WIN THE FAT WAR: SMALL STEPS LEAD TO BIG WIN
Author: admin
Just one change is all that 36-year-old Julie May needed to kick start her weight-loss program. And she eventually took off 50 stubborn pounds, one change at a time.
Julie, a case manager for a hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana, ^ had been trapped in a cycle of dieting, depression, and weight gain for most of her adult life. Stung by each failed attempt to slim down, she sought solace in food … and put on a pound or two more. Inevitably, she launched new diets, starting the cycle all over again. When her weight reached 190 pounds, she decided that she’d had enough of her destructive eating pattern.
In search of a solution to her weight-loss woes, Julie picked up a copy of Oprah Winfrey’s best-seller Make the Connection. As she read about Winfrey’s struggle to slim down, Julie made a connection of her own. “I had tried and failed on so many diets that I no longer believed that I could lose weight,” she says. “I had to prove to myself that I could succeed.” She would do that by making one change at a time.
Julie decided to work on her activity level first since she knew that her eating habits would be harder to change. She set a goal of walking for about 20 minutes, 4 days a week. As her fitness improved, she found that she could go longer. Within a matter of weeks, when she actually looked forward to her regular walks, she knew that she had succeeded in making exercise a part of her life.
Excited by her progress, Julie felt ready to tackle her eating habits. Her first step was to phase out the candy, cookies, and desserts that had once been her comfort foods. She didn’t tell herself that she couldn’t have sweets; instead, when she indulged, she reminded herself that what she was eating could impede her weight-loss efforts. Within a month, she was making conscious decisions to not eat the chocolate cake or lemon ice-box pie that she had once thought she couldn’t pass up.
Julie continued to improve her eating habits, eating more fruits and vegetables, paring her fat intake and portion sizes, and drinking more water. She made one change at a time, allowing herself time to adapt before moving on to something new. “I never felt overwhelmed,” she says. “And each success made me more and more confident that I could lose weight.”
Julie did lose weight—50 pounds, to be exact. And she has kept off the weight for a year and a half. As a bonus, her attitude and energy are at an all-time high.
WINNING ACTION
Make one change and give it a chance. As Julie illustrated so well, one small achievement will lead to the next. In fact, weight-loss experts have observed that it takes about 6 weeks for any lifestyle change to become a habit. So allow yourself the time to adjust. If you slip up by eating a dozen doughnut holes in one sitting or skipping your workout for 2 days in a row, don’t beat yourself up over it. Just pick up where you left off. Before you know it, your healthy new behavior will seem like second nature to you.
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