!
This fifth and most important step is where I come into your life. My entire mission is to not only provide you with the action steps to getting into the best shape of your life, I also am here to provide you with the support that you need to make it happen.
Call or email me now to get started on a program that will get you fit for life. You can do this!
