Weight Loss without Worry

(This article is part of our How to Lose Weight Effectively series)

     Some people hold on to this notion that a diet must be followed and adhered to perfectly from Day 1 on or it’s a failure. This is a very high standard and not one that we require of ourselves in other areas of life. When you first rode a bicycle, for instance, you knew what you needed to do in order to make the bike go but even with that knowledge you had to allow yourself time get your balance, gain confidence and you had to accept that you were going to fall from time to time during this learning process before you mastered the action.

     Learning how to lose weight effectively is no different than learning to ride a bike in that it requires you to create new, skills, habits, beliefs and patterns of behavior. This is not a simple process; you cannot simply flip a switch inside your head and be changed forever. The creation of new habits takes repetition and time and it must be reinforce with new patterns of thinking. Unless you use extreme measures equivalent to moving to The Biggest Loser Ranch for 12 weeks, it is inevitable that your old habits and patterns will show up from time to time until the change process has completed.

     It is not uncommon to hear about someone who starts a diet, does well for a few weeks, and then quits because of having a “bad day”. Yet this is a huge mistake because if you quit too many times not only do you reinforce your old habits you also establish a pattern of failure which makes your future attempts at change more difficult.

     Understand that there is a normal “settling in phase” when you are learning how to lose weight effectively, you will have great days interspersed with not so great ones. Your goal is not perfection, it is progression. If you slip back into an old pattern, recognize it; accept it and get back on track.

     Seven months ago my family got a puppy. Maddie was 12 weeks old when we got her and was not house-trained at all. She had no clue that the proper behavior was to go outside to do her business; if she had the urge to go potty, the carpet seemed just as good a place as any to relieve herself. After a few weeks of persistent and consistent effort on our part she realized that she was supposed to go potty outside in the grass. Yet even though it was obvious that she knew what to do she couldn’t always do it. Sometimes she would be on her way to the door and have an accident. But, with patience and understanding, Maddie gained control and now she is completely trained.

     If you start a diet be patient and understanding with yourself; don’t quit because you have a set back. Learning how to lose weight effectively is not an all-or-nothing game. You are learning new ways of acting and new ways of thinking. Just because you decided to start a healthy eating plan doesn’t mean that you’re mind and body will do an immediate 180º turn-around. Be patient with yourself and be creative, if you have a bad week, set a short-term goal of doing better the next week and be proud of yourself when you do.

     Give your body and your mind time to learn the new pattern, remember you are creating a change that will last a life-time; be patient and believe in yourself, the rest will take care of itself.

 (If you would like to receive more tips on how to lose weight without losing your love affair with food, sign-up to receive them by clicking on this link Tips and How-To Ideas for Effective Weight Loss)

Other articles you might be interested in:

• Finding the Diet that is Uniquely You
• How to Tell if Your Really Hungry
• How to Lose Weight Effectively - Build Your Awareness