self-accountability

When people decide to that it is time to stop coming for their weekly visits to our program I implore that there has to be a strong sense of self-accountability. When patients come here weekly, we weigh them, discuss the week's challenges, make suggestions as to how to navigate around the difficult stressful times and not allow those food sources in that will damage our weight loss efforts.

When there are no weekly, visits, the person is then "in charge" of their own accountability systems. Psychologically, when people know they have a weigh-in in front of a physician or nutritionist, there is a bigger push for success. Fear that if there is no success will have the professional "disappointed" in that person's efforts? Spending very valuable money on a program and not achieveing success? These may be the psychological factors involved with outside "accountability".

Make contracts with yourself: Reward yourself for success, establish goals and reward yourself (non-calotic) for reaching those goals. Stop by here for weigh-ins (no cost!!) and please read my blog daily to stay connected with me.

Self-accountability

Yesterday we saw several patients who started our program, and for business travel reasons, family issues, etc. would up missing a number of appointments and came back in over a month since their last visit. A fairly significant weight gain occurred. We of course are not upset/angry or in any other way disappointed in the person. We do try to help the person self-analyze to find out what happens when they leave the weekly medical supervision that makes weight gain occur. Clearly, when we get distracted and lose focus, we start returning to old behavior patterns such as not planning our meals, not counting portions of foods, reaching for quick foods, doing distracted eating, etc. The result, of course, is the weight going right back up. Weekly, when someone comes for folowups, we of course weigh the patient, discuss the challenges of that week, provide encouragement and advice, etc. This "accountability" is a very powerful psychological motivator to keep "in the zone". On your own, this accountability becomes a "self" accountability and this oftens waivers in its' strength.

By writing this blog everyday, encouraging our patients to just come in and use our scale after they finish the formal weekly visits to our program, staying in touch with Linda via e-mail, or even coming in once every 1-2 months for an appointment, perhaps we can help you reinforce your self-accountability as this relates to your weight loss efforts. The long term success of your efforts can be enhanced by developing strong self-accountability systems. Keep that clipboard next to your scale and recod those weekly weights, analyze trneds, and then have a gameplan to do somehting about it if you see a rising pattern. You can ALWAYS pick up the phone or send us an e-mail if you need help. When you formally leave your weekly visits, you are still part of the Serotonin-Plus family. (Oops..did I just rip that one off from the Olive Garden commercial?)