Three Easy Steps? Get Real

The internet is full of quick fixes and glib promises. In fact, when I told my friend that I wanted to write this blog, she warned me not to. “People don’t want to hear about methods that take months and years to accomplish”, she said, “they want quick, easy, painless.” Learning to reach a healthy weight and stay there is a process. It’s not impossible but it certainly isn’t easy, either. So, what does it take? I have three steps. They are rewarding, but they all require a bit of training.

1. Develop a new relationship with food. I love food—everything about food. I think about it a lot and I’ve turned that love into a strength for maintenance. I nurture myself with delicious and nutritious meals and snacks. I provide myself and my loved ones with a wide variety of new and familiar foods, knowing that the mind and body love novelty as much as they love tradition. Over the years, my choices have changed and with them, my tastes. Most meals are based on produce now, and I eat foods that have a low-calorie density with gay abandon. As I did when I weighed 50 pounds more, I still think about dinner during breakfast and the next days meals during dinner, but I know my choices will be mouth-wateringly delicious. I don’t fix and eat boring diet foods but I certainly watch the calories. As you plan your meals, consider variety, quality, and flavor. No one wants to eat boring diet food.
2. Learn to love movement. Boy, have I learned to love exercise! You probably know that while exercise is not very helpful for weight loss, it is essential to weight maintenance. It speeds metabolism, builds muscle, aids sleep, and is the best antidepressant on the planet. Not only that, but exercising regularly makes you want to exercise regularly. My partner and I enjoy several strength-building classes and get out for long walks four or five times each week. Our two-mile walks have morphed into four-mile walks, and we never run out of food for conversation. We plan our walks with a destination in mind whether it be lunch, or coffee, or shopping, or the zoo, or the beach, or checking out what houses in our neighborhood are for sale. As you think about how to add movement to your daily life, consider what you really love. Is it dance, swimming, hiking? Make those the centerpiece of your plans.
3. Live your life flexibly. As I have written elsewhere, Weight Management is a Game of Strategy, Not a Religion. I do not hold my appetite back like it’s a mad dog, ready to attack any “bad” food that it sees. Instead, I simply have the occasional cookie, I take a portion of something rich and delicious. I live my life without guilt or fear. Mostly, I’m eating well and moving often. Mostly, I’m happy with eating on the light side and exercising on the heavy side. But not always. So, I cut myself some slack, making sure I do so without guilt or remorse. As I mentioned in Ditch the Deprivation, the harder you hold yourself back, the more forcefully, you will land in the middle of a big, fattening dessert!

So, these are three of the things I do to succeed in maintaining my weight. They are probably not the only things I do, but they seemed important today. The take-away is this: Relax into a process of reaching and maintaining your healthy weight. No one ever effected permanent change through torture, and eating and moving are, essentially, life. These three relatively easy steps can fit into any schedule, any family situation, and any personality type. Are they quick and easy? No. Are they humanly possible? Indeed! Need more specifics to make these changes? No problem! We’ll be breaking these three steps down in much greater detail in upcoming posts. You can do this!