Many years ago, authors Colvin and Olson interviewed thousands of people who had successfully lost weight and kept it off.
After attempting dozens of diet plans and programs that never brought lasting results, most of the people they interviewed reached the same conclusion. In describing how they achieved success, they all used some variation of the phrase, “I had to figure out what worked for me, and then I had to do it.”
Permanent weight loss?
As you already know, successful weight maintenance requires a lot of hard work. In spite of the claims in popular books and magazines, there is no such thing as “permanent” weight loss. Lasting success requires a constant, day-to-day effort to live within the boundaries that produce results.
In reality, obesity (or being overweight) is a “condition” just like diabetes. Once you have diabetes, you’re never free of it. It can’t be cured; there’s no getting over it and no end to the treatment requirements.
If someone becomes diabetic, they first have to work at getting the condition under control, then they have to live every day in a way that keeps it managed.
A diabetic can’t go on vacation and say, “I don’t want to think about my diabetes while I’m on this trip so I’ll just leave my insulin at home.” Without daily monitoring, the condition of diabetes can quickly get out of hand, increasing the risk of major health problems or even death.
In the same way, you’ll never reach a point where you can ignore your condition of obesity. Even once you’ve successfully lost weight and reached your goal, you’ll always be vulnerable to gaining weight back.
If you are determined to be a long-term success, you have to manage your weight condition during vacations, job changes, and other life challenges.
Accept the solution
If you are serious about managing your condition, you also have to be willing to accept the solution. That means you have to live every single day in a way that matches your goals.
Think of losing weight as similar to building a savings account. Suppose you decide to save money at the rate of one dollar a day. At the end of each day, you can look at your actions and determine whether you accomplished your goal. If you still have your dollar, you can deposit it into your bank.
If you decide to buy a cup of coffee, you spend your dollar instead of saving it, so the amount in your bank remains the same as the day before.
On a really difficult day, you might buy a second cup of coffee. At the end of that day, you’ll have to pull a dollar back out of your bank, losing some of the progress you’d worked so hard to achieve.
Managing your weight works the same way. If you live each day in a manner that results in weight-loss, you’ll eventually reach your goal. On the other hand, if you overspend a little each day, your weight will eventually move the opposite direction from what you wanted.
Never give up! Never, Never, Never!
You can achieve lasting weight loss! You just have to stay determined to keep working at it. When you fall, get back up. If you have a bad day and eat everything in sight, make the next day a healthier one.
All across the country, people are changing their lives. So can you. Find stories and examples that inspire you, then tell yourself, “Others have done it and so can I!”
Remember: A decision about what to weigh is a decision about how to live.