Such a Boring Word

Happy Sunday morning! I hope this is going to be a great - and on-plan - day for you!

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I'm re-reading "Dr. A's Habits of Health", authored by Take Shape for Life's medical director and co-founder, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen. It struck me this morning that the book is NOT entitled "Dr. A's Secret to Health". The book has had strong sales, but I wonder if the sales would be even higher if Dr. Andersen had used the word "secret" instead of "habits."

People are looking for "the" secret to health - the magic formula that will help them lose weight painlessly, without any effort on their part. Perhaps not everyone is looking for that, but I know I sure was. I remember talking to a pharmaceutical rep a few years ago who told me about a weight loss drug that was in the final stages of testing, a drug that, in his words, would revolutionize the diet industry. His enthusiasm and his reports of what they were seeing excited me, so I did an internet search for information, printed it out and kept it in a file. I waited anxiously for the drug to be released, hoping that this would finally be THE answer I was looking for. To my great disappointment, the drug ended up not being approved by the FDA because it turned out there were some adverse side effects in enough individuals for the drug to not be deemed safe.

When I realized that a new drug wasn't on the horizon that would solve my obesity, I seriously considered weight loss surgery. I didn't take into account that I would have to permanently change my eating habits - I just thought (honestly, I did) that if I had surgery that forced me to eat smaller amounts, it would somehow be easy to finally lose weight. I've met enough people who've had weight loss surgery (gastric by-pass or lap band) who've managed to gain a significant amount of weight back to now know that weight loss surgery isn't the magic solution, either.

"Habits" is such a boring word to most of us. We acknowledge that we have a lot of habits, and we may even joke about some of our bad habits. What we know for sure is that bad habits are hard to break and new, good habits are almost impossible to create. Acknowledging that, we can often feel stuck in our habits, feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of changing them and choosing to wait for the secret drug or opting for surgery to do for us what we don't think we can do ourselves.

Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 is the closest I ever got to a magical solution, because it's the only program that not only enabled me to lose weight quickly and consistently, but also without feeling hungry or fatigued. Better than that, this program began to teach me how to incorporate healthy new habits into my life to not only get me to my goal, but help me stay there. Breakfast every day, exercise, small meals throughout the day, having a daily meal plan are all things that began while I was losing weight and, one day at a time, these things have become some of the healthy habits that are now a part of my life. "Dr. A's Habits of Health" covers a lot of other information that goes way beyond weight loss, and I am working to incorporate other healthy habits into my life that will together keep me moving in the right direction.

Developing new, healthy habits requires two very simple and basic things. First of all, we have to change our orientation. We have to create a picture for ourselves of what we want, and it has to be compelling enough for us to be willing to change the way we've been doing things. Second, we have to keep practicing until what feels awkward and even uncomfortable becomes habit. For those who were used to eating once or twice a day, settling into a routine of eating six small meals a day takes some getting used to. If we haven't moved more than necessary in years, incorporating regular exercise will take some time and perseverance. We will only continue to do these things if we keep focused on what we're creating, and the more we focus on that the more likely it is that we will continue to do the things that will eventually become healthy new habits.

So the bad news is that there IS no secret to losing weight - there IS no drug or surgery on the horizon that will automatically make us thin and healthy. The good news is that you already have what you need in your hands, so you don't have to wait for anything. Your journey towards a healthier you and the establishment of new, healthy habits continues with your choice to stay on plan today. Choose wisely :-)