Common Things We Hear or Say That Hijack Our Weight Loss Success - Part 2 of 3

"No matter what I do, the scale never goes down."

How frustrating is this one? How depressing is it to go to your doctor's office, hear your weight, and be told you're obese according to the body mass index (BMI) chart. "I'd like you to start eating healthy and lose at least 50 pounds," your doctor says. "Have a good day. Next!"

Well, that wasn't helpful. You think, I'm trying, but nothing works. I hate the scale and I hate you, doc. Let's get one thing straight—health is not weight. They are not synonymous. Weight is just one of many measurements, including lab values such as triglycerides, glucose, and C-reactive protein; behaviors such as exercise and sleep cycles; and more that can help assess one's true health status and risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even eating disorders. 

I don't like weight scales. They don't accurately gauge health or percent of body fat. The specific number on the scale reflects just a moment in time. It's the trend of those numbers and how quickly the numbers fluctuate that may provide insight into your health status. Remember that losing too much weight can be just as unhealthy as gaining too much weight too quickly. 

Remember: Health and happiness matter more than the number on the scale. Feel confident and celebrate yourself the way you are. Be your own best friend. Forget the scale and focus on eating well, moving often, and being mindful of the many gifts and talents you share with the world, which is your real worth as a human being.

"I lost 40 pounds on one diet, but I gained it all back and more."

How many diets have you tried? Atkins, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Scarsdale Diet, the BluePrint juice cleanse, and now this, the Body Clock Diet. Don't worry. This is not a fad diet. This is the anti-diet.

A fad diet has a beginning and an end point. And once you stop your fad diet, you tend to overeat and gain all the weight back plus more. This happens every time you choose a calorie-restrictive diet, so you end up with a higher set weight than if you had never restricted in the first place. This can lead to an unhealthy pattern called yo-yo dieting. 

Remember: Starving yourself ultimately makes you fatter. Stop dieting and establish a lifestyle habit of eating well.

"Tonight is my birthday, and we're going out to eat. I'll start my diet tomorrow."

This classic declaration is a sure way to set yourself up for failure. The idea of starting a diet tomorrow rather than choosing to create change right now is the MO of start/stop fad dieting. Self-care is not a game that begins and ends.

Habitual nourishment means establishing a pattern of eating with no right or wrong, winning or losing. Food, exercise, and self-care are choices we make. There is no cheating—only choices with consequences. Take a mindful breath, decide to eat or not to eat, and then move on. The cheating mentality is self-sabotaging. Who are you cheating? Yourself?

Remember: All foods fit, and it's about choosing which foods, how much, and when to eat. This is not a game, so cheating is not in your vocabulary.

Part 3




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