Yesterday I gave a lecture at a hospital in the Ft Lauderdale area about weight loss, and the speech was for hospital employees. The hospital was having a health education forum.
At the end of my talk many questions were asked about maintenance of weight loss. Actually, it is perceived that the maintenance phase of weight loss is actually more difficult than the weight loss itself. Why?
As much as we tell ourselves there is no "finish line" when it comes to our weight loss efforts, we do tend to perceive an "end" of a "diet". Two major points: for long term success there is no "diet" ..rather, it is a lifestyle change. Secondly, there is no "end"...for longterm success in weight loss there is no end to the planning and lifestyle change.
This should be viewed as reality, not discouragement. Weight loss will make you healthier and happier...sacrificing old lifestyle choices that made you less healthy and less happy should be embraced.
Showing posts with label weight loss and maintenance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss and maintenance. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
weight loss and maintenance
I know you have read this before, but I think the point is worthy of another go round: The concept of not perceiving a "finish line" when you are in a mode to lose weight and keep that weight off. As mentioned before, the word we do NOT like to use is the "D" word...DIET....A "diet" implies a start date and an END date...and when we finiish the diet we go back to old behavior patterns. Of course, the old patterns result in weight gain.
Continuing to lose weight past your program visits or the maintenance of your weight if you have achieved your goal weight requires constant vigilance and monitoring. You MUST write that weight down once a week and have a PLAN if you see that number go up. If we have no plan or do not monitor the weight, it is incredibly easy to put back on every pound you lost.
We are certainly here as a resource for you...if the weight goes up a small amount, come in for one visit...we will provide you with the medical jumpstart, refocus you and get you back on track. Many people come back to us having gained back many pounds...they come in embarrassed, which they should NOT be, because we do understand these issues and know how easy it is to slip back into old behaviors.
Keep the awareness and vigilance...and if things slip a bit, come back to us for a quick "tuneup"
Continuing to lose weight past your program visits or the maintenance of your weight if you have achieved your goal weight requires constant vigilance and monitoring. You MUST write that weight down once a week and have a PLAN if you see that number go up. If we have no plan or do not monitor the weight, it is incredibly easy to put back on every pound you lost.
We are certainly here as a resource for you...if the weight goes up a small amount, come in for one visit...we will provide you with the medical jumpstart, refocus you and get you back on track. Many people come back to us having gained back many pounds...they come in embarrassed, which they should NOT be, because we do understand these issues and know how easy it is to slip back into old behaviors.
Keep the awareness and vigilance...and if things slip a bit, come back to us for a quick "tuneup"
Saturday, December 5, 2009
weight loss and maintenance
First, I want to thank the people who posted some very nice comments and also the patients and staff who were a part of our event last nite. We missed our patients who could not make it and do wish to thank you again for being our patients.
This past week we had a number of patients return to our practice who were with us awhile ago and unfortunately put on a significant amount of weight that they had lost. I emphasized to these patients (and to those of you who may have done this and have not come back in) that we understand this completely and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Many of these patients told me that they hesitated to pick up the phone and call us because of the embarrassment factor.
As much as we tell ourselves that there is no "finish line", when we exit the formal visits of a program psychologically we tend to perceive a finish line and start returning to old behavior patterns. As this relates to eating behaviors this will result in weight gain.
I implore every one reading this to write your weight down once a week next to your scale at home and if that weight goes up 5 pounds from when you exit our program, CALL US. This becomes a one time visit...not a multiple week, thousand dollar program. We will refocus you, provide you with a medical jumpstart again and you will lose those 5 pounds quickly. Unfortunately if 30 pounds or more goes back on it is a full program again.
This is hard...nothing easy about losing weight and maintaining. We are here to help you.
This past week we had a number of patients return to our practice who were with us awhile ago and unfortunately put on a significant amount of weight that they had lost. I emphasized to these patients (and to those of you who may have done this and have not come back in) that we understand this completely and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Many of these patients told me that they hesitated to pick up the phone and call us because of the embarrassment factor.
As much as we tell ourselves that there is no "finish line", when we exit the formal visits of a program psychologically we tend to perceive a finish line and start returning to old behavior patterns. As this relates to eating behaviors this will result in weight gain.
I implore every one reading this to write your weight down once a week next to your scale at home and if that weight goes up 5 pounds from when you exit our program, CALL US. This becomes a one time visit...not a multiple week, thousand dollar program. We will refocus you, provide you with a medical jumpstart again and you will lose those 5 pounds quickly. Unfortunately if 30 pounds or more goes back on it is a full program again.
This is hard...nothing easy about losing weight and maintaining. We are here to help you.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Maintaining your weight loss
I Had a woman return to our program yesterday after she gained 5 pounds in one month. She had originally entered our profgram in anticipation of her daughter's wedding, and proceeded to lose over 30 pounds before the wedding date. She reached her goal and felt/looked fabulous. After the wedding, she started slowly going back to some old behavior patterns, and when tracking the weight, decided that at 5 pounds, it was time to come back in for a "tune up".
The story above illustrates two things here: First, the concept of a psychological "finish line". When someone is striving to lose weight for an event whether it be a reunion or a wedding, after that date comes and goes, the person will mentally cross that finish line, and feel that he/she can now "take a break" and start returning to some old eating/drinking behaviors. Secondly, the monitoring of weight allowed this person to stop the gain at 5 pounds and not the entire 30 she had worked so hard to lose.
To maintain weight loss, one needs to try as best as possible to maintain your newly found patterns of planning and eating, and the monitoring of your weight is crucial to know at what point you may need a jumpstart help for a few weeks. If the above mechanisms are followed, there is no way that a person can gain back all the weight they have lost.
The story above illustrates two things here: First, the concept of a psychological "finish line". When someone is striving to lose weight for an event whether it be a reunion or a wedding, after that date comes and goes, the person will mentally cross that finish line, and feel that he/she can now "take a break" and start returning to some old eating/drinking behaviors. Secondly, the monitoring of weight allowed this person to stop the gain at 5 pounds and not the entire 30 she had worked so hard to lose.
To maintain weight loss, one needs to try as best as possible to maintain your newly found patterns of planning and eating, and the monitoring of your weight is crucial to know at what point you may need a jumpstart help for a few weeks. If the above mechanisms are followed, there is no way that a person can gain back all the weight they have lost.
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