3 common mistakes I see people make when trying to lose weight are:
- Being too strict in their plans. It’s common knowledge that to lose weight a person needs to reduce calories and exercise. Often times people get fired up and jump into a strict diet and/or exercise program that simply isn’t easy to maintain for life. We all want to lose those extra pounds quickly but the key to keeping them off is to develop a healthy lifestyle that allows you to enjoy eating and exercising so you are more likely to develop the healthy lifestyle you desire.
- Not recognizing there often are emotional ties to their eating habits. We are familiar with the term “comfort foods”. Why are they comforting? There is some emotional connection to eating those particular foods and they have nothing to do with hunger. Our minds create associations with events, people, locations and food that are stored away as good memories for various reasons. When we find those connections we can work to rewire them to create new connections that make it easier to make better food choices.
- They need a big “Why”. Most people can drop a few pounds to get ready for a wedding, class reunion or family photos. We’ve seen many of the contestants on The Biggest Loser who lost a lot of weight, looked great and experienced success only to return to their old habits after the contest ended. Why? They were in it for the prize more than for the positive life changes. Permanent weight loss is motivated by an important reason for creating the change. It could be a serious health problem that becomes the motivation, perhaps it’s seeing children or grandchildren grow up or being able to participate in life events. Finding the “Why” is an important part of success in weight loss.
When a person finds a balanced plan they can follow, understands any emotional ties to their eating habits so they can change those thoughts and connects it all to one or more important reasons for making the healthy changes they are well on their way to success.