by Getting control of your weight can be a troublesome chore. We all know that thinner is better for us in the short-term and in the long-run, but few of us are able to maintain a steady weight or effectively lose the weight tethering us down. We prefer instant chewing pleasure to future health satiety.
In the USA, we tend to lose weight based on events and not future health. We focus our efforts in fitting into a wedding dress in a month, to looking good for the high school reunion in two weeks, and we can behave just long enough lower our blood pressure a bit or momentarily decrease our BMI so we can pass an health insurance exam.
That sort of event-based weight loss is truly deadly because it is the foundation of “Yo-Yo” dieting where you lose a lot of weight in a brief amount of time and then you gain it all back, and then some, after the event is over. Yo-Yoing sends your body into a state of chaos trying to figure out if you’re starving, or losing weight on purpose and the reflexive response is to favor starvation, and so your body chooses to store up more fat as soon as possible in case you “run out of food again” and go back into starvation mode.
A wise way of losing weight is to make subtle changes. Start by eating smaller portions. Do a little walking. Then do some light exercise. Then do longer and longer walks to build up your stamina. As your weight reduces over time, your body will adjust to your new normal intake of food and exercise and your body will come to understand you are not starving, you are trying to remove fat stores, and your metabolism will rise and your endurance will begin to sustain you more than a caffeinated drink or sugar bomb.
Forget the calendar when you want to lose weight. Just start by concentrating on your goal of eating a bit less and moving your body more in space. Focus your mind on eating right one day at a time. Move around a little more each week. As those days and weeks turn into months, your body will slowly, but favorably, respond and the weight loss will be pleasing, palpable, and long-term. You must vow to keep your new weight your new normal and your diet becomes not what you don’t eat, but what you eat every single day to maintain a healthy body weight.
Great advice, David! Focusing on one day at a time makes it easier to not get overwhelmed by a project like this 🙂
Right! If you want to lose weight, you have to take your time, do it right, and make what you’re doing to get there your new daily practice. If you want weight loss to be permanent, you have to slowly change your permanent patterns of behavior, too.
Been there done that. “Event based dieting” is the death of me. I’ll have to suck it up and just live on oatmeal, I guess.
The right oatmeal can save your day and enliven your life!