THE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM WEIGHT CONTROL (part 4)

8. Learn to Deal with Set Backs!

Weight loss and long-term weight management rarely happens in a linear fashion. Every weight controller will struggle with temptation, old habits, and times when the scale won’t seem to budge. It is important that you set realistic goals as well as workable plans for those “rough” days. For example, if you eat the wrong foods or too many foods one day, you have a plan to write down every extra calorie and then figure out how you will work that off with exercise the next day.

Dr. Kirschenbaum of Healthy Living Academies often talks about the “Honeymoon Stage.” This is when you are highly motivated at the beginning of a diet – you are seeing results, feeling great, walking and moving more – you feel as if nothing can stop you. This stage does not last forever.

Temptations – not only to eat the “old way” but to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of taking that walk around the neighborhood – are bound to occur. Studies show that the longer you follow a healthy plan with daily self-monitoring, the easier it gets to stick to it. You will begin to really feel it when you don’t exercise – many report they feel down or depressed if they miss a couple of days of working out. Your body and mind begin to accept the new healthy lifestyle and over time you will find yourself developing strategies to keep yourself on track.

If you are aware of the types of events or situations that can trip you up, you will not need to beat yourself up – you will instead have an arsenal of weapons against these pitfalls or slumps.

Here are the main issues that tend to sabotage weight controllers:

Expecting to be perfect all the time: if you have unrealistic expectations about your ability to never eat that fattening food or never overeat at a school party, you may turn a temporary lapse into a longer relapse. Accept a temporary set back and immediately start back with self-monitoring and exercise. Consider each day a new beginning.

Injuries or illnesses can set you back. You have just worked up to 4 miles a day and you pull your hamstring. The doctor says you need to keep off the leg for a few weeks. Re-assess your caloric intake when you cannot do the same workout; find ways to still exercise – in this case you could do your upper body, abdominal, and other exercises that don’t involve the injured leg. Don’t expect to exercise at the same level of intensity when you have healed. It may take a few weeks to build up your cardiovascular fitness again if you have been out of commission for a while. Accept this and do not berate yourself as this can lead to giving up.

Avoiding the Scale: It is not a good sign when you don’t want to get on the scale. This can often lead to self-deception and a self-fulfilling prophecy. The longer you avoid the scale, the more damage you might see when you finally realize you are sliding down the slippery slope of weight gain.

Vacations and special events: when you change your schedule or attend events where you are not as in control of the foods served, it can be easy to throw the diet out completely. Continue self-monitoring throughout the vacation. At special events, find the crudités (raw vegetables) and fill up on those before even thinking about the other choices. Most hotels have a gym and swimming pool – use them. If you are vacationing in a new area, take a nice long walk to get to know the area. You can ask a hotel concierge if there are any designated walking paths in the area.

Major changes in relationships: breaking up a relationship, finding out someone has been dishonest, learning that you are failing an important class – these are all events that can be unsettling or even devastating. Increase your cardio workouts to deal with stress – the neurobiological impact of exercise can be a great friend during times of emotional crisis. Again, continue your-self-monitoring, even if you are far from perfect. You are still a weight controller, even when it isn’t going as well as you’d like.

Financial Stress: Very few people are immune to the stress of money issues. At some point most people have to deal with this. Teens are not immune to the financial stresses of their parents. If your family is going through a difficult time financially, reassure your children and help them focus on maintaining a healthy eating plan. Exercise will better enable your child, and you, to deal with any financial crises.

Medications: some medicines make people feel tired or sluggish. You  should never simply accept the way a medication makes you feel without discussing other options with your doctor. You might simply be on a medication that is not right for you. Many medications prescribed to children have been tested mainly in adults. Ask your child to keep notes on any changes they notice if they are on medication – they can add this to their self-monitoring journal. It is important that you maintain an open dialogue with your physician. As a person now focused on long-term health you have a right to be intimately involved with medical decisions that impact your quality of life and that of your children.

The one thing successful long-term weight controllers have in common is the ability to face problems head on versus trying to escape or avoid the problems. They also tend to reach out for support from others more often than people who tend to regain their weight.

If you do have a slump or fall into old patterns, the important thing to do is get back on track as soon as possible. If you self-monitor every day, this will be easier. You have certainly heard about 12-step programs. In those programs, members do not say “I will never do X again!” They say instead, “Today I will not do X.” Those who successfully stay in recovery from addiction will say again and again, “It is one day at a time.” Why is this important? Psychologists have described a phenomenon called the “Abstinence Violation Effect” or AVE. 

People who set unrealistic expectations that they will never again for the rest of their lives do something are devastated by a set back. It is harder for these people to get back on the road to recovery again. Therefore, 12-steppers stay in the moment. How does this translate to weight control?

What you did yesterday occurred yesterday. Today you are starting fresh. So you ate chocolate cookies last night. Today you do not eat chocolate cookies and you add 20 minutes to the elliptical workout. Weight controllers who think this way are more successful over the long run. Those who say, “I ate cookies last night so I may as well eat donuts for breakfast because I am a failure,” create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You Can Succeed Trust Your-self..

After reading these articles, you should soon be on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Remember that the steps you take toward improving your health should be considered permanent changes—lifelong habits that will help you to maintain a healthy weight, whether you’re 9—or 90. Over time, these changes will feel natural, and probably desirable. Eventually, you may not even remember your life being any other way. Or more likely, you won’t want it to be any other way!