The Other Part of the Plan

We're just about six weeks into this new year, a year that many people vowed would be THE year to finally get serious about their weight.  Right after the first of the year, everybody seems to be talking about eating healthier and people flock to gyms and health clubs with the best of intentions. 

Some of you are a part of that group of individuals who started anew on January 1 or 2, while others have been on your weight loss journey for a while and are focused on making 2011 the year you reach goal.

Sooner or later, one things becomes crystal clear:  the weight loss part of the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program is simple (not always easy, to be sure, but it's simple!).  What's NOT so simple is the maintenance part.  Most of you reading this probably aren't in maintenance yet, but this is where all of you are heading (you ARE heading towards your goal and maintenance, right??). 

I've had multiple conversations with people who reached their goal, did transition "sort of", then found themselves back into old habits. No surprise, sooner or later these individuals have to deal with the reality of regained weight.  Regardless of whether they gained back a few pounds or much of their weight, they eventually realize they have to rethink what they've been doing and the habits they've developed (or not developed).

No matter how well you do on the weight loss portion of this program, you will probably gain back your weight if you don't change how you think about and relate to food.  That is the bad news, and there's no way to soften it.  If you don't fundamentally change your head and your heart when it comes to food, this will ultimately be nothing more than another diet.  To be sure, it's a very effective diet and there is no safer way to lose weight quickly.  If you work the program, you can't help but lose weight.

But I don't think that anybody here wants to lose the weight and then gain it back.  We've all "been there, done that" and it's a miserable way to live.  That kind of oscillating behavior leads to terrible frustration and a feeling of failure.  I'm guessing that everybody here wants to lose weight, reach your goal, then stay there for the rest of your life.  The GOOD news is that you CAN do that!  However, it will require some hard work to change your relationship with food. 

I tell people all of the time that when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, I just hoped that I'd lose a little bit of weight - I had no idea that there would be so much emotional and spiritual growth in the process.  Learning to NOT turn to food for comfort was a major turning point for me, and it has made all of the difference.  Identifying what I REALLY wanted - reaching and staying at a healthy weight - has helped me to make the secondary choices I need to make to maintain my weight.

There are times when I'm tempted to dive fork-first into a platter of my old favorites, and there are certainly times when I DO have small portions of some of those foods, but I'm careful about what I eat.  I refuse to waste my calories on less than wonderful food, and when I find myself suddenly craving something, I take a moment to figure out WHY I suddenly want it.  More often than not, for me a sudden craving means that I'm stressed or frustrated or something, and the old "reach for comfort food impulse" has once again reared its ugly head.  I keep hoping that it will eventually disappear forever, but so far that's not the case.  What HAS changed is that I know that food doesn't fix anything except for real, physical hunger.  When I recognize that old impulse, that's my cue to address the real issue and not bury it with food.  As I've shared in the past, addressing the real issue for me begins with turning to the Lord in prayer.

I hope you're having a fantastic, on-plan Thursday!  Keep up the great work on the food part of this plan, and don't forget about the "other part" of the plan.  It's not the easy part of the plan, but it's the part that will make all of the difference for the rest of your thin and healthy life.  Whether you're in the early weeks of this program, half-way to your goal or in maintenance, remember to choose wisely :-).

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I am leaving this afternoon for Chicago and flying to Denver for a weekend conference, home Sunday night.  While I'm gone, I won't be blogging.  Have a great, and on-plan, weekend!