WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL SLIMMER?

If you're overweight, you probably already know why, are sick of how it makes you feel, reading & being told about the considerable risks to your health, & the significant benefits losing weight can bring. You have likely tried a multitude of diets. You may already have health concerns. What you really want to know is what it takes to become a successful slimmer, which to me means losing the weight you want to & then keeping it off in the longer term.

In a nutshell, i think the most important first step to becoming a successful slimmer is CHANGE. Why? Because what we do now just doesn't work for too many people.

THERE'S NO GETTING AWAY FROM THE FACT!

Less than 5% of dieters maintain weight loss longer term despite Britain's £2 billion+ weight loss industry

In what other walk of life would we keep investing the time, hard effort & often significant amounts of money in something that often makes us feel deprived & miserable, & offers us virtually no long-term return on investment (in terms of both ££££'s & lb's permanently lost)?

Something has to change. Doing things differently may mean:

Making significant changes for some. Just reshaping some habits & everyday patterns for others.

To do things differently, you need to know what you do currently & how you think & you need to be honest with yourself about it. Only then will you be able to successfully alter things so new habits can be formed. Adopting new habits is important. Habits are automatic behaviours. Any automatic behaviours have more chance of being carried on in the future.


So what is sabotaging your weight loss attempts?

Do you deprive yourself of foods you love or leave yourself feeling hungry?
Are you restricting the amount you eat, skipping meals or cutting out key food groups?
Do you have an obsession with diets?
Are you a yo-yo dieter?
Do you opt for so-called "quick fix" solutions?
What are your perceptions, attitudes & behaviours towards food?
If you have developed poor eating habits, this can lead to a negative, unhealthy relationship with food & these can then be key obstacles to your weight loss attempts..


So, how do we change? How can we do things differently?

The habits below will give you the best chance of becoming a successful slimmer yourself long term:

Do it the MFL way  

1. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON FAD & EXTREME DIETS OR EAT SPECIAL FOODS.

Eat a MEDITERRANEAN STYLE DIET rich in plant foods, the majority of the time. DO NOT CUT OUT KEY FOOD GROUPS. Eat a varied diet.
  • Eat More: Unprocessed foods, Pulses, Omega 3, Fruit & vegetables, Fish
  • Eat Less: Processed foods, Free Sugars, Salt, Red & processed meats, Unhealthy fats

2. EAT AS MUCH UNPROCESSED FOOD AS POSSIBLE.

Did you know? One of the biggest predictors of weight gain is how much processed food you eat. As most foods are processed in some way it's about minimising foods that have been chemically processed & made from refined ingredients & artificial substances. If you do this you will have less cravings, less spikes in blood sugar & insulin levels & will use more calories digesting unprocessed foods. Win, win all round!

3. CONCENTRATE ON THE FOOD QUALITY & CONTROL YOUR PORTION SIZES.

Do this & the weight loss will take care of itself. Eat from the MFL menu choices & you will eat quality food that is calorie & portion size controlled. You will have the unique added benefit of eating within UK daily Adult reference intakes for Total fat, Saturated fat, Sugars (total & free sugars-lower limits) & Salt.These intakes also meet Cancer prevention recommendations.

4. DON'T STARVE YOURSELF.

No plan to lose weight should come with a food restriction. It is not sustainable. Resistance is futile as many people with unsuccessful weight loss will testify. It is in our make-up that we always want what we can't have, so, if we deprive ourselves of something we want, we will just crave for it more.

5. DON'T FIGHT FOOD- LOVE IT!

Choose food you want to eat! Enjoyment of food does not need to, & should not be sacrificed to eat healthily or achieve weight loss. Successful slimmers eat for pleasure, eat slowly & consciously & savour every mouthful. You can only do this if you are eating something tasty. MFL will show you how because we have found smarter ways to incorporate the foods we love.

1. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT INSTANT RESULTS ARE RARELY LONG TERM RESULTS

We live in a society of I want it & I want it now & therefore whilst a number of diets offer a healthier approach, many dieters want instantaneous results & gratification, not slow progress. This may be ok if you just want to lose a few pounds for your holidays or for an event so you feel better in your bikini or fit into your new dress. However, if you want to lose more weight than this & then maintain that weight loss in the longer term, you will rarely achieve success with a fast fix solution. You don't put significant weight on overnight; neither will you successfully lose it that quickly either. You aiim should be to lose no more than 1-2lb (0.5-1kg) a week. Don't be fooled though. This way you can still lose up to almost a stone in 6 weeks.

2. CHOOSE A REALISTIC TARGET WEIGHT.

Don't give yourself too much to aim for in one go. If you are unrealistic in what you want to achieve, you could set yourself up for failure right from the start, as you may become disheartened or unmotivated when you don't see the progress you want quickly enough. Set yourself small targets over time then you can celebrate reaching each goal. And remember, losing just 5-10% body weight will give you a significant improvement in health.

Make the lifestyle changes PERMANENT. Remember, permanent doesn't mean all of the time. Long term success is about getting it right most of the time! This is why MFL advocate the 80/20 rule.

 

Planning meals is one of the most important things you can do & MFL has done this for you. You just have the pleasure of choosing what you like to eat.

Eat when you feel hungry & STOP when you feel satisfied, not stuffed or bloated.
Be positive. Yes you have more choices & temptations than ever before, but ultimately, you also have the final say over what you eat. Think about what you want to do, why you want to do it and what you want to achieve from it. Remember, no one-size fits all. As individuals we all have different calorie requirements & tastes, different weights & fitness, different reasons & motivations.

Moving more is an essential part of weight management & the more you can fit into your usual daily routine the better as it doesn't need to be a separate thing to fit into your busy day. It doesn't need to be extreme either. The WCRF cancer prevention recommendations recommend that we be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day, and sit less. Small changes can make a big difference. If you have any health considerations it is important for you to consult with a health care provider before embarking on any physical activity routine.

 

Shifting the pounds means Shifting your mindset.

The stark truth is; there is no magic quick fix to weight loss but we consistently fall for all the hype because we are desperate to believe it & the weight loss industry are very good at pushing the right buttons. We want to believe that the next diet will be the one that works for us. When it isn't (often through no fault of our own), we are back to negative thoughts & since thoughts influence our emotions, our emotions will again be negative. This is when many failed dieters turn to food for comfort & the whole cycle perpetuates yet again. It's time to think & do things differently.

  • Stop thinking of yourself as going on a diet. You can lose weight successfully without dieting.
  • Ditch any thoughts you have about diets you may have undertaken previously.
  • Think about what motivates you regularly as what motivates you can change from day to day.
  • Think realistically about what you want to achieve & break it down into small targets.
  • Think positive. The way you feel is key to success.
  • Think about how you may be able to tackle stresses differently. Some people find exercise really helpful for this as it releases positive endorphins.
  • Think about the fact that you might not always be able to change things but you can change the way you react to things.
  • Believe in yourself. Focus on your strengths, not any weaknesses you may think you have.
  • Don’t even try to be perfect. Long term success is all about getting it right most, not all of the time!
  • Be wary. Weight loss is big business & many companies compete for your attention & your money. Many create unrealistic expectations that will never be realised.
  • Instead of giving yourself reasons why you can't, give yourself reasons why you can.
  • Listen to what your body is telling you. If you have established dysfunctional eating patterns, your body has probably become confused, sending false hunger, craving and binging signals. You likely no longer recognise the right signals being sent, as they can be subtle, or more likely, you have chosen to ignore them. When you learn to modify your behaviours and attitudes towards food, you can change the way your body responds to its signals, no matter how embedded.

 

THINK RAINBOW:
  • Right Choices; Right Mindset
  • Avoid fad & extreme diets & so-called quick fix solutions
  • It must fit with your lifestyle & commitments, be practical, sustainable & enjoyable so choose what works for you
  • No hunger, deprivation or cutting out key food groups
  • Benefits are wide ranging; work with what motivates you whether these are short or longer term benefits
  • Obstacles, internal & external influences can be overcome if you open your mind to doing things differently
  • Weight loss should be slow & steady so goals, timescales & expectations need to be realistic