Happiness is Not a Weight

More and more people are pursuing gastric bypass as a last attempt at weight loss.  Many complications can arise from the surgery, but I do not want to get into the particulars of that in this post.  I am not against gastric bypass, I only want to discuss a certain angle within its context.  Working with gastric bypass clients has reaffirmed for me what I already know...that happiness is an inside job. 

People I meet and get to know wake me up to the challenges they face, challenges very different from my own.  I have never struggled with my weight, attempted a diet or felt like I even needed to "lose a couple of pounds".  Therefore, I have never created a fantasy world around "being the perfect weight" or established a pattern of "I'll be happy when I ...(fill in the blank)".  I think it is easy to romanticize weight loss when you are always chasing it and it remains elusive.

All of the desire, hard work and efforts surrounding attempts at weight loss create a heavy attachment to the desired end result.  The end result for many, is a magical weight that also provides the key to personal happiness.   I had to gently explain to one of my clients the other day that happiness is not a weight, and it never will be.  Individuals that weigh 132 lbs, and those that weigh 270 lbs are both struggling to be happy.  Happiness must be self-generated, and the sooner we realize this, the better off we will be.  Feeling good about ourselves is truly the key to happiness, and this has more to do with the type of person we choose to be and how we choose to live life, versus how we appear to others.

We are all a work in progress, and we must take responsibility for our own happiness and learn to self-generate it in the NOW vs. in the future.  One of my favorite expressions is "Wherever you go, there you are".  So, if one doesn't bring a healthy mindset to a certain set of circumstances, there will no escaping the same end result elsewhere in time. 

Water and Weight Loss

Sometimes we fill up on food when we should be filling up on water.  We do confuse thirst for hunger, so it is important that we stay hydrated.  Current recommendations for the average individual are to try and get 64 oz. of water consumed every day.  This amount should be increased with exercise.

I stumbled across some information in one of my fitness publications the other day that discussed the role of water in weight loss and the results of a recent study.  The study followed a large group of adults divided into two groups.  One group drank 2 cups of water prior to meals, while the other did not.  All of the test subjects were following a low-calorie diet for the course of the study.  Over 12 weeks, the water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds whereas the non water-drinkers lost about 11 pounds.  That is a substantial difference that cannot be ignored.

If you think about it, it makes perfectly good sense to try and fill up on zero calories instead filling up on snack and meal calories over the course of each day.  If you are a "grazer", or someone aiming to eat five, small meals per day, think of the amount of calories that could possibly be eliminated from consumption over the course of a week if you are doing some filling up on water.  If you are attempting weight loss, and do not have proper water intake included in your bag of tricks, do not delay in implementing this as part of your daily regimen.

If the achievement of more weight loss wasn't enough for you, keep in mind that proper hydration helps us with mental focus, prevents small, nagging headaches, eliminates bloat and keeps our skin looking radiant.  With the unknown correlation between artificial sweeteners and weight gain, it makes good sense to steer towards water whenever possible and away from diet sodas and other flavored beverages.  Why consume extra sodium, food coloring, carbonation and other unknown additives unnecessarily?  We know our bodies are largely comprised of water, so hydrate and take your weight loss efforts to the next level.

Mindless Eating Leads to Weight Gain

Do you know what signals your body gives you when it is getting full?  Have you contemplated this question even once before? If you haven't, you are not alone.  Chances are you have become a "mindless" eater, and need to begin carving a path back to "mindful" eating.

Most of us living busy lives are no longer eating for nourishment.  Nor are we in touch with the true enjoyment of food.  We simply eat because it has to get done, and hopefully, in as little time as possible.  So little time is spent honoring mealtimes that we often combine eating with other activities like watching TV or driving.  Who can stop and enjoy food when there is so much to do?  

Food is fuel for the body and it should be treated as such.  We should be taking reasonable bites, chewing food thoroughly, and paying close attention to the different textures and tastes for complete enjoyment.  In the process of eating in a mindful way lies an opportunity to recognize when we are getting full or feeling satisfied and opportunity to stop eating.  When we are not mindful of our eating, we keep reaching into the bag of chips again and again, or reach for seconds or thirds until feeling ill and pushing away from the table.  This is no way to live, and certainly no way to successfully manage one's weight.

If we all slowed down a bit, and made eating a stand-alone effort, we might find that we could get by on less.  We might even recognize that our hunger patterns shift throughout the day and that is not necessary to plow through what we "think" we should be eating at every meal.  Instead, we could be driven more by body intelligence, and what "feels" like the right amount.  What "feels" like the right amount at breakfast today, might "feel" differently tomorrow.  Hunger patterns can, and do change.  I, myself, have been guilty of continuing to eat something I did not even find satisfying.  Why would I do this?  Perhaps in an effort to fill an emotional void, or to find some sort of comfort through food.  Unfortunately, emotional voids can never be filled with food, and one can do a lot of damage in the process of trying to do so.

