Healthy Weight Loss Tips

When I begin working with someone who is significantly overweight, I hear a lot of negative self talk: “I don’t think I can ever lose this weight. I hate the way I look. I feel so big.” And so on.

How they think about themselves eventually comes out of their mouths and shows what is in their minds. How they think about themselves and their weight will direct their course when it comes to weight loss.

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My son rode a full-size, adult bike for the first time this week. At first he couldn’t get on because the seat was higher than him. He had to straddle the bike then stand on the pedals and push off to get up. He wobbled around, but eventually got moving and steadied. Anytime he slowed down, though, he fell off because he lost momentum and balance.

I see the same thing happening with my clients. They come to me because they want to lose weight and start exercising. They haven’t been eating right and exercising so it’s really tough to get started – kind of like getting on a bike that’s too big for you!

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If you want to lose weight, you need to stay positive and truthful with yourself. A lot of this comes down to how you think about dieting and exercising.

Make sure you’re not falling into these pitfalls – or thought traps:

I’ll do better tomorrow. So many times people think they need to wait until a big deadline at work is over, or for a less stressful day to start eating right. The problem is that life always throws us curveballs. There never will be a “good day” to start dieting. You have to make each day a good food day despite your circumstances.

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Few people can lose weight alone. Even if they know what they should do, it’s hard to do it without someone alongside cheering them on.

If you’re feeling discouraged and frustrated with your weight loss progress (or lack of), try building a weight loss support system. This support could be the key ingredient to your success.

Here are 5 ways to get your weight loss support system in place: [More]

It’s really tough to see others excel in an area that you’ve been doggedly trying to get ahead in. Trying, but not succeeding.

In one of my groups, one lady has lost nearly 200 pounds. Another lady in the group has been trying to lose weight, but has suffered many setbacks. She felt very discouraged tonight after working out with her friend – happy for her friend, but down about her own lack of progress.

I can understand. I’ve only been allowed to do light exercise and have felt very frustrated that I cannot run. I had originally planned on doing a marathon this fall. A friend from work has been in training and recently completed two triathlons. I am so proud of her and I am amazed at her journey. Though I rejoice with her, on the inside I feel discouraged about my own lack of progress.

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I really enjoy reading the book of Proverbs in the Bible. It is filled with practical wisdom. One theme that is carried throughout the book is this: the wise man heeds correction, but the fool despises discipline.

This was exemplified for me tonight as I sat around a table with 7 other people. They were at the end of a 10-week weight loss program. I was the personal trainer for some of them so I joined in on their final meeting/party.

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Weight loss is a long journey with many ups and downs. There are a lot of challenges along the way. It’s how we handle these challenges, and how we think about them, that affects our energy to deal with them.

You may have had a bad weekend eating wise. You may have skipped exercise for the past three months. Maybe you’re just starting to work on your weight after a year of neglect.

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When you can’t do what you want – the ideal diet and the perfect exercise – do what you can!

One of my clients injured her knee this week. She had been experiencing great results in weight loss and fitness. With her injury she was unable to exercise for several days.

This injury seemed like a huge setback for her. She thought she had to skip training because of it.

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Over the years I’ve heard many mean things said to my clients from their spouses. Husbands watching over their wives’ food like hawks. “You shouldn’t eat that. Don’t make a pig out of yourself.” Wives telling husbands they look “pregnant” and so on.

In some cases spouses may truly want to help and be supportive. They may think their comments are encouraging their husband/wife to do better.

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We are up to our ears in renovations for our laundry room. It was in bad shape when we bought the house and needed structural and cosmetic work. We’ve ripped out paneling, hung insulation, moved outlets and plumbing, put in light switches, tore down a wall, and removed old flooring.

This morning as I was priming a new entry door, I sighed with discontent. I just wanted to be done. I’m tired of the mess, ugly exposed walls and dirty, hard work.

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Some people are born thin. Other people have to work to be thin. Some people eat just when they’re hungry. Other people eat all the time, hungry or not. Some people are natural movers and exercises. Other people have to force themselves to move.

For those of us who struggle with our weight, we are the “others.” The ones who have to work so hard be thin, to keep from overeating, and to stay committed to exercising.

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Tonight as I hurried toward the locker room door, I ran into a newly returned client. She had worked with me a few years ago and had been doing well. Then over the past 6-9 months extreme stress in her life knocked her off course. She stopped exercising and eating well – and gained weight.

Recently she returned to train with me again. She was frustrated and disappointed, especially when she compared her current state to her previous, healthier state.

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Have you worked really, really hard all week expecting a great number on the scale – only to find out you lost one measly pound?

This is frustrating and disappointing. All that hard work should’ve earned you more than a pound!

