The 4 Secrets to Weight Loss Success the Diet Books Don’t Tell You

Weight loss plans come in all shapes and sizes. Some are fad diets that are too restrictive to follow more than a couple of weeks, while others are provided by professionals that make customized plans for us. All of them give us some guidelines on what we should and shouldn’t eat to ultimately reach our weight loss goals. No matter how many food plans we try, healthy or unhealthy, there are some fundamental things you must know in order to be successful in a weight loss program that, believe it or not, have nothing to do with food.

1. Readiness- Are you ready to make change in your life right now? How would you know? The reason many weight loss plans fail is because people are not truly emotionally ready for change. In order to have true lifelong weight loss you have to commit to trading your old habits in for a new, healthier lifestyle. This has more to do with readiness for change than a desire to shed pounds- there is a big difference. The good news is, as you start on the journey to change these old habits you will be amazed how much better you feel physically, psychologically, and emotionally. This is the place where the people who have experienced long term weight loss have entered and want to stay. When you are truly committed to changing your lifestyle you will achieve lifelong weight loss and so much more!

Ask yourself a few questions. Are you ready to make permanent dietary changes for you and your family? Are you ready to start exercising regularly? Are you ready to defend your new lifestyle changes to those who are undermining your efforts? Don’t fret if you aren’t completely ready to dive into change. This is the stage to keep up the learning process by reading articles and gathering information. You will know when the time is right and that will be when you answer an unequivocal “Yes!” to the above questions.

2. Developing a vision. When I ask people what their goals are for a weight loss program the answer is always, “to lose weight of course”, or “to lose x amount of pounds”. It is crucial to have another more, heart-felt reason to lose weight other than losing pounds and appearance. This is because when times are tough, and they will be during any change process, you will need a heart-felt or internal reason to lose the weight to keep you motivated. Losing weight for appearance is ok but it is an external reason and will not help to keep you motivated for long.

In the past my clients have chosen things like, being able to play with their kids, running a marathon, backpacking trip they have longed to go on for years, and a big motivator is often a health condition. I call this your vision. It is imperative to take a few minutes to learn what your vision is. What is important to you that you will be able to achieve with weight loss? Write this vision down and plaster it everywhere so you always see your end goal and it will always help to motivate you further when times are tough.

3. Self Talk – is yours negative or positive? Unfortunately it’s true that we are our own worst critics and like hearing any critic it often leads us to failure because we believe the critic is right. Furthermore, we start to believe things are true that are absolutely not true. For instance, if a child is told they are a klutz from an early age they will likely always think they are a klutz. We believe what we are told repeatedly.

What do you tell yourself? One common statement I hear a lot of these days is, “I can’t eat carbohydrates because once I start I can’t stop”. This is a belief that you have set up from constant defeating self-talk and once you believe it then no doubt you will act it out. However, there is no scientific reason why a person would not be able to stop eating after having a bite of carbohydrates. Your belief makes it your reality. So whenever you hear yourself say I can’t do something or any other self-defeating talk. Stop yourself and change the sentence to a positive. For example, I realize that carbs have been a challenge for me in the past but I can eat a portion and put the rest away for later. Keep working on your own positive reinforcement by being gentler with yourself and tell yourself all that you CAN do.

4. Be prepared for change. All weight loss programs require us to change a habit yet no one warns us about the process of change. The first thing to know is that the beginning of change is difficult and uncomfortable. This is because it forces us to get off autopilot and focus on our new behaviors. Luckily it takes about 21 days to make a new habit and the uncomfortable part goes away and our new habits become autopilot.

For example: Imagine you get your dream job and it requires that you have to get up at 5:30am. Yikes! You normally get up at about 7:30 am. So, what do you think will happen that first morning when the alarm goes off at 5:30? You aren’t going to feel so great and your body is going to beg you to get back into your warm bed! This will go on for about 2-3 weeks until your body stops fighting you and realizes this is the new habit. The same thing will happen to you when you change eating and exercise habits. Just expect a little resistance and keep going! Your new healthy changes will eventually become your new habit. You just have to keep at it.

