SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT MANAGEMENT - WHAT WORKS?

How many times have you lost weight only to gain it back in a matter of months?  Before you begin GetFIT Connections™, let's take a look at the current research to see what leads to successful weight management.

There is a myth that nobody succeeds at weight loss.  But the truth is they do. The National Weight Control Registry is a study with 2,000 registrants from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. To be in the registry, you must have lost 30 pounds and have kept it off for at least 1 year. The average person in the register has lost sixty pounds and kept it off for 5 years. Over half of the weight losers were overweight before age 11 and another 25% were overweight before 8.  Even those that were genetically disposed to obesity, lost and maintained weight. Some of the weight losers have tried several times to lose weight, but they were eventually successful.

What did the weight losers say about maintaining their weight loss? Ninety two to ninety five percent said the quality of their life has improved since maintaining and their energy level has increased. They were not miserable maintaining (contrary to popular belief) and actually thought maintenance was easier than the weight loss phase.

So Tell Me What Works!

Exercise:  Enroll in an exercise program along with your weight management program.  People who develop the habit of regular, moderate exercise, maintain their weight better than those who don't exercise.  Try to do 1000 calories of exercise per week.

Support:  Find support from a friend or spouse.  The greater the support, the greater the weight loss.

Attendance:  Attend weight management classes on a regular basis.  The greater the attendance record, the greater the weight loss.

The Scale:  Weigh yourself!  Yes, you heard me.  It appears that weighing yourself several times per week may serve as a red flag alert for weight gain.  This triggers participants to do something immediately to stop the weight gain.  I know it helps me.

Behavior Change:  Practice as many behavior modification techniques as you can.

Follow-Up:  Arrange for a follow-up program.  Social support after a weight management program significantly enhances weight maintenance.

Food Choices:  Eat less of your problem foods; eat 5 smaller meals per day; limit quantities; pay attention to the fat content of foods.

Journaling:  Participants that record their efforts in a journal format organize their goals.  Click here for your GetFIT CONNECTIONS™ Journal

Coaches: Pair up with someone also working on their weight management.  When someone else coaches you, you transfer 90% of the skills you've learned.  Pair up with someone in your workplace so you can both encourage each other. 

My coaches name is:

Name:

E Mail Address:

Phone Numbers:

This seems like starting from the end - and it is! If we know what helps us maintain the weight we’ve lost, our efforts are not in vain. 

Here are some more tips I find important:

• Be open-minded.  Experiment with new ideas, concepts, and lifestyle changes that may be new to you.  There may be ideas you have not thought of or others you have, but didn't do.

• Stay on schedule.  Start with small, realistic and attainable goals that build on each other.  If you skip ahead and try to accomplish too much too soon, you may overwhelm yourself and not accomplish anything at all.  You want to feel that sense of fulfillment.

• Refrain from deadlines.  Gradual fitness while changing unwanted habits is your goal, no matter how long it takes.

• Focus on the process, not the end results.  Notice the every day progress you are making.  Notice the positive changes in the way you look and feel.  Review the week when it's over and pat yourself on the back for the accomplishments you made.  Look ahead to next week.

• Put yourself in the right frame of mind.  This is not a diet, but a healthy way of living to help you feel good.

• Willpower?  Who has it?  Refrain from relying on willpower.  If you have problem foods lying around your house - get rid of those foods.

• Relax, the foods you eat to lose weight are the same foods you eat now (maybe just different quantities!).  There are no forbidden foods, definitely NOT chocolate!

• Look to yourself for motivation.  Try not to rely on others for motivation.  Your motivation must come from within you for you to be successful in the long run.

• Be honest with yourself.  Don't make excuses for why you did not do something you wished you  had, or why you did something you wished you had not.  Accept responsibility for your actions.

• Plan your meals, make a grocery list, and shop for food each week.

• Journal each week.  This will help you plan and organize your thoughts and actions.  Journal, or record your thoughts and reflect back after a year to see how you have changed.

Are you ready to see if you are at the right step in your life to make a lifestyle change?  Click here to see if you are in the proper mindset.

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