Experiment with one meal and try mindful eating to understand what it means. This would mean eating without including other activities, chewing food slowly and thoroughly, and putting the fork down between bites.  Putting the fork down provides a chance to enjoy the flavors and textures of the food being consumed.  Concentrate on the thought that your body is being nourished and fueled. See what signals your body sends in the way of satisfaction or fullness.  Try not to bring your "to do" list or invite other distractions into your meal. Just focus on your food and the process of eating.  Mindful eating requires practice, so be patient with your efforts.  Establishing new, mindful eating practices will steer you down a new path of eating appropriate amounts, and eating for the right reasons.

Overcoming Unhealthy Thinking

As a fitness professional, I regularly encounter individuals that have carried unhealthy thinking, patterns and problems from childhood straight into adulthood. Such problems might include distorted body image, emotional eating, or hyperfocus on scale weight. Often, such individuals have been told by family members that they would look great if they could just lose 5 more lbs., or how good they would look if they hadn’t inherited the family thighs, rear end, etc. Others have weighed themselves multiple times a day for years and with every fluctuation of the scale, beaten themselves up over it. These behaviors are self-punishing and unproductive, yet very common. I strongly believe that there is much more surrounding weight loss and wellness that requires redirection of thought and elimination of negative self-talk.

I work hard to help my clients reframe how they look at their efforts in weight loss and exercise adherence. This is a challenge for me every day as old habits die hard and especially those that are deeply rooted. Sometimes I witness break-throughs, where I see new thought processes emerging, only to see old ones re-emerge a week later. The bottom line is that it takes six months to establish new behaviors. It takes real commitment to graduate into healthier, more balanced thinking. Old habits are not created overnight, and they shall not be undone overnight either.

In an effort to help my clients reframe how they view themselves and their efforts, I encourage them to do the following:

• Reward yourself to doing something right. Most people excel at beating themselves up when they experience failure, but no one rewards himself or herself for a job well done (especially women). If you eat better for a month, or exercise regularly for two weeks, then reward yourself for doing so…just don’t make it a food related reward.
• Look back (often) at where you started from to measure your success. Are you less fatigued walking up stairs or across a parking lot? Fitting better in your clothes? Sleeping better at night? Eliminated any small, nagging pains? Review your progress and celebrate victories along the way.
• Confront the people in your life that sabotage your fitness efforts and ask them for their help. Make them an ally instead of an enemy. Tell them that you are a "work in progress" and that you are doing the best you can and how they can help you do better.
• Embrace a healthy lifestyle and a new thought process that focuses on the long term. Do not decide to drop a few pounds or start exercising in order to fit into a bathing suit, look good for a high school reunion, etc. Events come and go, and then what? Do it because it is the right thing to do for your health today, tomorrow and beyond.
• Honor your emotions and try to process them versus "stuff" them down with food. Food is supposed to nourish and provide fullness, not to fill emotional voids. Try to sit with your feelings and process them to seek better understanding before running to food as an answer or consolation.
• Surround yourself with other people on a similar journey and share with each other what works and what doesn’t. Find someone as motivated as you, or more motivated and rally around each other. This helps build accountability and support.

In summary, there is a definite mental process that occurs with the physical and should be embraced every bit as much. A healthy lifestyle will include feeling good about one’s self, honoring one’s body, and being the best possible at any given age. These aspects far outweigh "scale weight" and add much more to the overall package of happiness and self-satisfaction. Also, remember that the act of "trying" is an important one, and that often we learn from failures when we experience them. So, embrace any failures along the way in your fitness journey as learning experiences and move on.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

How Do I Lose Weight?

I will try to simplify some of the complexity surrounding weight loss. Here goes:

There are 3500kcal in 1lb. This is the magical number we are working with when we are targeting appropriate weight loss of approximately 1lb/wk. In order to lose 1 lb/wk, you must create a caloric deficit of 3500kcal. Ideally, this is done by a) reducing caloric intake, and b) increasing caloric expenditure via exercise. Please also note one’s caloric burn rate is weight specific and therefore, requires adjustment as one loses weight. In other words, the less you weigh, the slower you burn calories. This is why dieters often plateau with sustained weight loss efforts.

Sounds simple, where do I start?

I suggest keeping a food diary for at least three days to establish a baseline of how many calories you are consuming. Write down everything you consume within a 24-hour period for (2) weekdays and at least (1) Saturday or Sunday. Eating habits can change drastically from weekday to weekend, so this is important. Then, upload your food diary on either The Daily Plate feature on the Livestrong website, or use mypyramid.gov. Both sites are user friendly and will allow you to enter precise or estimated portions consumed. Do not worry about calorie counting in your food diary, the above mentioned websites will do this for you.

