When it Comes to Losing Weight Slower is Faster

Before you think I am crazy, let me prove my point.  I personally know quite a few people who have lost weight and then gained all the weight back at least twice in the past 2 to 3 years.  Like most people when they decided they wanted to lose weight, they wanted to lose it as fast as possible, so they did what most people do.  They started an intense workout and/or diet program that promised it would help them lose the weight they wanted the fastest possible way, and in most cases they did.  However, as in most cases, they burned out from the intense workouts and strict diet regimen.  Although they had achieved the results they wanted, they burned out and returned to the old habits and, in turn gained all the weight back, often with interest.  A few months go by, and they get inspired again, and the process is repeated with the same results.  Does this sound like anyone you know?  The undeniable fact is, to lose weight permanently, you must make permanent changes in your life.  The best way to make permanent changes in your life is to make them slowly over time.  No one can dispute this fact.  Incorporating changes, such as new eating and/or exercising habits, into your life slowly, gives your comfort zone a chance to expand to include the new eating and activity habits.  Try to make too many changes at once and you risk overwhelming yourself and burning out.  Of course, everybody has different tolerance to the discomfort created by change and how fast their comfort zone expands to include new habits.

            Now let’s take a look at a different approach to losing weight that might seem slower but in reality it is much faster.  This time instead of rushing into an intense weight loss program, you start slowly.  You use the first 4 to 8 weeks to ease yourself into the new exercise and diet regimen, thus giving your comfort zone plenty of time to expand.  Although it might take you 4 to 8 weeks to start losing weight, once you start losing weight it will be with less effort, and you will not be feeling overwhelmed.  The bottom line is, although it might take you a little bit longer to lose the weight, you will be able to keep the weight off and will not need to lose the same weight all over again next year.  This is the way I help my clients at Olympus Personal Training lose weight and keep it off.