The Not-So-Secret 'Secret' of Weight Loss Success

The Not-So-Secret ‘Secret’ of Weight Loss Success
By Erak Simsson, Your Weight Loss Performance Coach

‘It doesn’t matter how many success ingredients you have unless you mix them right and in the right sequence’

Let me explain

Most people will have had some degree of weight loss success, losing 1 stone maybe even 4 or 5 stones, some people may have lost 10 – 20 stones over a number of years yo yoing up and down, sound familiar to anyone?

You could probably stop any person in the high street and ask them what’s the secret of weight loss success and you would hear answers like; ‘eat less and take more exercise’ ‘give up the wine and cheese’ ‘join the gym’ ‘stop finishing off my children’s meals and take a little more exercise’

You see most people have a pretty good idea about what to do when it comes to achieving weight loss, but very few know how to successfully keep it off, would you agree?

I was recently speaking with a lady who was describing to me her weight loss history over the past 15 years and she had lost a total of 12 stone in that period of time. Her efforts had included a slimming club (twice), gym membership (cancelled); self help books and just simply cutting back on food. But guess what we where speaking because she was back to square one, over-weight, unhappy and feeling pretty frustrated about the whole ‘weight loss thing’, sound familiar to anyone?

Well back to my opening statement ‘It doesn’t matter how many success ingredients you have unless you mix them right and in the right sequence’

Let me try and fully explain my opening statement.

If I said to you in order to lose weight you need to decide upon a goal that will motivate you, eat more healthy foods and take some regular exercise (after yawing and waking up again because this is so boring because you already know this stuff) you would I suspect say yes I completely agree that is exactly what I need to do.

Let me give you some specific examples of how having the right ingredients for weight loss doesn’t necessarily guarantee success.

Eating A Healthy Diet
Great you’re eating a healthy diet (low to medium GI food, Omega 3 Fat from fish), but still not eating breakfast or having regular healthy snacks. So on the face of it you’re doing really well, but you’re going to struggle to maintain long-term weight loss success when you regularly skip breakfast or do not eat healthy snacks between main meals. I know I know some of you will be reading this thinking ‘you want me to eat more food’ no not more food but more often there is a big difference especially when it comes to maintaining weight loss.

Mindset
In my opinion this is where it all starts. This is such a big area I cannot do it really justice in this short article, but here is one of the things that people often do to help create a positive mindset. Decide upon a goal, one that inspires, motivates or simply gets you to take action. Good stuff, but what about all of the saboteurs that take regular pleasure in trying to wreck your weight loss attempts, what about the hecklers that dent and lower your self-esteem. Mindset is much more than simply having a goal like losing weight for a wedding, this is simply an event that will come and pass. How many brides & grooms do you know that slimmed down for their big day and when you see them now they are back to their pre-wedding size?

Exercise
I will use the gym as an example, I know that not everybody reading this likes the gym, but I will relate it back to those that workout from home.

Here’s what I regularly see, overweight people in the gym going for it big time on the treadmill, rowing machines, step machine or bumping and grinding in the aerobics class. Great on the face of it they are taking some exercise burning up a few calories fantastic. But guess what whilst I hate to say it they are focusing too much on the wrong thing. Likewise those of you who take regular walks either with your dog or simply as part of your daily exercise regime, your focus is often too much on the wrong thing. What do you mean Erak?

Well think of it this way regarding exercise like, walking, jogging, step machines, rowing machines, aerobics classes etc they focus on burning calories in that moment and yes it does help to improve your fitness level (important), it helps to strengthen your heart (also very important), but guess what it does little to help improve your metabolic rate, the rate at which you are able to burn calories up when not taking exercise. Just think If you where able to increase the rate at which you burn calories up 24 hours a day would that be worth focusing on a little more? But so few people do

So to summarise: you can have what appears to be the right ingredients for losing weight and keeping it off; healthy eating (Low GI food), mindset (goals) and taking regular exercise (walking, rowing machine etc), but still not find long-term success.

Think of it like baking a cake, it’s not enough to have the right ingredients to make an edible cake you need the right quantities, mixed in at the right time, cooked at the right temperature for the right period of time then you can make a cake. It’s the same with weight loss and keeping it off you need the right ingredients, the right amount of focus on each for the right amount of time, then you will at last have the body size and shape plus all the energy you want.


Final Thoughts

For those of you about to consider embarking upon yet another weight loss plan, stop and think, if the plan doesn’t start off with improving and protecting your mindset and is yet another eat this, do this exercise or repeat these positive statements 12 times per day type of programme seriously re-consider. Why? Because until you help to create your own personalised weight loss, healthy plan it will always be somebody’s else’s and at some point you will either become bored with it if it’s a diet programme or not be able to find the time for it if it’s a particular exercise regime. When you have a part in creating it you own it, you believe it and it’s the only way you’ll ever achieve and enjoy long-term weight loss and good health success I have yet to be proven wrong in over 23 years!


Any comments or feedback regarding this article are welcome.

Yours In Good Health
Erak Simsson, Weight Loss Coach
PS: Are You Interested In A ‘Weight Loss Coaching Weekends’ please visit: www.coachmeslim-trim.co.uk and click on services or contact us directly on: 01980 595 502