Sustained weight loss
Every person is different and has unique issues preventing weight loss. Until you address your specific issues, you can expect to constantly struggle with keeping weight off. A life of freedom awaits the person who has eliminated their specific issues.
Imagine that you are a business owner and have hired a consultant to fix an issue with your business. On day 1 he shows up and immediately starts making recommendations without ever asking you a single question about your company. You ask him why he feels this will work since he has yet to learn about your business. He replies, “This is the fix I recommend to all businesses.”
It’s the same with diets as they assume that everyone has the same problem and can be helped with the same solution. The reality though is that we are all different and therefore have different reasons for our excess weight. Recommending what to eat or what to avoid is generally nothing more than a band-aid. However once we can identify your habits, behaviors, and triggers which cause your excess weight, that solves everything. Let’s talk through some examples.
The daily soda
Judy is a forty year old female whose weight has crept up from 125 to 160 pounds over the past ten years. By mid-afternoon each day, she has relied on a regular 20 ounce soda as a pick me up to get her through her workday. Could this be contributing to Judy’s gradual weight gain? If you consider that a daily 20 ounce soda could lead to an extra 24 pounds in one year, then the answer for Judy is yes. By replacing the high calorie soda with water, diet soda, a tea or coffee over time, Judy should be right back on a track towards her goal weight of 125 pounds.
The frequent fast food stop
Harry is 220 pounds. Though he feels that he leads a rather active lifestyle, his Doctor has suggested that he try to lose 35 pounds to improve his health. He works a few different jobs and finds himself time-crunched which makes preparing healthy meals at home difficult. Due to this, he eats fast food dinners several nights each week. The average fast food dinner he eats is 1050 calories. If Harry could swap each of his 1050 calorie fast food dinners for a 400 calorie one (a 6 inch sub sandwich with chips), he could be on his way towards his goal weight of 185 pounds.
The late night binge
Sally is a nurse who works 12-hour shifts and picks up additional hours whenever possible. Due to her busy schedule, she often finds that she has missed meals during her work day. Consequently, by the time her shift ends, her hunger is so great that she finds it difficult to feel satisfied after her evening meal, leading to a late night binge session. Between her evening meal and snacking, she averages an extra 1000 calories a night beyond her needs. If Sally could find a way to squeeze in a few small meals into her work day, she may not feel so hungry going into the night. This would break the habit of her late night binge and place her back on a path towards her goal weight.
The answer to sustainable weight loss
Hopefully these examples have changed your perspective on the proper approach to weight loss. While you are neither Judy, Harry, or Sally, you have specific reasons for your struggles with weight. To truly sustain weight loss and live life at your best, let us help you to identify and eliminate YOUR reasons preventing sustained weight loss.