The Formula for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off

Let's face it, weight loss is simple math. Use more calories than you consume and the weight will come off. Unfortunately, the reality is seldom that simple. Dr. Arya Sharma, a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta and one of Canada's leading obesity experts, has been on the front lines of this battle for over a dozen years and provides the following insights on weight management.

Set life goals, not weight loss goals. Weight loss is a means to an end. It is more useful to set a positive, measurable goal - such as lowering our blood pressure or being able to play ball with our kids. Using weight loss as motivation and reward for sticking to a diet is the worst possible method of attempting to change eating habits long term and nearly always results in failure. For long term success, there needs to be changes in habits and behaviours. Losing weight is not a behaviour. People cannot control their weight loss, but they can control changes in eating behaviour. If such changes are achieved, weight loss is automatic. Rather than a goal, weight loss then becomes a part of the strategy to reach that goal.

Being overweight or obese is a complex chronic condition requiring lifelong treatment. Too many of us think that we can make a few quick changes, lose weight and move on. Diet and exercise are non-medicinal treatments for weight loss and should be viewed the same way as treatments of, say, diabetes or hypertension. Being overweight is a condition with potentially 100% relapse rate and maintaining treatment is essential to keep the weight off.

Make diet and exercise changes realistic. Weight management is a lifelong endeavour and we need to adopt a diet and exercise regimen that will realistically fit in with our lives. If we can't see ourselves doing something for the long run, there's no point to it. If we decide to walk 5 kms everyday, then we should see it as part of the treatment and stick with it. If it isn't going to work for us, then we need to try and find something that will better fit our schedule. This will avoid setting ourselves up to fail.

Write down what you eat. A daily food journal is highly effective. In The New England Journal of Medicine study, people who followed a diet and exercise program that including tracking their food intake lost more than any other group in the study. Journaling helps us be more accountable to ourselves. You'd be surprised how what we think we eat and what we actually eat can differ.

Eat Regularly. Skipping meals (especially breakfast) is a sure-fire way to gain weight. Eating meals and snacks at regular intervals will reduce hunger, allow us to make healthier food choices and prevent overeating.

Eat Slowly. The faster we eat, the more we will eat. Savouring our food and giving our body time to feel full will reduce the amount of calories we consume in one sitting.

Since Dr. Bishop is away at a conference and unable to send the motivational letter this week, I thought that everyone might find these "helpful hints" interesting. Many of these seem obvious, but sometimes it can help to have them said out loud.

Keep Smiling!

Heather