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February 2004
The Secrets of Successful Long Term Weight Loss
by Graeme Street
Most people start a diet and/or an exercise program with one objective--to lose weight! Although this is a noble and healthy goal to achieve, most people rarely achieve long term success. My contention is that most individuals never achieve their goals of long term weight loss for one simple reason--they are only trying to lose weight with little to no consideration for what they are changing inside themselves.
Yes, losing weight will improve your health if you are overweight. Yes, losing weight will decrease your risk for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Yes, losing weight will make you more attractive and more comfortable in your clothes. Weight loss will do all these things, but it may not make you happy. Sure it may have a short term happiness effect on you initially, but then why do so many of us fall victim to the weight loss rebounding effect that takes place months later? Again, it's because we are only trying to lose weight.
Somehow people have equated weight loss with a positive change in character--that we are better people as a result of losing 10, 20, or 50 pounds. I agree that these changes are admirable and noteworthy, but if the changes are only exterior and the person inside hasn't changed, then rebounding is inevitable.
This is because there is no intrinsic value in weight loss. It is simply a number on a scale that has changed over time. And although this is very appealing for many of us, the change is usually fleeting as we are left with our old thinking patterns that will eventually lead to our downfall. To truly lose weight and keep it off, the change must happen as an indirect effect of some other positive change(s) in your life.
What do I mean by weight loss through indirect means? It's simple really. Indirect weight loss is the result of deciding to add a positive habit to your daily rituals that not only results in a loss of one or two pounds on the scale, but also gives you some sort of positive effect in your attitude, self-worth, and intrinsic value that motivates you to try even harder.
What I am really getting at here is that you must find some other positive habit in your life that drives you and creates a desire for success. And it can't be weight loss or sculpted shoulders! It has to be something that means something to you and speaks to you on an emotional or even spiritual level. It has to carry you through the tough times and the failures. Because,hey, we all want weight loss. We all want to look great in jeans. But, we will only get there and, more importantly stay there, by seeking out something that is more tangible. Something that is more meaningful to us.
Let me give you a personal example of what I mean. For years I have tried different diets and exercise programs to help me do one thing--stay in great shape. Sure, I'm a personal trainer and I like working out and watching what I eat. But, don't think for one second that I wouldn't give it all up if I knew that I could get the same results sitting on my butt in front of the TV eating a dozen freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! So, why do I do it? Well, for the longest time I really only did it for vanity. I liked seeing ripples in my abdominals. I liked challenging myself with weights, but my true motivator was to look a certain way. I even took my vanity a step further and entered a bodybuilding show to see how good my body could really look.
I did very well in the show, but I didn't feel happy with myself. In fact, the leaner I got for the competition, the more self-critical I became. I wasn't happy. And I sure didn't feel healthy by any stretch of the imagination. But, then again competing in a bodybuilding competition isn't about being healthy, it's about looking good. I quickly realized that although I was impressed with what I could make my body look like, I had no intrinsic value from it. I had no drive to move forward and as a result it became the only competition I would ever enter into.
Suffice it to say, over the next several years I not only put all that weight that I had lost back on, but I gained almost 20 pound extra! Sure, I was still eating well and exercising almost five days a week, but I wasn't the same. I had no direction. I had no desire to make positive changes to make myself intrinsically happy. I tried to bury myself in my work, but that was simply a distraction from the truth. I wasn't happy with myself and I wasn't happy with my body.
Much like people that only focus on weight loss, I too had missed my opportunity for self-improvement that would indirectly help me maintain the physical shape I desired. Sure, I lost weight and looked great for my bodybuilding show, but I was still the same person. I hadn't found the drive and desire for something that made me want more. I hadn't found that one thing that challenged me and made me feel alive.
It wasn't until this year that I was fortunate enough to find my one true drive and passion in life that makes me happy and free (besides, of course, my wonderful wife!) It was June and I was at a client's house when he asked me if I had been watching the Tour de France. Usually I do, but for some reason this year I had totally forgotten about it. When I was a kid I watched it adamantly every year. Back then I wanted to become a professional cyclist more than anything in the world. But, like so many of us, the years passed and I got interested in other things and bike riding had really become just a distant memory. It was one of those things in conversation when you say, "back when I use to..."
