The formula for weight loss success!
My last article about weight loss was well received, and many of you responded positively to it. This made me realise that many of you want to improve your health by managing your weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Also, Christmas is fast approaching and our New Year’s resolutions are in sight. I decided to dedicate my next three emails to talk a little more about the strategies on how to lose weight with the focus on diving deeper into your mindset.
When you go see a doctor about weight loss, they normally tell you to eat healthily and do regular exercise. If that doesn’t help, they will eventually prescribe medications that can help reduce your appetite or stop you from absorbing the fats from the food that you consume (those are probably the only two medications can assist in weight loss). From my perspective, such traditional ways of managing your weight with the focus only on diet and exercise are an outdated concept.
I personally believe that more health professionals who are in a position to help their patients achieve their weight loss goals should adopt a new method which involves:
1) Understanding the root cause of the gain in weight, 2) Help facilitate their patients to transform their mindset and 3) Assist them in identifying their “WHY”
As mentioned in my last email, having the right mindset plays an important role in determining whether a weight loss journey will end prematurely. Unfortunately, the reality is that it’s a concept that’s not being openly discussed within the medical field. Being a pharmacist for many years, it fascinates me how some people can achieve their health goals with ease while many others fail miserably. What I’ve learned is that the answer lies not only in the way we think but also in the motivating factors that drive us to accomplish the goal.
Many people want to lose weight because they want to look like those people in the magazines. I’m not saying there’s a problem trying to look like someone else. But there is a problem using it as a motivating factor to lose weight. I found that many people are so insecure about themselves that they try to do all sorts of things to be someone they are not. People need to realise that looks and appearance are superficial, and generally have an expiry date. We all going to look wrinkly and old one day! People need to take things into perspective and realise that there is something bigger than just looking good on the outside. I believe nothing is more important than one’s health. People can take away your money, house, car and all of the superficial items. Your health is something you owe dearly and is dependent entirely on the decisions you’ve made in the past and actions you take today. Make today the day you get your priorities straight.
A regular patient of mine dropped by yesterday to ask me several interesting questions which I think may also be on your mind. The first question was – “Chris, can you shed some light and advise me of some quick strategies that could help me lose weight fast?”
In fact, this is the kind of question I always get asked by my patients who want to lose weight.
To be honest with you all, when someone asks me a question about how to lose weight fast, 99% of the time, I want to reply, saying – “Are you expecting a crazy meal plan or a magic pill? Because for me, if you are looking to play the short game, you know exactly what I’m going to say.”
Look, I’m not a nutritionist nor a personal trainer, and I can’t prescribe you with a strategic meal plan or an exercise program. But I know how to change people’s perspectives. I’ve been a pharmacist for more than ten years and been running my own business for four years now. The mindset and skills I’ve learned from both can be applied to losing weight and living a healthier life. The answer is simple. There is no short cut or a secret system to losing weight, my friend. If someone ever tells you that they have developed a fantastic system that can help lose weight fast – I can tell you that is a whole lot of rubbish.
Losing weight is not rocket science; there’s no magic formula that can get you from your current weight to your ideal weight. There is only one way to do it.
“To lose weight for good, you have to consume fewer calories than what you actually need!”
It’s that simple! You need to understand this concept and put in the hard work and follow-through.
The second question was – “Shall I set realistic goals?”
I remember many conventional weight-loss experts always stress the importance of setting realistic and manageable goals when it comes to weight loss because you don’t want to set the bar too high to cripple your motivation. Hence it will seemingly lead to frustration and failure. However, this theory is only a myth because studies have shown that setting ambitious goals is associated with more weight loss. Conversely, switching to realistic goals doesn’t result in more weight loss.
That’s why I always say to my patients don’t let your doubts limit your ability to achieve great things. Always strive to aim for the weight that they would love to be at but feel like impossible to accomplish.
Remember guys – “Aim high and you will end up somewhere”
The third question he asked me was – “Shall I wait till I’m 100% ready before I start on this weight loss journey?” I believe that no one will ever be 100% certain about making a move until they have a taste of what they are about to do. That’s just human nature. People tend to take more risk when they are young. But when you have accumulated more grey hair, you tend to make sure each move is a calculated one to avoid failure. However, life doesn’t have to be like that. How will you know a goal cannot be achieved without giving it a go? Or on the other hand why waste your precious time on procrastinating when you could test out a strategy and receive feedback almost immediately whether it works or not? People need to quit overthinking and start doing.
The last question was in fact not a question but a comment he made – “I can’t wait to get to my dream weight so I can start enjoying life again.”
Look, a lot of people somehow have a perception that their weight loss journey ends on the day they achieved their weight loss goal. The way I see it is, it is only the beginning. The toughest part is to maintain your weight and to stop it from rebounding back to where it all began.
The reasons why maintaining your ideal weight is difficult because of 3 reasons: 1) Lack of self-awareness to follow your own weight loss journey 2) Not establishing a solid foundation of “Why.” 3) Adapting the same weight loss strategy throughout the entire weight loss journey
Next week, I will dive deeper into your mindset and explain why your lack of self-awareness and patience is sabotaging your weight loss goals.
Until next time.
Chris
Pharmacist