The Search For a Short-Cut to Losing Weight
The biggest distraction or de-motivator for most dieters is the idea that there’s a “short-cut” to losing weight. People who nurture this belief will always have difficulty losing weight. Here are a few illustrative examples:
Cindi
Cindi starts a conventional weight loss diet. But after losing 2 pounds in week 1, she gets totally depressed. “I’ve got 30 pounds to lose, I can’t possibly wait 15 weeks!!” So Cindi quits and goes off in search of a mythical “short-cut”. Six months later, she starts another weight loss plan with the same result. Only by this time she has gained weight.
Diana
Diana has tried several diets, but has never managed to follow them for long. Either she didn’t like the recommended foods, couldn’t be bothered to try new foods, didn’t like cooking, or else she never got around to burning enough calories by exercising. So when she sees an advert for pills that promise “instant weight loss – no exercise needed!”,she blows $100 on this “short-cut”. Does it work? Err, no. Six months later, Diana has gained another 8 pounds.
Ethel
Ethel desperately wants to lose weight and joins Weight Watchers. However, after a few weeks she gets bored of watching what she eats. So she quits. She thinks she can find a magical way (the “short-cut) to lose weight without paying attention to her diet. With this attitude to weight control, Ethel will remain overweight for ever. Poor old Ethel.
No Easy Short-Cuts
These are typical examples of what happens when we start believing there’s a quick way to reduce weight. The truth is, there are no short-cuts. Even gastric bypass surgery takes a year to produce real weight loss, and the post-operative diet plan is extremely drastic.
The Good News About Losing Weight
Providing you get good support, are prepared to make some basic changes to your diet and exercise habits and be patient, losing weight is actually ridiculously easy. I have helped countless “failures” to eat better and lose weight – people who never believed they could do it. So don’t think for one moment that you are destined to stay overweight. Because it ain’t true.
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