I still rode my bike every summer. But only every now and then--and of course I usually only did it as another way to make myself look better and lose weight. But after watching Lance Armstrong win his fifth consecutive tour this year I had a renewed passion to get back out on my bike and ride. And this time it was different. My motivation and desire was different. I didn't want to ride to lose weight, I wanted to ride to make me feel like a kid again. To make me feel happy and free. It may sound corny but it's true. And I also really needed it to help me reduce my stress (just ask my wife!)
So, I got a new bike and began setting goals for myself every week. At first it was very difficult because I still had my ego and remembered how well I use to ride when I was younger and expected things to be the same. Well, they weren't! But, I stuck to it and set reasonable and attainable goals. Each week I kept getting better and better. And then I began to crave it everyday.
Months passed and I kept finding new things about myself that I really liked. I was able to start something and stay with it. I was able to challenge myself in new ways each ride and most importantly, I just felt better. If you ask my wife, she'll tell you that she has never seen me as relaxed and happy as since I have started biking seriously. And wouldn't you know it, after three months of feeling great and doing something positive for myself everyday that not only was I happier than ever, but I had also lost almost 20 pounds in the process!
We all know stories like these. We all have friends that start running or working out to get in shape for a 5K race or a walkathon. I've even got clients that work out with me regularly simply because they want to be energetic and happy enough to enjoy their retirement. Now that's a great motivator if I've ever heard of one.
The moral of the story is simple. If you want to lose weight, then don't directly focus on weight loss, but rather focus on making constant positive changes that challenge you both mentally and physically to achieve happiness and the weight loss will come as an indirect result.
Yes, you still have to watch what you eat and yes, you still have to exercise. However, if you realign your thinking and start to do an activity that helps you achieve a greater goal, that gives you intrinsic value, and a long term sense of accomplishment, then not only will you be happier and healthier, but you will also undoubtedly lose weight in the process. And that's a guarantee.
Yes, losing weight will improve your health if you are overweight. Yes, losing weight will decrease your risk for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Yes, losing weight will make you more attractive and more comfortable in your clothes. Weight loss will do all these things, but it may not make you happy. Sure it may have a short term happiness effect on you initially, but then why do so many of us fall victim to the weight loss rebounding effect that takes place months later? Again, it's because we are only trying to lose weight.
Somehow people have equated weight loss with a positive change in character--that we are better people as a result of losing 10, 20, or 50 pounds. I agree that these changes are admirable and noteworthy, but if the changes are only exterior and the person inside hasn't changed, then rebounding is inevitable.
This is because there is no intrinsic value in weight loss. It is simply a number on a scale that has changed over time. And although this is very appealing for many of us, the change is usually fleeting as we are left with our old thinking patterns that will eventually lead to our downfall. To truly lose weight and keep it off, the change must happen as an indirect effect of some other positive change(s) in your life.
What do I mean by weight loss through indirect means? It's simple really. Indirect weight loss is the result of deciding to add a positive habit to your daily rituals that not only results in a loss of one or two pounds on the scale, but also gives you some sort of positive effect in your attitude, self-worth, and intrinsic value that motivates you to try even harder.
What I am really getting at here is that you must find some other positive habit in your life that drives you and creates a desire for success. And it can't be weight loss or sculpted shoulders! It has to be something that means something to you and speaks to you on an emotional or even spiritual level. It has to carry you through the tough times and the failures. Because,hey, we all want weight loss. We all want to look great in jeans. But, we will only get there and, more importantly stay there, by seeking out something that is more tangible. Something that is more meaningful to us.
Let me give you a personal example of what I mean. For years I have tried different diets and exercise programs to help me do one thing--stay in great shape. Sure, I'm a personal trainer and I like working out and watching what I eat. But, don't think for one second that I wouldn't give it all up if I knew that I could get the same results sitting on my butt in front of the TV eating a dozen freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! So, why do I do it? Well, for the longest time I really only did it for vanity. I liked seeing ripples in my abdominals. I liked challenging myself with weights, but my true motivator was to look a certain way. I even took my vanity a step further and entered a bodybuilding show to see how good my body could really look.