© Meri Raffetto, 2005

Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She is the owner of Real Living Nutrition Services providing interactive online weight management programs. Sign up for her free monthly nutrition newsletter at http://www.reallivingnutrition.com.

Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat, High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years after Surgery

Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat, High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years after Surgery A Whole New and Completely Delicious Way to Eat after Weight Loss Surgery

After her weight loss surgery in 2003, Patt Levine knew she would have to stick to a very restrictive diet, but there had to be something better than the "totally tasteless mush" her post-op food guidelines recommended. Levine put her cooking skills to work and now, in Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery, she and collaborator Michele Bontempo-Saray offer over 140 original, low-fat, high-protein recipes that taste just as delicious pureed and chopped as they do served whole, so you can enjoy flavorful, satisfying meals through every stage of your post-op eating program and cook for your family and friends—all at the same time. These mouth-watering dishes, which cover everything from breakfast to dessert, include:

Crustless Spinach and Cheese Quiche * BBQ-Baked Chicken * Asian Turkey Dumplings * Cider-Glazed Pork Chops * London Broil with Horseradish Cream Moussaka * Salmon with Creamy Lime-Dill Sauce * Scallops Provencale * Orange-Ginger Tofu * Vegetable Frittata * Southwestern Tomato Soup * No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna * Basic Cheesecake * Apricot and Strawberry Smoothie

Complete with advice from a certified nutritionist, helpful tips for stocking your pantry and refrigerator, and nutritional analyses for each recipe, Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery is guaranteed to make eating a true pleasure and help you maintain your weight loss for years to come.
Customer Review: Wish this was out when I had WLS 4.5 years ago!!
This is a wonderful recipe book for WLS folks; or anyone for that matter. I picked this up at the library and then decided to buy it. I've made several of the recipes and I found them easy to make and delicious... even my family loved them.

I had WLS almost 5 years ago and I wish that books such as this had been available. This book is a great assess as I continue to search for new healthy ways to prepare meals. The recipes are high protein, low in fat, low cal, and no sugar. All I can say is YUMMY!!! I highly recommend this book.
Customer Review: I LOVE this book! Post op Rny Gastric Bypass-Proximal
I had purchased this book prior to my WLS. With all that happened afterwards i forgot i had it. Finally i used it, simply delicious. I didn't have to tweek any of the recipes, and they got rave reveiws by my friends.

Relax Your Way to Thin! Hypnosis Weight Loss Motivation

Relax Your Way to Thin! Hypnosis Weight Loss Motivation Weight Loss. Fast - Easy - Effective!

Imagine craving salad instead of chocolate or an apple instead of ice cream simply by listening to a relaxing audio program as you drift to sleep each night! Weight loss can be that easy!

Your impulse to eat unhealthy food originates in your subconscious. Relax Your Way to Thin stops these unwanted cravings at their source. When your subconscious mind supports your weight loss goals, you will naturally make healthier choices.

Permanent Weight Loss has never been easier!
Customer Review: Amazing Changes!
This is an amazing CD with incredible results! I have always had weight problems, tried all the fad diets and always gained the weight back. Trevor has a soothing, reassuring and relaxing voice that has helped me to really start losing the weight. I have never looked or felt better, and I'm keeping the pounds off. This program has truly changed my life and I owe it all to Trevor. Thank you!
Customer Review: Good material
Good material in this CD. The speaker's voice is metallic and not at all soothing. However, it'll probably work great because I won't want to listen to it beyond the recommended 21 days in a row for the reason that I don't like the way he sounds. I've already doubled my resolve, after listening once, not to eat anything I know is not nutritious and not to put a single morsel or swallow of anything in my mouth if I'm not actually hungry. I'm already exercising, and if I just don't eat out of boredom, I figure I can lose what is referred to as my "vanity" 5 to 10 pounds. The music isn't soothing, either. I would not buy it again. My recommendation to Trevor is to at least get someone else to record the CD. The background music may be of a nature to help with brain waves, so I couldn't recommend he change that.

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