How to Lose Weight – Part 1
By Estela Schnelle MS, RD
We are all looking for that magic solution to weight loss. Whether we feel we have 5 or 50 pounds to lose, most of us have tried more than one “diet” with the hopes that it will be our last attempt. I decided to start a series of articles on “How to lose Weight”… there will be several parts to this series… how many… who knows. This can be anywhere from a 6 part series to a 12 part series. There is so much information/education that I want to be sure all the RIGHT information is being delivered to you.
Sometimes The Harder We Try… The Harder We Fall!
No matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we want it… we always seem to fail. The wrong way to approach this is by viewing it as a diet. Permanent weight loss comes from permanent changes. It can be hard work at times… especially if we eat for emotional reasons. Change isn’t always easy. It is VERY important to not view this as a diet. I’m not going to tell you to eliminate dairy, give up carbs for two weeks, or give up your favorite foods. What I will do is guide you in the right direction and help you set your own rules for your body, so you can live a healthy lifestyle, live your life, all while enjoying the foods you love.
DO NOT Set a Goal Weight!
Think about it… every time we decide to lose weight we set a goal. We either set a goal of a certain “number” of pounds we want to lose, or we set of a goal of what we should weigh when the dieting is done. This is absolutely the wrong route to take. What we are doing is setting ourselves up for failure. Here’s the deal… our body wants to be at a healthy weight for our body type, whatever that is. An ideal healthy weight is different for each person. Each body is different, each metabolism is different, each bone structure is different, and therefore, each body weight will be different. So instead of trying to force ourselves to fit an “ideal weight” the focus should on making permanent healthy lifestyle changes. As far your weight goes, a better goal or mentality to have is “your body will land where it wants to land.” Start by making small changes, and your body will take care of the rest. This stops us from having an end to all the healthy changes we’ve made. Instead of saying to yourself, “I want to weigh X number of pounds”, say to yourself “My body will land where it wants to land”. As time goes on and we continue to change our lifestyle, our body will continue to change for the better.
Know Your Food Limits – Listen to Your Body
If we wanted, we can literally eat food all day long. Does our body really need all that food? Most likely NO! One of the keys to reaching your Natural Weight is portion control. Knowing how much food you really need and knowing your limits is very important. Like I mentioned before, your body wants to be at a healthy weight for your body type, the problem is we stopped listening to our body. If we only ate when we’re hungry and stop when we’re satisfied, we most likely wouldn’t have a weight problem. The problem is we eat for so many reasons other than hunger. Birthdays, family gatherings, social commitments, boredom, stress, loneliness… I could go on and on. Losing weight takes more than just that. It’s a combination of learning to identify when your hungry, eating the right food for you, and more importantly, eating the right amount of food.
My next article will focus on how to identify your natural hunger. Between now and then, try to identify your natural hunger. What is your definition of hunger? What are your views of weight loss? I will be answering blog comments on Tuesday and Part 2 of the series will be posted on Wednesday.
If you have any questions about this article, want to know more, or have suggestions for future topics, add a comment in the comments section below. If you know of anyone who may benefit from this article click on the “share this” icon below; from there you can post a link to this article or you can email it to a friend.
Tags: Natural Weight, weight loss
March 16th, 2009 at 7:42 am
I really like your perspective on this, but I have to be honest, not setting a goal weight seems so counter-intuitive to everything I have heard that it scares me a little. I am focusing on the “lifestyle” aspect of eating healthy and exercising versus thinking of it as a specific period of time to “diet.” I really want to make this part of my life for the long haul, not just right now. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
March 16th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Hi Colleen,
Not setting a goal weight is scary. This reason why I said that is because we can sometimes become so focused on a number, instead of a healthy lifestyle. Depending on what our starting weight is, setting a reasonable “loose” goal weight can be okay, as long as the focus is on the healthy lifestyle. The reality is we may be healthier at a weight higher than our “goal weight”, or, we may reach our goal weight and our body still wants to lose more, so our healthy weight may actually be lower than the goal we set. As long as the goal weight is taken lightly, and we are realistic about the weight goal we have, it could be okay. I understand people may read this and think I am going back on what I wrote… but the point I want to make is for people to not be focused on a number, focus on the lifestyle, and the number will work itself out.
By the way, I took a look at your blog and LOVE IT!!! The design is so cool!
March 16th, 2009 at 9:04 am
I have just been thinking about this idea the past few days. I am within the healthy range for my height. I would like to lose 10 more lbs b/c I used to weigh 10 lbs less & felt really good at that weight.
My problem is that I question if that is still a reasonable goal for me because my body seems content at the range I’m currently in. BUT I’m not as happy or confident in my body as I was 10 lbs less. I’m short (5′3) with a small-medium frame. I currently weigh 135.
I’ve been attempting to lose this “last 10 lbs” for months now which could be a sign that its too low for me. BUT I was there before & it didn’t seem to be too much work to maintain (when I was being mindful). I also am not sure I’ve given it 100% effort. Over the winter months, I was doing more exercise DVD’s & burning less calories than I was in the summer/fall. I was also eating more – my maintenance level.
My current plan is to focus on activity – trying to be active/exercise most days. I am also trying to listen to my hunger cues, choose healthy filling foods & not focus or limit myself to a number. I want to see (as you said) where my body wants to be naturally. If its here, I’ll have to live w/ that but I would love to lose a little more since I still feel a little thick. Its very hard for me to limit my calories & not feel restricted physically & mentally so I’m trying to really LISTEN & feed my body regardless of how many calories I take in on any given day. I feel good about my plan & feel like its the best approach for me (since trying to restrict my calories wasn’t working either) but do confess to feeling a bit anxious/worried about it.
Its hard to “let go” when you feel like you are not where you want to be just yet. However, I have read other articles recently (like yours) that make me think I can trust my body – it will tell me where it wants to be.
I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog – thanks so much again!
March 16th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Hi Weekly Bite! I’m a new fan of your blog (I read KERF and got linked to you) and I’m really looking forward to this series. I’ve recently read the popular “no-diet” book Intuitive Eating and it parallels with many of the ideas you are sharing. It is definitely more important to be HEALTHY than to be thin, and I think that can be a hard truth to live by at times, especially in our thin-driven society.
In your next article about natural hunger, I’d like to learn more about the biological aspects– such as why our stomach grumbles, why we may feel irritable, fatigued. What is “hypoglycemic” anyway? Haha, just wanting to know out of curiosity. Thanks and I’ll keep reading!
March 16th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
This is a great idea! A few years ago, before the whole “healthy weight loss movement” I came up with this idea myself. I struggled at first because I thought I should eat a lot less then the recommended amount of calories per day. I never believed in diets and I just wanted to figure out a way to live healthfully and environmentally friendly at the same time. You should totally do an article about how to stay healthy and eat locally! Anyway, thanks for the advise. Love the blog
March 16th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I’m really enjoying your blog and the helpful tips. Can’t wait for part two!!
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:32 am
Hello, im very anxious to read the rest of the series!! I really hope that a section can be focused on the ‘emotional’ aspect of eating. This goes with eating out of boredom, loneliness, stress, depression and even celebration. I would love to hear your opinion on this issue and your tips and ideas to help overcome this obstacle. Thanks!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I think you have made some excellent points here, especially about setting ourselves up for failure when we set a goal weight AND “the Harder we try” section.
Great stuff to think about!
Have a great day!
Candee
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:45 am
I think weight loss is all about three things – attitude, diet and exercise. From my experience, reducing carb intake and doing aerobic exercises are keys to successful weight loss.
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July 28th, 2010 at 7:13 am
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