Popular diet programs are now trying to change the psychological mindset of would-be participants by declaring that their methods of weight loss aren’t defined by the “diet” label, but that they are more adequately classified by the term “lifestyle change.” They feel if they can address the difficulty of the diet and exercise undertaking immediately and make sure people understand it requires a total life overhaul, they will be more likely to attract individuals who are serious about weight loss and health. It is a smart marketing tactic to tackle an issue that determines the men from the boys when it comes to weight loss success.
No Magic Pill
Diet and exercise are often very disconcerting topics to approach with someone who doesn’t posses the inner motivation and determination to become as healthy as possible. Many people believe there is a magic pill or some sort of wishing well they can throw coins in that will help them achieve an ideal body, with minimal effort or time taken from their day. They picture themselves six months from now being interviewed on a talk show about weight loss, confronting the high school all-star for calling them fat many years prior, and mock-humbly laughing off the audience cheers when the host reveals the dramatic before and after pictures.
Real life doesn’t work that way, unfortunately. Weight loss is just a simple ratio of calories in versus calories out. Anyone who claims differently is selling something that doesn’t work, or might work but has the side effect equivalent of ingesting arsenic. If a person who wants to lose weight eats small frequent portions of balanced meals and exercises enough to sustain an elevated heart rate for at least thirty minutes most days of the week, the person will lose weight. The problem is not the difficulty of figuring out how to lose weight, it is digging up the necessary motivation to make it happen.
The Good News
But, there are some methods to help those initially obtain and continue to sustain the type of motivation to help them overcome the inner voice yelling for pizza and the easy chair. For some, hanging a picture on the refrigerator of what they define as the perfect body stops them from eating unnecessarily. For others, a magazine cut out of the most delectable slice of chocolate cake reminds them that they can eat right all week and still be able to enjoy consuming their favorite foods on their weekly cheat night. Some people need a friend or personal trainer to keep them on target. And people with a different weight loss mindset might work toward fitness to ensure a long healthy life to be there for loved ones. Each individual should create a scenario that works as a continual reminder to show that the benefits of staying within a healthy weight outweigh (ha) any excuses the inner voice whines about.
Life is designed so that nothing worth a struggle was ever attained without one, and there is no fairy godmother to make it happen when the easy chair speaks louder than the skinny jeans. But, the success from sweating it out until it comes to fruition is often therapeutic enough to cause a spillover effect from physical body transformation into every other aspect of life where success is desired. So, tell the inner voice to stick a sock in it (or rather, a carrot), and go take a jog around the neighborhood. The skinny jeans are waiting.
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