It’s easy to achieve short-term weight loss and diet changes, however, it’s very difficult to sustain those changes long-term. Programs that promote “strict meal plans” or significant reductions in your calorie intake do tend to be very successful early on, but those results are rarely able to be sustained past only a few weeks to a few months. If you’ve ever tried one of these “diet programs”, think back to your experience. Do you remember losing weight rather quickly? Was it exciting at first? How long did these results last for before you could no longer sustain them?
This pattern is very common among the diet and weight loss industry. It’s evident by the fact that more than 95% of people regain their weight within a few months to years. What happens is people try a weight loss program, lose weight, regain it back, take some time off, then repeat it all over again by trying whatever the newest weight loss program or trendy diet is at the time. And this vicious cycle will continue to repeat itself until we come to terms with how weight loss actually works.
Weight loss and changing your diet to a healthier one takes time. Although we expect and want results quickly, we cannot go against our biological limit. When you make changes in your diet that are TOO BIG, your body cannot sustain this change.
Take for example cutting your calories. In order to lose weight, you must decrease your overall calorie intake. By decreasing your daily intake by 500 calories, you can lose about 1 pound per week. However, when you decrease your calorie intake, it goes against what your body actually wants to do. Your body wants to maintain its current size and rate of metabolism and it gets worried if it is getting less calories because it will not be able to maintain with less. Even though you may be overweight, your body does not realize that and in order to “protect” you, it produces hormones and chemicals that increase your hunger while also reducing your metabolic rate. The more you restrict, the hungrier you ultimately will get. And the hungrier you are, the less likely you are able to sustain.
"When the brain gets used to eating “fatty” and “sugary” foods, it becomes almost like an addiction."
This also remains true when you’re cutting out “calorie-rich” foods such as soda, junk food, pasta, etc. If your brain is accustomed to eating such highly-caloric, “rich” foods, it is very difficult to cut these foods out “cold-turkey” and replace them with healthier alternatives. For example, when people are started on meal plans, they are often told to replace their entire current diet with a brand-new healthier one. Although the healthier replacement is likely very good for them, this drastic change in what they are now eating is far from sustainable. When the brain gets used to eating “fatty” and “sugary” foods, it becomes almost like an addiction. And just like your body doesn’t want to decrease the amount of calories it is used to getting, your brain doesn’t want you to stop eating those foods that give it the most pleasure.
Now it may seem that it is just biologically impossible to eat healthier since it goes against your body’s nature, however, there is a more strategic way to go about doing it that doesn’t upset your body’s natural impulse to indulge. Since your body’s response is proportional to the amount of change you make, the smaller the change, the less of an urge you feel to eat unhealthy. In fact, when you make appropriately small changes, your body hardly recognizes that anything has even changed at all.
"The truth is, it didn’t take you overnight to gain your weight and eat the way you do and it’s not going to be overnight that you change either."
Take for example again decreasing your total daily calories. When you decrease them by about 250 to maybe even 500 calories less a day, it is a change that your body is hardly able to notice but also results in about a 1/2 to 1 pound weight loss that week. If you keep this up, then you can lose about 12 to 24 pounds PERMANENTLY by around the 6 month mark. This number may seem small compared to all the claims of ‘extreme weight loss’ being touted by certain diet programs and “nutrition experts”, but the reality is that anything promoting weight loss at a higher rate is scientifically unsustainable, and at times, even dangerous.
The truth is, it didn’t take you overnight to gain your weight and eat the way you do and it’s not going to be overnight that you change either. It’s just not how life works. If you’re tired of the ups-and-downs and vicious cycles with your diet and weight, it’s time to accept the truth (and the science) and finally approach it the right way. Because in months to years from now, you’re going to be thanking yourself when you’ve not only lost the weight, but you’ve kept it off for good!
Getting the right help
Losing weight and eating healthier, the right way, does also have its challenges as well. You have to stay structured and keep track of how much and what you’re eating, you have to be able to set smart and realistic goals, you have to get through plateaus, you have to be aware of healthier alternatives, and you have to keep yourself motivated and accountable over the course of months to years. For some people, it is possible to do on their own, especially with the help of calorie and nutrition tracking apps like “Lose It!”. But even with a tool such as an app, it can still be extremely difficult to stay accountable and also know what to do.
"Working with a knowledgeable coach is one of the best things you can do to get that extra support you need to finally become successful."
Nutrition is a learned skill and there is so much to know. And it can be overwhelming when you’re also busy working a job or two, taking care of kids, studying for school, and doing everything else you need to do in order to survive. Yet without healthy nutrition, your health suffers making everything else in life harder and putting you at high-risk for disease and disability.
Working with a knowledgeable coach is one of the best things you can do to get that extra support you need to finally become successful. They help you structure and set realistic goals, keep you motivated when things get tough, and hold you accountable when you veer off track. A coach is someone you can trust that has your best interests at heart and is dedicated to helping you succeed. However, not all coaches are qualified. There are many “self-proclaimed experts” in nutrition who don’t actually have qualified backgrounds as nutritionists. And just because someone calls themself a “coach” or even a “nutritionist” does not mean they have been properly educated. Because there is so much pseudo-science when it comes to the field of nutrition, you really want to be careful who you work with. Registered Dietitians are the highest-qualified experts in nutrition and when you work with someone who has a background as an RD, you can almost be certain that you’re dealing with the best.
"The time you spend with a HealthieCoach empowers you so that you can live the rest of your life eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and being the healthiest and happiest self you can be!"
At HealthieCoach, we’re committed to providing you with the highest-qualified and most caring Coaches. Our goal is to get you to a point where you no longer need us. The time you spend with a HealthieCoach empowers you so that you can live the rest of your life eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and being the healthiest and happiest self you can be!
And in regards to pricing, coaching should be looked at as one of the best investments you can ever make. It is only something that you will have to pay for temporarily but will reap you a lifetime worth of health and happiness that you can not put a price tag on.
So, if you’re ready to lose weight and eat healthier the right way, you first need to accept that it takes time. Once you’ve accepted that, you’re now ready to change your life forever. Just imagine how that’s going to feel when you’ve finally achieved success for good!
For more information about our coaching, go to: www.healthiecoach.com