Thursday, May 10, 2012

Action 457 - Tell It Like It Is.

Being the SparkPeople Success Story Manager and an active member of the site, I get my share of emails from new members asking questions. I know how much I appreciated encouragement early on, so I always take the time to reply with whatever help I can offer.

Action 457 - Tell It Like It Is.

Today, I received this email from a new member:
Do you have any weight loss tips?

And this was my reply:
Nope.

Not being mean or dismissive, just I have never had any luck chasing weight loss goals. It wasn't until I focused on the basics of being healthy that I was successful.

Eat healthy. Be active. Repeat consistently. That's it. No tricks, no sneaky way around it. It's all about the basics.

Start small with simple goals, like drinking enough water each day or taking a 15 minute walk each day at lunch. Whatever the goal, just start. Repeat. And when it becomes a habit, add another goal.

That's what worked for me, at least.

I know what she was asking, and I could have certainly phrased my answer more as "weight loss tips." But I went with what felt more authentic to me. Focusing on weight loss alone may be a good way to drop pounds, but I don't think it is a way to keep those pounds off.

I don't judge people who resort to extreme and restrictive diets or surgery to lose weight. I'm not in their shoes and it's not for me to approve or disapprove. But speaking for me, I think that those solutions may help you lose weight, but once you return to your normal eating habits, the weight will come right back. To successfully keep weight off, you need to learn new and healthier habits for life.

So, I told it like it is, at least for me. There are no shortcuts to this.

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