What's your secret?

I'm getting to the point in my weight loss where alot of people are starting to notice. That's not to say that people didn't notice before, but I'm hearing an increase in the comments about it. Some of my customers have noticed.

So, inevitably I think, I'm getting this question: What's your secret? And as soon as I begin to explain my answer, I see a look of disappointment followed quickly by disinterest. Because, no one wants to hear the real answer. There is no secret.

Real, permanent weight loss comes from changing the way you live your life. You have to eat less and change the foods you do eat to healthier foods that are full of the right nutrients your body needs and have much less of those bad things that will make you sick. You have to live an active lifestyle that includes aerobic activities not only as "working out" but as part of your fun time. And you never, ever stop. As an overweight person, I actually had to learn to watch every single thing I ate until I became used to exactly how much food my body, not my mouth, wanted. And eventually I grew to like whole grains, fruits, veggies, and lean meats much more than the deep fried, chocolate covered carbs I was eating before. I learned that food shouldn't just taste good, it should feel good too.

So no miracle diet is going to work forever. And I don't understand how someone is willing to eat nothing but dill pickles for a week or take laxatives like candy to loose weight but they aren't willing to put forth the effort to make a real, permanent change. Of course, a year ago I was going to let someone cut me up and rearrange my insides to loose weight. We get into a place where we will do anything to escape. Anything to get out it. And we don't feel strong enough. We cause our own failures.

But there is no secret. I weigh and measure and count nearly everything I eat. Sometimes, I make bad choices and go out to eat or have cookies, but then I have to go to the gym an extra day and trim my calories the rest of the week. I make up for it. 

I've learned so very much that I could talk about it for hours. I could write pages. But this stuff is only interesting to those people that already know it. If you haven't gotten here than the words are probably frustrating and disappointing. You might feel not strong enough and you wonder how I am. 

Its not about changing your whole life in a day. Make small changes that you can deal with. One thing at a time. Continuous improvement. As long as you are better today than yesterday or last week, you are making progress. Learn patience and don't expect miracles. Its a long journey, but the rewards are so much bigger than you even anticipate. 

But there's no secret.