When this happens, I’d like you to consider a few things. First of all, when you go to the grocery store pick up a pound of butter. Hold it on your hand and look at it. Imagine the equivalent of that pound of butter coming off your body in fat. Pretty impressive, right!

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There are probably hundreds of reasons why people gain weight back after they’ve worked so hard to get it off. But I think most reasons can be whittled down into one main theme.

They never truly internalize their external changes.

What does this mean? Well, think about all the things people do to lose weight – stop eating cookies and ice cream, give up soda and McDonald’s, start exercising, cook more at home, take food and water everywhere they go, etc.

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How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

How do you lose 80 pounds? One pound at a time!

When you think about how much weight you have to lose, it can seem insurmountable. Where you want to be is so far away from where you are. You wonder if you can ever reach your goal.

This can feel very discouraging.

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When you start comparing yourself to others, it can be a dangerous game.

One, you can always find someone who looks better than you, has more stuff than you do, can do more than you can, etc. if there is a weak area in your life or an area you’re not happy with, it’s easy to look at someone who “has what you want” and see your lack. This causes discouragement and feelings of insecurity.

On the flip side, you can always find someone who has more weight to lose than you, has less money than you, and doesn’t exercise like you do. This makes it easy to say, “Well, at least I’m not like so-and-so.” This causes apathy, excuses, and lack of motivation.

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The people we hang out with, live with, and work with all influence our behavior. These people are close to us and we often do what they do and go where they go.

When it comes to weight loss, this can be tricky.

Our inner circle of friends and family are the people we love the most. But they can also be the most detrimental to our health.

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If you’re a fan of “Anne of Green Gables” you are familiar with this saying. Miss Stacey encourages her pupil, Anne, and star of the movie series, that every day is fresh with no mistakes in it.

As we push ourselves to better our health and lose weight, we have to remember that every day is a new day. We can feel very disappointed with our behavior when we don’t make the right food choices or we skip out on exercise.

But despite the ice cream yesterday, or the nap instead of the walk, we have to look at each day with fresh eyes.

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Your belief system is how you think and feel about life. It’s how you interpret situations and relationships. It’s how you perceive yourself and others. And it completely shapes what you think you can and can’t do.

If you’ve been overweight a long time, if you’ve attempted diets over and over only to fail, if you’ve lost weight and gained it all back…there’s a good chance you believe you’re doomed to be fat.

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Everyone deviates from healthy behavior at times. It is normal and expected. It can be anything from eating three ice cream cones in one day to eating badly for a whole weekend.

Lapses leave you feeling pretty disgusted – disgusted with yourself for falling off the wagon, and disgusting physically from all the junk in your system.

The key to bouncing back from a lapse is to turn it into a learning experience. Look back and examine: 1) the circumstances, 2) your feelings, 3) your state of mind, 4) the people around you, and 5) your environment.

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People who accomplish great things don’t do it by happenstance. They do it intentionally. They plan it out step by step. They work at it doggedly day after day. Maybe year after year. There’s perseverance and tenacity and hard work involved.

On the other hand, did you ever meet someone who talked a big talk but never got anything done? Like they say in Texas, “They’re all hat and no cattle.”

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“My husband says to me, ‘Are you sure you should eat that?’ and it just makes me want to rebel,” one client told me. Another client shared a similar experience about her dad. When they sit down to eat together, he comments on what she’s eating and how much she’s eating. It makes her feel bad inside and angry.

Moms and dads, siblings, spouses, friends – our loved ones mean a lot to us. What they think means a lot to us. When they comment about our weight, it can be devastating. They may think they are helping by “encouraging” us to do better, but they are actually driving us in the other direction.

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Don’t you love it when you have a great day? Everything moves along like clockwork, you get your exercise in, and you eat healthy. You feel so good.

Then there are those days that just stink. Your curling iron breaks and your hair is frizzy, your car runs out of window washer fluid and there’s pollen all over your window, you drip coffee on front of your shirt, and your sister-in-law calls you because she’s mad about the family dinner.

When we get exhausted physically and tapped out emotionally, we look for something to make us feel better. We want to relieve our stress, frustration, and tiredness. We need “something” to help us feel like we’ll be okay.

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My son brought a cookie home – not just any old cookie. It was a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey’s kiss in the center. It winked at me from its cozy spot on the counter and whispered, “You should taste me. You know how much you love me.”

Several times I was tempted to reach for it. I reasoned, “If I share it with my boys, it won’t be that bad.”

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Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas Cowboys, said there are three things that make a successful team:

1. Set your goal
2. Develop your game plan
3. Identify your enemies

These same three things work in any area of our lives. Whether we’re going back to school to get a degree or going on a diet to lose 30 pounds, we have to take the right steps.

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