Keep That Lost Weight Lost!

You've heard it before. Diets don't work! A sad statistic is that 90% of people who lose weight gain it back and usually more. It doesn't have to be that way.

Remember when you were young and your parents would measure your height and mark the wall? If you tried it again the next day or week or even month there would be no perceptible change - but if you waited six months you could see the progress. This makes a perfect metaphor for any kind of human improvement like gaining knowledge, growing spiritually, developing a relationship, taking a vitamin or permanent weight loss. Human beings are not able to make huge changes and maintain them. We just aren't designed that way. All personal growth or improvement happens a little at a time. The key is to make changes one at a time with the intent to make it a permanent change. Of course weight will come off more slowly but it will stay off. Here are a few idea's. Pick one or two, work on it until it becomes a life style change and then move on to something else.

1. Exercise everyday! Well six times a week anyway. Even 20 minutes a day. Anybody can can find 20 minutes! Just put on your shoes and walk out the door. Everyday. Never miss. You wouldn't think of not eating everyday! Everyday. Decide this will be part of your life forever and then do it! Everyday.

2. Cut high fructose corn syrup out of your diet completely. Yes it is made from corn but you won't find HFCS in nature and it's bad, bad, bad. I won't list all the ills associated with it here, any google search will give you that. Let it suffice to say that it contributes to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, suppresses the chemical in our bodies that tell us we are full and more. Besides soda (for more on soda see older post "Don't Hate Me - I'm Just the Messenger"), it is found in many otherwise healthy foods like yogurt, whole wheat bread, food bars, vitamin water drinks and sports drinks. Condiments such as ketchup, BBQ sauce, pickle relish and most salad dressings. It is also in candy, and other "snack" foods, especially food marketed to children.

3. Here's some other bad stuff. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fat. Think shortening. Now imagine a big scoop of that in your children's peanut butter, a Costco muffin or chicken McNuggets. The food industry is doing better with this one, but check your chips, cookies anything fried, and of course, your peanut butter.

4. Avoid fast food. First of all it is fast. If we actually had to make that meal we might find we just aren't that hungry. Worse is what is in it. The food is manipulated and filled with chemicals from farm and ranch to the time it is placed it that (hopefully) recycled bag. Consider the McNugget. It has 38 ingredients including several that are completely synthetic, butane and at least one known carcinogen.

5. Eat breakfast. Make sure you include a protein like eggs. (See older post "Eat and Lose Weight")

"Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible - and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you." Dieter Uchtdorf