Iowa Avenue

Lisa Newton

How committed are you to Lose Weight?

Did you know that only about 5% of people who lose weight are able to maintain their weight loss?

Why is that?

Of course, there’s no one answer, but a lack of commitment is definitely one.

According to Merriam-Webster, commit means to pledge or assign to some particular course. Unless you’ve committed yourself to a course of action with respect to losing weight, exercising regularly, and taking care of yourself, you won’t succeed.

You might be able to take off a few pounds, but you’ll probably yo-yo and not be able to sustain a meaningful weight loss for the long term.

What does long term mean?

Based on Thursday’s blog post, if you’re among the 84% of women who think they’re overweight, and lose weight at the recommended 1-2lbs per week, it will take you approximately 10 weeks or 2 ½ months to lose 20lbs.

Do you have the commitment to keep dedicated for your long term goal?

If you answered a resounding “Yes,” Congratulations!!!

Once you’ve reached your goal, people will compliment you and tell you how good you look. You’ll be exuberant and feeling great.

But, how long will this phase last? Probably not long.

Are you committed to keeping your weight off for the long term?

It will take a lifetime of commitment to maintain your proper weight. You need to know this sobering news from day one.

I remember watching a television program about a morbidly obese man who lost over 500lbs. The day he reached his goal, he went out and ate 24 hotdogs, and promptly resumed his old bad habits. Needless to say, despite all of his previous hard work, he regained all of the 500lbs he lost, and then some.

Does this make any sense whatsoever? Was he really committed to his new lifestyle? Has this happened to you?

To look at it in a slightly different way, would you make 5 million dollars and then turn around and spend it as fast as you could?

Look at yourself in the mirror, and see where you are now, how you got there, and why you got there. Remember the hard work and effort it took you to get there--It took commitment, so don’t let that hard work and willpower go up in smoke.

If you’ve just begun your weight loss journey, visualize your commitment level.

Look at yourself in the mirror and picture a new you. Are you really, willing, and able to do those things required to achieve a healthy lifestyle?

I know I am, because

After all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!

© Iowa Avenue

Photo courtesy of Philo

Views: 2

Tags: commitment, diet, health, lifetime, weight_loss

myfitlife Comment by myfitlife on June 21, 2008 at 3:47pm
Hey Lisa,
Great article. So many people go through the "yo-yo" diet syndrome.
I agree with you. We have to look at our weight loss, not as a goal to achieve, but as a new way of life that is to be nurtured and maintained.

Have a great weekend.:)

Comment

You need to be a member of Iowa Avenue to add comments!

Join Iowa Avenue

Badge

Loading…

Cool Links

Web Statistics

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Walk
The Longest Journey Starts with the First Step

© 2012   Created by Lisa Newton.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service