If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
Ok, I’ve read a LOT of weight loss success stories. But I always had difficulty identifying with that person and their wonderful “after” photos. They obviously were much more together than I was. Just because they could lose weight didn’t mean that I could. They had the willpower and the self-discipline that I didn’t. That’s what I told myself. This is why I wanted to begin by telling you what life used to be like for me. For most of my adult years, I was an emotional binge eater. Food was my drug and I involved it in every aspect of my life. Most days, I would eat until I felt uncomfortable. I was so out of control when it came to food that I convinced myself that I would never be able to lose weight. Even so, I began my new “diet” nearly every Monday. Each time I failed, I hated myself more. I was clinically depressed, ashamed, and I hid from the world. I was truly miserable and it affected every part of my life. Feeling fat has been at the front of my mind since the 4th grade, even though I was not overweight as a child. That came later. I was consumed by my weight during my late teens, my 20's and half of my 30's. How on earth did I finally find some success at 35 after so many years of failure? I ask myself that a lot. I haven't truly figured it out yet, but I’ve reached my goal and I’ve maintained my weight for 8 months. Here’s what I’ve learned so far…

Failure Is Not An Option
On March 18, 2002 (a Monday, naturally), I got out of bed and changed my life. The previous weekend, I had begun to wear my husband’s jeans because all of my pants were too tight to be comfortable. That Monday morning, I decided, once and for all, that I was DONE being miserable and that I was tired of feeling bad about myself. I created a log so that I could write down my weight every morning and I began some hardcore strategizing about the steps that I was going to take to finally conquer this problem of mine. It has been fifteen months since that pivotal day, and the strongest belief I now have about all of this is that weight loss will only happen if you look to yourself to make it happen. It's a decision that has to come from your core. It is a decision to succeed and nothing else. Every other time I tried to lose weight, I looked outside of myself for the answer. I bought a book, a drug or a fitness product or I signed up with a weight loss service, etc. I would be super excited and convince myself many times that THIS would be IT! But when these things failed to provide the magic answer I was looking for, I gave up. I was looking to these "cures" to magically change my life when I should have turned to myself for the power to change. If I had done that, I would have known that it was the pill, the product, the program, or the service that failed, not ME. That confidence in myself and in my own power would have pushed me forward to continue my quest for a solution that fit MY needs. My sister agrees wholeheartedly with me. On October 4th, 2000, she decided that she would no longer be a smoker even though she had been one for nearly three decades. She wasn't going to TRY - she was going to quit. Patch or pill, it wouldn't have mattered what she used to help her along the journey. She made the decision from her core and it was just a matter of figuring out the details. You have to want it so badly that you will do whatever it takes to make it work. Even the best of excuses will not stand in your way. I had some pretty good ones. But once I acknowledged them, I was able to take away their power over me and maneuver around them one by one.

Success Begets Success
When you hear or read that there are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss, don’t believe it! There IS instant success. Your magic number on the scale may not appear overnight, but even just one victorious day full of planning and follow-through will provide immediate results. It is wonderful to wake up in the morning feeling great about the day before and so refreshing to feel positive and hopeful for the day to come. One successful day leads to another, and before long, you have an amazing forward motion and the confidence that you can do it!

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is
I’ve tried so many fad diets. I would commit to eating foods I didn’t like and make changes to my lifestyle that were not comfortable or enjoyable. Failure soon followed because it was too difficult to maintain changes that didn’t fit my life. They always sound so great – “Lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks with NO exercise!” How awesome is that? But these kind of magical diets are not the answer to long-term weight loss. For me, they were just another way to throw my money away and add to my despair and sense of hopelessness.

Knowledge Is POWER
When you are armed with knowledge, it makes you more likely to make healthy choices and less apt to fall for the latest fad diet. When you know more about good nutrition and effective exercise, you become wary of the person who is trying to sell you something (a book, pill, program, infomercial product, etc.). I have become a student again – I love to go to the library and check out books (for free!) on nutrition, healthy cooking, exercise, etc. When I have a question about something, the Internet is also a huge resource. My constant quest for information really keeps me on track, focused and excited about staying healthy. I’ve realized that I don’t have to regard one author as THE expert on the subject. By reading several sources, I’ve been able to gather up many wonderful nuggets of information from a wealth of “experts.” When I read a book, there are always concepts and ideas that I connect with and others that I disregard. This is a big part of the evolution and customization of my journey! I have two very favorite books. I love them because they share the wonderful message that weight loss and long-term maintenance is actually possible! They are: Keeping it Off: Secrets of permanent weight loss from people who have lost 20 – 275 lbs and kept them off for over 5 years (1985) by Robert H. Colvin, Ph.D. and Susan C. Olson, Ph.D. This book may be hard to find (check your library), but it is AWESOME.
Thin for Life: 10 Keys to Success from people who have lost weight and kept it off (1994) by Anne M. Fletcher, M.S., R.D. I also love the author, Jim Karas, who wrote The Business Plan for the Body and Flip the Switch: Discover the Weight-Loss Solution and the Secret to Getting Started I also tend to agree most of the time with Oprah Winfrey, Bob Greene, Dr. Phil McGraw and my favorite health magazine is Prevention. Chances are, you'll connect with entirely different "experts" on the subject. Remember that it’s YOUR journey and YOU will design it in ways that work for YOU.

Change Is Good
Whatever you do, don't get bored!! This has been another big lesson I’ve learned. Monotony is extremely dangerous if you want to continue to move forward with weight loss. I can’t let myself get to a point where I am less than thrilled about my eating or exercise efforts. If my current approach becomes tedious or ineffective, I lose interest and it becomes impossible to stay focused on my goals. If I start to get bored with a workout, I find a new one or rotate back to another one I haven’t used in a while. And as I mentioned before, educating myself about exercise and healthy eating also keeps the boredom away. The main thing is to make a CHANGE if something isn’t working for you. This also applies when you hit the inevitable plateau.

