When it comes to weight loss, I am reminded of the woman who attended a piano concert and then had the opportunity to meet the pianist at the end of the program. "I would give anything to be able to do what you do," she breathed in obvious praise. "No, you wouldn't," was the maestro's reply. 

Yes, you can lose weight. No, it's not easy, and obviously most of us wouldn't do anything to shed those pounds. And that's why miracle cures are so prevalent in our society. It's very easy to gain weight, and such a challenge to take it off. Some of us never do, each year hopefully setting yet another weight loss goal, and giving up shortly after the New Year has begun. 

Here are a few points to consider. 

1) It's tough work to lose weight, and is should be approached the same way you do anything that is difficult. You make a plan, you get support, you monitor your progress, and generally you don't expect perfection. Demanding perfection of yourself will probably make you gain more weight. Because once you "sin" (as slipping off your weight loss program is frequently described), most people get into thinking along these lines: "Well, I broke my diet, I might as well really break it." Remember that you are more tired in the evening and that is when your resistance is lowest. That is the time of the day when you truly need a plan and support. 

2) Exercise really does have something to do with long-term weight maintenance. Moderate exercise is generally recommended, not because it burns more calories than heavy exercise, but because most people will engage in moderate exercise longer than they will heavy exercise. For example, swimming at a sustained regular, moderate clip will burn more calories than those who race down the pool, and then stand at the end to recover for several minutes, and end up exercising much less than if they had slowed down. 

If you want to engage in heavy exercise, then build up to it. And it will always be more difficult than moderate exercise, so you have to prepare yourself mentally and physically for it. Notice how many Manhattan residents are slim compared to many other cities in the world. New Yorkers tend to walk places more so than in most of the rest of the United States where cars are used for just about any distance. All that walking amounts to sustained, regular, moderate exercise that helps keeps weight off. 

3) Low fat foods will not necessarily help you lose weight, if the way they are manufactured is to substitute extra carbohydrates and protein to make them taste better. Read not only for "no-fat" advertising, which is generally plastered on the front of the container, but also read for total calories. Some low-fat foods actually have more calories than regular fat foods.

Remember, the food manufacturer doesn't really care if you lose weight. They are a business, and they want to sell more product. If convincing you that a particular product contains less fat will make you buy it, then "buyer beware." 

4) Strength training only makes you weigh more, because it builds muscle mass. Weight training is equivalent to moderate exercise in terms of calorie expenditure, though people tend to work out with weights for a shorter period of time, than say, if they take a nice walk. The advantage of weight training is that it builds muscle mass which makes you a more efficient calorie burner--even when you are resting. But maybe more importantly for your mental state, you'll feel better occupying a fit, toned body, your clothing will fit better on your body, and you'll enjoy more strength throughout the day. 

Losing weight needs to be approached in the same way economists today talk about "sustainable" economic activity. Harvesting all the forests in a particular region provide short-term economic benefit to a country, but it does not result in sustainable activity. 

We need to look at weight management in the same way. What are the practices you engage in that are sustainable? Extreme dieting is not sustainable. Unless you go on regular fasts (probably with juices), you will likely not keep off any weight you remove during the fast. Can you find exercise habits that are so pleasurable or automatic that there is no doubt that you will engage in them? Once you develop a habit, it is relatively easy to maintain it. How do you develop habits that work for you? 

Better self understanding, greater self awareness and a certain amount of discipline are truly the basis of a sustainable weight maintenance program.

Janelle M. Barlow, Ph.D.  

Author of The Stress Manager 

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