At the Supermarket it’s on every magazine cover, online it’s advertised on every webpage, and 2-3 times a year it’s everyone’s best intention: Weight Loss. In North America, somewhere between 1/5th to 2/3rds of adults are classified as obese, depending on where you live, so it’s no surprise there are a lot of people who want to lose weight. It’s clearly not just your issue, but at least 1/5th of the Canadian population who are struggling with the same thing!
Weight Loss Efforts Follow a Pattern
It’s easy to find tips about how to lose weight – you grab that magazine, click that web link, or hop outside in a fit of motivation and go for a run. Better yet, we can plan it out and meal prep and hit that gym hard! Sometimes we even sign up for programs or clubs that encourage us to eat healthy and get moderate exercise. All of these methods are great, but the problem is they only work some of the time. Let’s talk about why.
It sounds counter-intuitive, but relapse is a normal part of change. Think about any attempt you’ve made at weight loss that has failed and you’ll realize it follows a similar pattern to this:
- Recognizing there’s a problem with weight and habits, but not yet ready to make changes.
- Preparation – Intention to lose weight grows, and some planning begins on how best to do it.
- Action – Hard work and dedication to eating right and/or working out. Usually good progress is seen within the first 3 weeks.
- Maintenance – The sensation that you’re in a “new normal”, despite knowing it may or may not last.
- Relapse – Fall back to old patterns of behaviour.
- Pre-Contemplation – no intent on changing the behaviour.
And then the pattern may repeat once, twice, three times per year or more. The important thing is that you get back on that horse and feel good about why you’re up there.
What to Do
Trust in the process, commit to it. With every relapse comes an advancement in the next approach, and eventually every attempt will become better and better. The cycle I had previously mentioned is actually called the “Cycle of Change” and it applies to any behavior we want changed. It’s not just a round circle, it’s a spiral: every time you round the cycle you actually end up higher above where you previously were.
Weight loss is a commitment to a process, not commitment to an action.
The more committed you are to the whole process, the faster you move from relapse to action, and the more change you will actually make. Don’t get down on yourself for falling off, and instead get right back on. The more times you end up falling off and getting back up, the better you’ll end up doing overall!
How we Help
Like anything theoretical – it’s easier said than done. It’s important to have good people, family, and friends around you, with your best interest on their mind, to call you out on what’s happening when they see it. We keep you on track by making sure you’re aware of the bigger picture. We also help you solve problems when they arise, because life is everything but predictable. You can also count on our 8+ years of schooling, and many more years of practice to help you figure out the best diet for yourself, and help you supplement any deficiencies or balance any hormones that make the whole thing harder to start in the first place. Ultimately, we achieve results by being professionals in the realm of the body.
Book an appointment with us if you want to get started on the journey of weight loss – we can make sure you start on the right track.