Failing To Plan Is Planning To Fail
I believe with all my heart that planning ahead is completely essential when it comes to successful weight loss! Sometimes it comes down to planning what will happen in the next minute. For example, sometimes when I’m making lunch for the boys, I have to tell myself, "I’m going to reach into the cupboard for the cheese puffs, give the boys their portion, take 3 puffs for myself, close the bag and put it away." If I don’t plan and strategize around a potentially dangerous situation (cheese puffs, in my book, are to die for), I could easily end up bingeing! If I’m going to be away from the house for any length of time, I plan to have water and healthy snacks with me just in case. That way, I don’t end up in the drive-thru ordering a cheeseburger and fries because I’m starving to death. With exercise, I plan ahead by deciding exactly what I’m going to do and when. I have to make that appointment with myself and view it as non-negotiable. If I wait for the perfect time to exercise, it doesn’t happen. Planning ahead, to me, just means visualizing the future – whether it’s the next bite or the coming week. It’s identifying your obstacles and challenges and designing strategies to rise above them.

Steal Victory From The Jaws Of Defeat
It may be wise if you also plan to fail. There will be just as many downs on this journey as there are ups. The “high” you feel when you first begin will, without a doubt, fade away. It will not always be fun or exciting or easy. The compliments will decrease in number the longer you maintain your loss. There is definitely a “honeymoon” period with weight loss and it does come to an end. Your motivation may go by the wayside. It will not seem worth it at times. You will not always make the best choices. The trick is to EXPECT all of this to happen and PLAN to continue your battle despite all the challenges you’ll encounter. Find the value in your mistakes, learn from them and figure out how to keep moving forward (and you don’t have to wait until the following Monday morning to get back on track!). As Dr. Phil says, “This will not be a success only journey.”

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
Not many of us want to be in front of a camera when we are at an unhappy weight. Nonetheless, it may be a good idea to take lots of “before” and “during” photos to look back on when you finally take your “after” shots. Seeing the changes is inspiring and very motivating when it comes to doing what it takes to either lose or maintain. Those thousand words are just as useful. You might want to keep a journal, log your weight, your calories, your exercise, and find your patterns of success and failure. Try recording your journey as you go along and use it as a tool for success. Then, you can look back on all your hard work. It’s a great way to remind yourself of your victories and progress! It’s also helpful to see that those stubborn plateaus do actually pass.

To Each His Own
I’ve been asked many times about what my “secret” to weight loss is. The truth is, everyone will have his or her own version of this big “secret.” Here’s a quote I love from the book Keeping It Off: “There are good reasons that no single successful slimmer can instruct other individuals. Permanent weight loss is a very personal, highly individual process. Successful weight-loss programs are almost always home-built and custom-made.” My home-built, custom-made plan works because it fits ME. I didn’t have it all mapped out from the very beginning – it has been a slow evolution. This is why I don’t know what to say when people ask me how I lost weight. I’d have to bend their ear for hours! I’m sure it will continue to grow and change, but my current plan is as follows: I exercise 5-6 times a week alternating cardio days with strength training days. I love to run, hike and ride my bike for cardio. My strength training is home workouts with Firm videos and free weights (I’m addicted). With the help of CalorieKing.com, I count my calories, keeping them between 1300-1500. I keep my fat percentage under 20%, my protein around 30% and my carbs under 55%. I also try to keep my sodium intake under 2500 mg. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day and chew gum in between if I get the munchies. I journal my weight, calories, exercise and water intake on a daily basis. I rarely eat meat and I’m currently trying to learn more about how I can cut out more sugar and dairy from my diet. I would also love to take a Pilates class 2 or 3 times a week. Last, but certainly not least, I make the Working Toward a Slimmer You message board at Womens-Place.com an important part of each and every day. That’s where I find amazing support, friendship, information, focus and accountability. You might read the above and think that my weight maintenance efforts monopolize my life. I assure you, it doesn’t. I’m a busy wife and mother of two very active little boys and I also work from home several hours a week. I’ve just become pretty good at sneaking these things into my daily routine. I stopped putting my needs behind everyone else’s. I agree with Anne Fletcher who states in Thin for Life, “Put yourself first. You need to get stubborn and develop a kind of selfishness about yourself and your weight.” I learned gradually that I’m actually a better nurturer if I take care to nurture myself, too!

Success Is A Journey Not A Destination
Read the above cliché again – it is, by far, my favorite. There’s no end to my journey. I hit my goal and I’ve maintained for 8 months, but I am NOT done. I’m still plugging away, making mistakes and looking for answers. I’m positive that if I felt like my work was all behind me, I would gain back the weight in a hurry. I’ve lost weight before, but I wasn’t successful at maintaining it because I just went right back to my old ways. I treated reaching my goal as the end of the weight loss process. I can now embrace the fact that this battle will never be over for me. It really is just beginning! It takes a lot of thought and effort, but the rewards are phenomenal. I am much more pleased with my appearance, but the best part is that I’m happy. Being happy has a profoundly wonderful effect on my life and I want to do anything in my power to hold on to that. My Favorite Links to Helpful Sites and Great Articles:

Free Online Diet and Fitness Journal

Online Comprehensive Weight Loss Center (subscription)

Nutritional Guidlines

4-Week Slimdown – great way to get started!

Prevention Magazine’s Site

28 Small Changes That Will Make a Big Difference

MSN Diet and Nutrition Center

Train For A 5k Even If You’ve Never Been a Runner

Get with the Program (phase 4 is strength training)

MSN Smart Fitness

~Article written by Support Coach K.Lee.