Depending of which statistics you read – less than a third of all people who lose weight are able to keep it off permanently or 4 out of 5 people who lose weight are not successful at keeping it off, leading to a yo-yo dieting regimen that recurs each year as they gain and lose weight.
I am reminded of the movie Dangerous Minds where Michelle Pfeiffer plays the part of a an ex-marine teacher who teaches in a tough inner city school. She starts off by giving all the students an ‘A’ and it’s their job to keep and maintain that ‘A.’ She says it’s much harder to keep an ‘A’ than get one. Anyone can get an ‘A.’
Anyone can also lose weight. There are many safe and unsafe ways to lose weight. The people who have the most trouble keeping the weight off are the ones who lose weight rapidly with the latest fad diet or diet pill. There is not much work involved in losing weight with one of these methods. The healthy eating and living habits have not been developed that lead to a healthy lifestyle.
Quick fixes do not last long. Just as quickly as you lose the weight you’ll usually gain it all back and then some. So how do you keep the weight off? How do you become one of the few who lose weight and keep it off?
The people who do this successfully and permanently are the ones who develop better habits and make minor modifications to their life’s choices. They change the meaning that food plays in their life. They add some activity to their couch potato lifestyle. Can you do this? Yes, but it will take some work and effort.
The only way to keep weight off is to start eating a proper balanced diet and start exercising to keep the weight off. And it doesn’t have to be the traditional exercise that many people have in minds when they think of exercise. You can take up pole dancing. I kid you not. They actually give classes on pole dancing and they are becoming pretty popular. Or for a little less risqué you can take up regular dancing.
Set yourself some short term realistic goals. Try to keep the weight off for a week. Then 2 weeks. Then a month. Then 3 months and then 6 months and then for good. You can do this with the right motivation. You need motivation from your friends and family. If you have friends who are always trying to get you to go out and eat make sure you suggest some healthier restaurants.
Combine the right activities and eating habits and you’ll control your weight indefinitely.
Another tip is to start dating if you’re single. That’ll keep you motivated to keep the weight off so you can attract a mate. And then once you start dating take walks. Play basketball, or tennis, or learn dancing. Not only will you have fun but you won’t put the weight back on.
Learning how to keep weight off is just as important as losing the weight in the first place. You don’t want to keep jumping from diet to diet. Simple changes can lead to impressive results over time. Take the first step. Lose the weight once and keep it off. Keep your ‘A’
