I was recently speaking with a client and she was disappointed in her progress. She stated she had only lost 1 1/2 pounds since our last appointment two weeks prior.
I have worked with a wide variety of clients from individuals who have undergone weight loss surgery to those who are working on losing weight simply with diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. I have learned realistic expectations and what healthy, sustainable weight loss looks like in a variety of scenarios. Something I have learned is how skewed most people's thoughts are on what "successful weight loss" looks like.
We see commercials or advertisements for diets that promise 20 pounds of weight loss in your first month or 9 pounds in your first 10 days. Many individuals have used these programs and have seen similar results in the initial weeks. This leads to quite a SHOCK when I inform them that 1/2 a pound to 1 pound a week is the weight loss I would expect with the diet and lifestyle changes I have most of my clients work towards.
With this particular client, she was resistant to the idea that this was the weight loss goal we were going to shoot for. She wanted more weight loss and she wanted it faster.
After a few comments and questions on the subject, I finally ended up asking her this…
Would you rather: Lose 50 pounds in 3 months, gain in back in less than a year and then start over to lose the same 50 pounds?
OR
Lose that 50 pounds (1-2 pounds at a time) over the next two years and keep it off?
I saw the lightbulb go off in her mind and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! These are the moments that I live for in my line of work.
There should not be an end date when it comes to your weight loss goals. Healthy weight loss is a side effect of making positive changes to your diet and lifestyle that will support you in many more ways that changing the number on the scale. You should be on the look out for other (non-scale) victories to determine whether you're on the right track. Things like: increased energy, less fatigue, less irritability, better sleep, more mobility, better digestion, less brain fog and joint pain, decreased inflammation and more.
It’s time that we retrain our brains and let go of extreme, fad dieting that’s neither sustainable or realistic. Yes, they can lead to very quick results on the scale, BUT these results are hardly ever permanent. Whatever you do to lose the weight is what you will have to do to maintain the weight loss. If you are restricting your food choices or calorie intake in drastic ways or you have in the past and you feel like that’s the only way you will see results, it is time to make a change!
I want to help you breakthrough your assumptions, challenges and unrealistic expectations to find a sustainable, realistic way of eating that supports your preferences, goals, health and lifestyle.
I'm here for you and I believe in you!
