When I started my latest weight loss attempt, I had already been working out with some strength training and recumbent cycling for six weeks, so I was already in the habit of exercising, but that alone wasn’t enough because I wasn’t losing weight. I was hoping that my knee problems would be solved solely by working out. They weren’t. I had started exercising the day after Christmas, five to six days a week, doing a mix of cycling and weight training.
It now was the middle of February, and to my horror, I hadn’t lost any weight! I wanted to be more fit because my husband wanted to do some multi-day bicycle tours next year and I needed some cardiovascular endurance for that. It’s worth mentioning that I have a very supportive husband of 35 years who has never cared about my body size. He has always encouraged me and supported me and never criticized me about the way I look or my eating habits.
I mentioned in my previous post that my motivators were, a sobering photo of myself that I didn’t like, a bad knee that had me limping and the future threat of 15 pills a day to counteract the health impact of my years of obesity. I was finally going to do this and succeed at it.
What is different this time? It’s the first weight loss attempt since that fateful conversation with the nurse practitioner. My great revelation to her was very simple and very true. I confessed to her that I was overweight because when I eat a meal, my portions are too big.
I know you were probably hoping for some secret to unlock some magic weight loss mojo. After trying many diets over the course of my life, watching an endless Facebook video reels promising a magic calorie solution that I can never get to in the video (because I give up after 15 minutes of promises and assertions), I’ve concluded those magic solutions simply don’t exist. All the little tips and tricks can impact your weight, but not as dramatically as most of them claim. I wanted to believe that there was some specific ‘thing’ about me that was preventing me from losing weight. There was… It was me!
There is one scientific truth about our bodies that cannot be avoided: We are overweight because our bodies are burning less calories than we are consuming, and we choose to ignore this fact. This is the undeniable truth, no matter how our bodies are functioning.
The only way to lose weight is to eat less calories than our bodies can burn. So, you can either make your body burn more calories or eat less calories. The good news is this: We are in total control of these two options. We get to choose how we do this. The opinions are far and wide on how to accomplish this. Focus on those two options and choose a weight loss strategy that you can stick with and that works for you. I recommend that everyone seek medical advice before starting a weight loss regime. You want to do this the healthy way. Additionally, if you think you need a certified nutritionist then seek one out. Be very cautious about advice from the internet. There are lots of people that have lost tens or hundreds of pounds, and some that haven’t but say they did. Keep in mind that the strategies are unique to their body and eating habits. There is no “one size fits all.”
There may be medical reasons that make calorie burning more challenging for some people than others, for sure, but those probably have a more minor impact than we would like to believe because, hey, any excuse like “I can’t lose weight because I have this medical condition” gives us the handy excuse to keep going as we have been. If you cannot embrace the simple, scientific truth about calories consumed versus calories burned, then you are not ready to start a weight loss plan. Do not set yourself up to fail by starting a weight loss plan before you are ready. Be patient with yourself until you are at a place where you feel you can commit to it.
Please don’t start a weight loss program if your goal is to prove you can’t lose weight because of something unique about your body. If this is what you are doing, then you are not ready!
If you need instant gratification, this is going to be a frustrating journey for you at the beginning, because progress will seem slow at first. Sometimes our bodies don’t display what the scale says. Don’t give into that need for instant results and get frustrated by how long it is taking. You want to do this safely and in such a manner that you are not harming yourself more by your weight loss attempt than by actually being overweight. I can’t emphasize enough that you seek out a medical professional for advice about how much weight you should lose and at what rate. I opted for one to two pounds a week.
Accept that this could be a months-long journey. For me, it took 6 months and I’m still dieting beyond my goal to get into that ‘medically acceptable’ weight range. Don’t lie to yourself and give yourself a goal that sets you up to fail. Depending on how much weight you want/need to lose, it could take a long time.
If you are not ready, take the time you need to get to a place where you can be ready to do this, and don’t beat yourself up over not being ready. Do it for the right reasons.
When I wrote my first draft of this post, I was 3 months and 21 days into my weight loss attempt. At my weigh-in earlier that week, I had lost 43.5 pounds since that day in February. It wasn’t easy at first, but it is much easier now than it was when I started. This is the most weight I’ve ever lost on a diet in my life! This time, it was about me digging deep into myself and truly trying to understand why I eat the way I do. I’m not asking myself what baggage I have/had that makes me overeat. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is what do I get out of my eating habits, how can I change them and still get what I need and do it with less calories?
You CAN do this. I promise.
