How many of you have the resolution to lose weight in 2016? This is undoubtedly something many of you are striving towards for this year. There are many reasons to embark on a weight loss journey: bettering your health, improving quality time with children or grandchildren, increasing your stamina, looking better for a vacation or reunion, or feeling better in your clothes.
There is a lot of value in the listed motivating factors, and motivation is key to losing weight. I consult with many people each week, looking to lose weight. Many of them have motivation along these lines, and quite a few of them have had success losing weight in the past. Unfortunately, most of these folks have also gained the weight they’ve previously lost-back-and then some.
Losing weight and then keeping it off is the real challenge, of course. Here are the top four tips to not just losing the weight you want to lose, but keeping it off, too:
1) Accountability: the biggest issue you may face with weight loss is yourself. Stress and fatigue, busy schedules, vacation, or lack of variety in your meals, can make it easy to lose track of the big picture and slip up. Accountability is the key to success for the long term. Here are ways to keep yourself accountable:
- Buddy system get a weight loss partner. This can make the journey more fun, and allow you the support system needed when there are bumps in the road. If you don’t have someone to be your weight loss partner, consider a program that provides the accountability you need.
- Track your progress log your exercise, log the foods you eat, and what your goals are. Getting these things on record allows you to notice when your systems may be breaking down, when you are making poor choices, and allow you to correct these issues.
- Make a “contract” with yourself. Jot down what your goals are, how you will get there, and in what time frame. Sign this and revisit it.
2) Routine: a daily routine and weekly habits, go a long way towards long-term success in weight loss, and really, in life. If you want to have success, try these things:
- Weigh yourself daily you need to know when there is a difference of a pound in your weight, or when you’ve gained 4 pounds in a week. Studies show that a significant number of people can’t tell when they have gained 4-8 pounds. Those little gains add up fast and can balloon, sabotaging your progress.
- Plan out your menu for the week this way, you can plan healthy choices, and not eat out of convenience which likely will result in a bad choice.
3) Choose proper foods: decision making for which foods to eat, and when, is critical in weight-loss, and in long-term health. Many of us have heard the benefits of fruits, vegetables, and detriments of fried food. However, there is so much information out there on which foods to eat, it can be hard to understand, and can oftentimes seem contradictory. You should not have to depend on a powder, a supplement, or anything other than real, “grocery store” food, to lose weight. If you are using a supplement to lose the weight, what happens when you stop taking it? A Proper understanding of the right foods, at the right times, is key. There is now genetic testing that can be done to help determine what those foods would be, for you.
4) Drop the “All or Nothing” mentality: Losing weight is hard. It takes proper planning, discipline, education, and time. It is very easy to slip up and make a poor food choice or miss the exercise you need to do. People often look at weight loss as “all or nothing.” Either you are doing everything perfectly to lose the weight, or you are not. This thinking is flawed and leads to a sense of failure all too often. It is critical that when you do make a bad choice, you are able to acknowledge the bad choice, move past it-forget it, and get right back to your goal.
Good luck in your weight-loss resolution for 2016, follow these tips to achieve success! For assistance in your goals, Rejuvenate offers a weight loss program that is doctor-supervised, involves DNA testing with a customized genetic report, real-food meal planning, and accountability.
Dr. Joe Syme
s is a chiropractor at Rejuvenate Mind Body Wellness Center in Lees Summit, MO. He also runs Rejuvenate’s Lifetime Fat Loss program. This program uses genetic testing to take the guesswork out of weight loss. You will finally understand what foods your body responds to that create fat and which foods to avoid. Dr. Symes is currently seeing an average fat loss of 26 pounds in the first 6 weeks. Take the fear out of your weight loss journey. For a free consultation, call 816-761-3944, and schedule an appointment.
