Effective Weight Loss & the Need for Speed
It’s so easy to become completely overwhelmed with weight loss isn’t it? Between the abundance of diet websites, magazines that routinely feature an array of diets, and books that share weight loss advice, many of us do not even know where to start.
That was some of my problem when I was trying to lose weight. Although I kept trying different programs and plans, I never seemed to settle on one I liked. I wanted an effective program that was super easy and super fast. That proved to be impossible.
For me, the word effective equaled fast results. I honestly never thought that the programs I tried were very effective, but the truth is that most of the programs and techniques I tried would have been effective, but not fast, had I just done them.
One program worked by counting calories and that will definitely work if you actually count the calories. Another worked by counting points, which would have worked had I actually counted the points. Still another program worked by providing me with boxed foods. That would have likely worked if I had not added candy bars and hamburgers from a fast food restaurant to the boxed foods that I had.
I found that I had to realign my thinking into what I should expect from a successful, effective weight loss program.
It wasn’t going to be fast.
It wasn’t going to be super easy.
It certainly wouldn’t be effortless.
I discovered that a weight loss program that was effective was going to require a lot of emotional work on my part to deal with the whys of weighing 300+ pounds, and an effective weight loss program was one that let me eat like a regular person because I had a family to feed. I also discovered that the best weight loss program in the world wasn’t one that included a lot of bells and whistles, or promises of fast results, but rather one that was based on healthy foods, healthy exercise, and lifetime sustainability.
I no longer judge the effectiveness of a weight loss program by its speed. There is no prize in getting to your weight loss goal before your neighbor or friend. There is the prize of improved health by reaching your weight loss goal and staying at a healthy weight for years and years.
What do you look at when evaluating a weight loss program? Had you tried several before settling on the one that worked for you?
Be well!
Diane
Check out my latest posts here
Nov 07, 2012 @ 04:29:00
Diane, you took the words right out of my mouth. I, too, no longer judge the effectiveness of a weight loss program by the speed at which I lose weight. The sole measure of a successful program is staying healthy on the journey and arriving there sound and staying there for years. There is no wisdom in dieting for a bathing suit when you do not crave to wear it when the temperatures drop. There is no satisfaction in massive drops at high speeds – only to damage my my body in nutritional/physiological ways. When the ward losses its luster, the food will come calling and I will gain it back and then some. Today I lose and maintain with my mind focused on one day – today.
Nov 07, 2012 @ 05:49:00
Slow and steady was sure hard to learn. When I committed I wanted it off and fast. I ate too little did too much calorie burning and now a few years later I am amazed that I eventually smartened up and learned a better way. How I didn’t burn myself out in the beginning, is a wonder. Great post today!
Nov 07, 2012 @ 06:20:00
If it is too good to be true than.. well we all know that old saying! PATIENCE is key… ya got to lose it right, learn a new way of living & it takes time. I read over & over that people drop off the weight loss wagon because it happens to slowly…. honestly, we just need to get people to know that things do not happen overnight & there is no magic pill – they keep wanting it but it is not there! Just being honest….. great post Diane!
Nov 07, 2012 @ 07:05:00
Yes. I find myself getting frustrated sometimes when the weight isn’t coming off more quickly, but then I try to remind myself that what I am doing now is something I can maintain for life. The reason I know I can maintain for life is that I don’t really feel like I’m working hard at it. I know I could go to the gym 3+ days per week and see the weight come off more quickly. I’ve been there and done that, but it wasn’t a long term solution. I know I could do a low carb diet (and be miserable about it) and see the weight come off a bit more quickly, but again it was something I couldn’t maintain.
Yes there are bumps in the road like this past weekend when I put a pound back on from overindulging (I almost wrote bad decisions, but indulging, even overindulging, sometimes is part of what makes this plan doable for me), but the weight is slowly coming off (40 pounds in 8 months). Even more importantly, I feel so much better than when I was being too lazy and overeating. I’ve had people tell me that they were impressed with how well I’m doing especially since I’m not following a “plan”. Well, I am following a plan. It is my own plan. It works for me…and I don’t have to pay someone else for it.
Day to day, especially during the week when I have a good routine, I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself or really even dieting. I do go for my two walks a day most days and definitely don’t beat myself up for not going to the gym or for a week that I don’t lose weight. The scale went up a pound since last week, but I know it will go away over the next week or two, so calmly I go on.
I really enjoy reading your blog and appreciate the encouragement you leave on mine. Thank you
Nov 07, 2012 @ 10:05:00
fast weight loss, in my experience, is short-lived weight loss and rapidly regained girth. Slow and persistent is my mantra. Thanks for this post, Diane. It’s spot on!
Nov 07, 2012 @ 11:12:00
Oh, it is soooo hard to stick with a weight loss program that works slowly when you want the weight off quickly. My biggest issue is portion control, and I don’t need an expensive program for that. I need will power, and that is an elusive little bugger. Where did my will power go? Oh, it’s inside the ice cream box! Yes, it’s a journey, and a slow one is the best and most effective one. Your blog is such a great reminder and encourager for all of us.
Nov 07, 2012 @ 14:14:00
Weight loss slows down for many reasons. It’s helpful to know this in advance
I’ve written about building self-control. It is an active process, waiitng for it to happen, ain’t.
Nov 07, 2012 @ 15:37:00
I look for foods that I will enjoy eating that I can implement for the long haul. Low Carb is something I might be able to do for a couple weeks but a year? No way.
Nov 08, 2012 @ 13:30:00
This was exactly the type of message I needed to hear today! It takes many months (or years!) to put on the weight, yet we want it to melt off in a fraction of that time. Other commenters are right– slow and steady wins the race! These are the times when looking at other factors (how you feel, how clothes fit, the activity you can do, etc..) rather than the number on the scale to gauge how we are doing!
http://thejourneytohalf.blogspot.com/
Nov 14, 2012 @ 04:34:00
So glad Lindsay! Those non-scale victories really do help us stay focused when the scale doesn’t seem to be moving as quickly as we like.
Nov 09, 2012 @ 06:23:00
Diane, You know my story and it is one of a slow loss. One thing I’m most grateful for is, while my losing weight has been very slow, it has been a journey that has allowed me to deal with so many emotions I never knew I was hiding. I’ve change the way I think about food and now my worst “overeating” days are pretty much what an average eating day was like in my heavy life.
I’m not at goal yet, after 3.5 years, but the weight stays down and I know I’ll get there eventually.
Nov 14, 2012 @ 04:33:00
I love your story Leah and you are amazing. You are such a great example of the fact that speed is not the issue, but rather success is the issue!