Why Does Weight Loss Have to Be So Hard?

We all know it is hard to pass on our favorite high-calorie foods. A struggle to limit portion size. Downright  daunting to get off the couch and stick to exercise goals. But these aren't always the hardest part of a weight loss plan. Keeping the weight off is usually the biggest challenge. Why is this? Learning more about the biology behind those re-appearing pounds is an important cognitive tool in the weight loss struggle. Many people find it helpful to know it isn't just me who finds themselves craving food, feeling less full, and losing less weight over time, despite reducing calories.

So do yourself a favor. Instead of that handful of cookies, grab a cognitive tool. Read My Fitness Pal's blog, Hello Healthy, for a breakdown of the physiological factors that interfere with long term weight loss. By understanding your body's hormonal changes, you can help yourself succeed over the long haul.

--Sandy Andrews, PhD 

Clinical Psychologist

Austin, TX

Diet Tip in the New Year

Dr. Aaron Beck, M.D., known worldwide as the father of Cognitive Therapy, and his daughter, Dr. Judith Beck, Ph.D. psychologist founded The Beck Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.   Dr. Judith Beck is also the author of The Beck Diet Solution, a book that provides cognitive and behavioral weight loss strategies.

The Beck Diet Solution website emails dieting tips taken from her book.  Since it's the new year and many of us make resolutions to get healthy and lose weight, I thought I'd post the most recent suggestion. It features a cognitive approach to addressing one of the most frustrating aspects of dieting:  relapses or slips.   It also illustrates a core cognitive principle of thought replacement.


Recovering from Mistakes Immediately: A Key to Weight Loss and Maintenance Success

Dieters often make resolutions this time of year to lose weight and keep it off. Many dieters have made this same resolution in previous years and have ultimately not been successful.  One of the biggest stumbling blocks that dieters face is getting back on track after a dieting mistake, often because they say to themselves things like:

I've made a mistake. I've really blown it for the day. I might as well keep eating whatever I want and start again tomorrow.  

But it takes most dieters much longer to get firmly and consistently back on track -- perhaps a week, a month, or even a year. As a result, they likely gain back any weight they had lost.

We teach dieters many techniques to get back on track after making a single eating mistake.  One such technique is the use of analogies to demonstrate that making one mistake is not a valid reason to continue making more mistakes.  For example, we might say:

If you were walking down a flight of stairs and stumbled down a few, would you think, "Well, I've really blown it now!" and throw yourself down the rest?

If you were washing your fine china and dropped a plate, would you throw the rest of your plates on the floor?

If you were driving on the highway and missed your exit, would you continue to drive 5 more hours in the wrong direction?

We help dieters see that it makes no sense to compound one eating mistake with a second (or more). Once they accept that all mistakes, even dieting mistakes, are a part of life and learn how to recover from them right away, they're able to lose weight and keep it off without disrupting and undoing their hard work and weight loss achievements. 

Weight Loss Strategies from the Experts

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I completed my predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at a wonderful institution, The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston.  One of my rotations was at the MUSC Weight Management Center.  As co-leader of medically managed weight loss groups I was able to learn a lot of up-to-the-minute weight management tools from the head psychologist and dietician.

Now, these many years later, I am following MUSC's Facebook page.  In this way I get the benefit of summaries of the latest research findings in the area of weight loss presented in a pared down, easy to read format.

Today I signed up for their daily weight loss tips sent by email HERE.  You can also get these tips via text, HERE.  A few recent examples:  

Enlist the support of family and friends in your weight loss efforts; be sure to let them know exactly how they can be most helpful.

Start the day with breakfast, especially one high in fiber and moderate protein, to help control calories for the rest of the day.

It's a fact, people who read nutrition information on food labels eat less fat than people who don't.

Try to eat something every 3-4 hours to avoid hunger. You'll be less likely to overeat if you're not too hungry.

A "Light" food means that it has 50% less fat or 1/3 fewer calories than the original product Light can still be fairly high in calories or fat.

Up to the minute research can sometimes make a difference.  Back in my intern days, a registered dietician on our program team told us that daily weighing was counter-productive to weight loss. Standing on the scale once a week, we were told, was the best behavioral strategy for keeping tabs on the pounds.  However, thanks to MUSC's daily tips, I now know what is currently recommended:

Weigh and graph your weight at least once a week and preferably daily; research shows daily weighing is very useful.

Graphs you can download and print can be found HERE.

If you are one of the millions struggling to lose weight, why not sign up for these daily tips.  Like me, you may already know many of these tips, but daily reminders help keep us focused on our weight loss strategies.  Frequent reminders help us prevent the typical "drift" that occurs:  First we forget, then we relapse, then we regret.  Staying focused is one key to success of lifelong lifestyle changes in our eating and exercise patterns.

Do you have any tips to manage your weight?