I did very well in the show, but I didn't feel happy with myself. In fact, the leaner I got for the competition, the more self-critical I became. I wasn't happy. And I sure didn't feel healthy by any stretch of the imagination. But, then again competing in a bodybuilding competition isn't about being healthy, it's about looking good. I quickly realized that although I was impressed with what I could make my body look like, I had no intrinsic value from it. I had no drive to move forward and as a result it became the only competition I would ever enter into.
Suffice it to say, over the next several years I not only put all that weight that I had lost back on, but I gained almost 20 pound extra! Sure, I was still eating well and exercising almost five days a week, but I wasn't the same. I had no direction. I had no desire to make positive changes to make myself intrinsically happy. I tried to bury myself in my work, but that was simply a distraction from the truth. I wasn't happy with myself and I wasn't happy with my body.
Much like people that only focus on weight loss, I too had missed my opportunity for self-improvement that would indirectly help me maintain the physical shape I desired. Sure, I lost weight and looked great for my bodybuilding show, but I was still the same person. I hadn't found the drive and desire for something that made me want more. I hadn't found that one thing that challenged me and made me feel alive.
It wasn't until this year that I was fortunate enough to find my one true drive and passion in life that makes me happy and free (besides, of course, my wonderful wife!) It was June and I was at a client's house when he asked me if I had been watching the Tour de France. Usually I do, but for some reason this year I had totally forgotten about it. When I was a kid I watched it adamantly every year. Back then I wanted to become a professional cyclist more than anything in the world. But, like so many of us, the years passed and I got interested in other things and bike riding had really become just a distant memory. It was one of those things in conversation when you say, "back when I use to..."
I still rode my bike every summer. But only every now and then--and of course I usually only did it as another way to make myself look better and lose weight. But after watching Lance Armstrong win his fifth consecutive tour this year I had a renewed passion to get back out on my bike and ride. And this time it was different. My motivation and desire was different. I didn't want to ride to lose weight, I wanted to ride to make me feel like a kid again. To make me feel happy and free. It may sound corny but it's true. And I also really needed it to help me reduce my stress (just ask my wife!)
So, I got a new bike and began setting goals for myself every week. At first it was very difficult because I still had my ego and remembered how well I use to ride when I was younger and expected things to be the same. Well, they weren't! But, I stuck to it and set reasonable and attainable goals. Each week I kept getting better and better. And then I began to crave it everyday.
Months passed and I kept finding new things about myself that I really liked. I was able to start something and stay with it. I was able to challenge myself in new ways each ride and most importantly, I just felt better. If you ask my wife, she'll tell you that she has never seen me as relaxed and happy as since I have started biking seriously. And wouldn't you know it, after three months of feeling great and doing something positive for myself everyday that not only was I happier than ever, but I had also lost almost 20 pounds in the process!
We all know stories like these. We all have friends that start running or working out to get in shape for a 5K race or a walkathon. I've even got clients that work out with me regularly simply because they want to be energetic and happy enough to enjoy their retirement. Now that's a great motivator if I've ever heard of one.
The moral of the story is simple. If you want to lose weight, then don't directly focus on weight loss, but rather focus on making constant positive changes that challenge you both mentally and physically to achieve happiness and the weight loss will come as an indirect result.
Yes, you still have to watch what you eat and yes, you still have to exercise. However, if you realign your thinking and start to do an activity that helps you achieve a greater goal, that gives you intrinsic value, and a long term sense of accomplishment, then not only will you be happier and healthier, but you will also undoubtedly lose weight in the process. And that's a guarantee.
-Graeme
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Article By Graeme and/or Kate Street ~contact info not valid, websites gone~ Graeme and Kate first met as personal trainers at the Bay Club in Portland Maine and started an In-Home personal training business and a fitness media production business together. Graeme graduated suma cum laud in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. Kate has a BA in Psychology and an MS in Health and Wellness. She holds over a dozen various fitness certifications, three through AFAA.
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