“With our program you can lose 20 pounds in just 4 weeks!”
“Lose 10 inches in just 5 days!”
“I want to lose 20 pounds in time for my wedding next month.”
“I have 50 pounds to lose – I hope I can do it in 10 weeks.”
How often have you heard claims or expectations of rapid weight loss such as these? I made these up and they aren’t direct quotes of anyone I know, but I’ve heard such saying so many times and I’ve made similar statements myself to know they just aren’t realistic.
There’s more to losing weight than losing weight.
What are the motives behind losing weight? Are you doing this for your health, for you, or for someone else? For me, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I started out wanting to know what it felt like – as an adult – to really be what I would call skinny. Not anorexic skinny, or skeleton skinny, but a healthy, svelte skinny. I wanted to be able to move faster, play with my grandkids, and oh, if it made me more attractive to single, available men, that was a bonus but not my main goal. I didn’t put a number on the size of clothes I wanted to get into, or the ultimate weight on the scale that I wanted to be, but I did have a range that I was aiming for. After all, you have to set goals, but goals – of any sort – need to be attainable and realistic. I’ve seen so many people set these high expectations only to miss the mark when the date came near that they then threw in the towel completely.
“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap only to stumble backward.”
How healthy is the weight loss program you’ve chosen? Is it sustainable? I’ve found that I really despise the word “diet”. Every time I hear that now, something inside me gets somewhat defensive and irritated. Maybe it’s because of all the times I’ve been on a diet and failed. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen my youngest daughter go on diets, even going to bariatric doctors and nutritionists and they never worked for her. I’ve seen friends go on bizarre diets where they lose a few pounds only to eventually gain it all back – and more. I’ve known people who have claimed to lose x number of inches off their hips or waist in an unusually short amount of time, like days, which in my experience and in those I know around me who are on the same journey, is near impossible – unless you’re losing water weight or pulling the tape measure too tight. And… I’ve seen people return to Weight Watchers after hitting their goal, only because they stopped doing what was working.
To be fair, there are many weight loss programs out there that work. Weight Watchers isn’t the only one – but for me, it’s the one that is sustainable and teaches how to eat moderately, healthy, and realistically. For example, tonight I had bacon in my omelet. What? you say? Yup. Not a ton – I weighed it and counted the points and it was just a small amount crumbled into the fake eggs for flavor. But there are no “restricted” foods on my food plan.
Time takes time. When I started my weight loss journey, I figured out how much I needed to lose – at least 90 pounds. I figured, man, I can do that in a year. No problem. That’s only 7.5 pounds a month. How hard can that be?
Well, here it is 17 months later, and it has been hard work. I’m thirteen pounds away from my Weight Watchers goal weight. What I didn’t consider by doing straight math is that life and reality can get in the way of my progress.
- My monthly hormones can cause a weight gain.
- Heat causes water retention with me, and subsequent weight gain.
- Exercise causes the muscles to retain fluids, hence a temporary weight gain.
- Cravings hit and I break down and have one too many bowls of popcorn.
- I get sick and want comfort food.
- I quit tracking and measuring food, and I have a gain at the scale the next week.
- I forget to drink enough water.
Just say no to crazy promises. Seriously. I wish I could help people realize that a healthy, sustainable weight loss is really about moderation and balance. So many people seem to know this, but they still get caught up in the instant gratification promises made by these crazy programs. Anything in excess or extremes is not good for you, and that goes for a weight loss (or exercise) regime. 
Anyway, I’m excited to lose the next 13 pounds. This may take me 13 more weeks, or even 20, but whenever I get there, it will be just the right time for me so that the likelihood of me gaining it back is nil. By then, I will have completely changed my behavior, transformed my eating habits, and my new way of life will have become a healthy habit.
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