Simply write down what you consumed and approximately how much in your food diary. If you are a patterned sort of eater (most of us are), you can use your 3 day intake average to determine approximately how many calories you are consuming in one week. Once you have established a baseline with how much you are consuming, you can start determining ways to reduce calories over the course of a week.

I recommend that the 3500kcal deficit you create be split fairly evenly between diet & exercise. I also strongly recommend that the full 3500kcal/week deficit is not implemented right away. A gradual reduction in caloric intake and gradual increase in exercise is key.  A gradual reduction in caloric intake will prevent a "starved" feeling and keep cravings and possible binges at bay. The exercise component ibecomes key because it will prevent loss of lean muscle, and opportunity to build more lean muscle, which will ultimately speed up metabolism further.

Do I have to scrutinize food labels?

The short answer is no, not for basic weight loss. Basic weight loss boils down to input vs. output. When output is more than input, you lose weight. Eating for health is a more refined process where one should scrutinize food labels/nutritional content and ingredients. Where weight loss is concerned initially focus on the calories per serving of what it is you are consuming and your serving sizes. Start making healthier food substitutions and eliminating some of the "no-brainer" items you consume like regular soda or that bedtime snack. Make sure you are hydrated and are not confusing thirst for hunger.

With any weight loss effort keep things simple and start off with small changes. If you create a highly complex plan or create a ridiculous workout schedule that includes two hour workouts, seven days/wk, you are setting yourself up to fail. Make changes small & meaningful and see yourself through to long term success.

Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Halloween is rapidly approaching, which means the holidays are drawing near. Between now and the end of the year, one may gain as much as ten pounds. Fortunately, a little pre-planning now can prevent this from becoming a reality. Enter into this holiday season with eyes wide open and do the following:

Increase your awareness:
Be aware of your choices, portions & irregular eating habits due to holidays, parties, etc. If you know you have an elaborate dinner or party to attend that you will indulge at, then you need to plan around it as it pertains to your breakfast & lunch selections, alcohol consumption and overall activity level. Think ahead and plan for the worst.

Spring into action:
Action follows intention. So, intend to...remove Halloween candy from your home asap and buy the kind that isn't your personal favorite.

Plan and consume (pre-load) healthy snacks and meals prior to parties where you know temptation will be high.

Bump up your workout and overall daily activity level. Where possible, stand, don't sit. Walk, don't ride.

Establish Plan B now for an alternate workout schedule, as there will be times when you know you cannot workout per your usual schedule. Stay away from the slippery slope of not exercising altogether, or telling yourself that you will resume after the holidays.

Address "Fitness Saboteurs". Is there a family member, friend or co-worker who sabotages your regimen because it simply means nothing to them? Address them directly and ask for their support. Tell them it is important to you and why. Most people are happy to be helpful once they have been recruited to be. Keep in mind that a happier you results in a positive, happiness trickle down effect, of which they will ultimately benefit from. It is a proven fact that individuals achieve better outcomes when they make healthy living a "family" effort.

Get Honest:
Yes, it is hard to be disciplined with diet and exercise over the holidays. You can, however, prevent major peril by being honest about your weaknesses and by following through on a different plan this year. Acknowledge last year’s struggles and sidestep those pitfalls by handling them differently. Do not behave the same way again this year and expect different results.

With some effort, you will avoid unnecessary weight gain and be well positioned to springboard into further success in the New Year.

People don't fail diets, diets fail people

The adage "People don't fail diets, diets fail people." is very true.  Most people have been trying to lose the same ten pounds for the past ten years.  One of the biggest reasons for repeat diet failure is due to trying to lose too much weight too quickly. One should not exceed 1 - 1.5 lbs. of weight loss per week.  This is the maximum amount of weight loss that can be sustained long term.  Realistically, it is all about a baby steps approach.  Baby steps include a modest caloric reduction as well as a modest increase in physical activity.  Starting off small is key in building success with small goals.  Achieved, small goals always add up to bigger ones.  Although most dieters want pounds to fall off overnight, the truth is that their weight gain didn't happen overnight, and so a slow, sensible approach must be taken with focus on long term success.  Within every overly aggressive failed diet attempt, lies a vicious cycle doomed to repeat itself.  Very low calorie diets (VLCDs) that promote aggressive weight loss nearly always means a loss of muscle mass, where once caloric intake is again increased, then any weight lost returns, plus more.  Loss of lean muscle mass means a slower metabolism and this is the driving force behind yo-yo dieting syndrome.  It is extremely hard to "reframe" a life-long dieter's perspective on attempting weight loss. I strongly encourage my clients to embrace weight loss as a lifestyle change.  The only lifestyle changes that work, are ones that can be kept up with for the long haul. A true lifestyle change should eventually become almost brainless and automatic.  Anyone attempting weight loss that feels starved, deprived, burnt out on exercise or that they are simply trying too hard is likely taking a misguided approach. Dieters please stop the cycle of self-abuse, and mental anguish over perceived failures.  There really is a better way to living if you are willing to try something different.