The Fighting Fit Blog

Permanent weight loss is a goal that evades much of the population. In fact, only 2% of people who attempt to lose weight are able to keep it off for a year or more.

However, what’s interesting to note is that those who do keep the weight they lose off for a year or more almost invariably keep that weight off for good.

So, what makes the difference between success and failure in permanent weight loss?

Success or Failure with Permanent Weight Loss – The Choice is Yours

I see it all the time. New clients come to my studio fired up and ready to lose weight for good. They say they are committed, motivated, and ready to do what it takes to succeed at losing weight.

Two months later, they are no where to be found. What happens with these people who are seemingly so committed to permanent weight loss, but fail to lose weight?

It’s not my program – I know it works. It worked for me, and it works for 100% of the people who adhere to the workouts and nutrition program. Fighting Fit Boot Camp gets results.

No, it’s not the method… instead, it’s the fact that these people are only temporarily committed to permanent weight loss. You see, permanent weight loss requires a permanent decision to lose weight. A “pay today, play tomorrow” attitude won’t cut it. Neither will a lukewarm attitude toward your fitness and health.

Uh-uh. Instead, it takes a lifetime commitment to a lifestyle of fitness and health. And, it’s work. It’s work to get out of bed early to train. It’s work to spend extra time planning your meals. It’s work finding healthy choices when eating out with friends and family. And, it’s work to resist their attempts at undermining your progress.

The Head Game of Permanent Weight Loss

If you haven’t figured it out yet, achieving permanent weight loss is more of a head game than most people realize. What, with the constant bombardments of advertisements tempting you to eat unhealthy foods, and with your friends and family constantly working to undermine your efforts, it’s no wonder it’s such a mentally taxing journey.

Everyone who has ever gone on a weight loss program has heard this from a friend or loved one: “C’mon, loosen up a little. You have to enjoy yourself sometimes, right?” 

You see, those people close to you who see you making progress are the first ones who want to sabotage your efforts at achieving permanent weight loss. Why? Because secretly, they either fear seeing you change, or they resent it. Maybe not consciously, but they do.

Think about it… they’ve known you as your same old fat self for how long now? And, they’re probably in the same boat, right? So, when you lose weight and change your life for the better, where does that leave them? You guessed it – seeing their own failure to change in you every time you get together.

And now you know why your family and friends work so hard to undermine your attempts at permanent weight loss. However, for many people who attempt to lose weight permanently, self-sabotage is an even greater danger.

Self-Sabotaging Your Weight Loss

Self-sabotage is a very common occurrence among people who attempt to lose weight. And, the reasons and triggers can vary greatly. Even so, most self-sabotage is related to a few common themes:

• Self-medication through food – Many people overeat or binge eat because of how it makes them feel emotionally. If you grew up in a household where food was used as a reward for good behavior, or as a panacea for all ills and wrongs, you probably fall into this pattern. Some people eat when they are nervous, stressed, or depressed. Others overeat to compound the emotional high they get when gathering with friends and loved ones. And, still others overeat out of loneliness. Whatever the “trigger” is that causes you to self-medicate with food, it’s important for you to recognize these patterns so you can head them off before they happen.
• Suspension of belief in the law of cause and effect – Still other people self-sabotage by suspending their belief in the law of cause and effect. They choose to temporarily believe that if they overeat today they won’t pay for it in the long run. To lose weight permanently, you must face the fact that it is your actions that determine your weight. Maybe at some point you’ve convinced yourself that you have a “slow metabolism” or “bad genes”. Regardless of the validity of these beliefs, the fact remains that it is ultimately your actions that cause you to gain weight, because your weight gain is a direct result of your own eating habits, regardless of your metabolism or genetic predisposition to gain weight.
• Self-loathing and the failure to believe in yourself – Yes, you can want to be thin and at the same time hate yourself and undermine your own efforts to lose weight. Overcoming any feelings you have that cause you to beat yourself up is often an important step toward achieving permanent weight loss. Beating yourself up over your weight, or over slipping back into old habits only compounds the problem. Learn to replace negative thinking patterns with positive ones, and replace negative self-talk with positive thought patterns. Doing so will do loads for your self-confidence, which in turn will make it much easier for you to stick with your exercise and nutrition program.

Permanent Weight Loss Means Doing It For You And You Alone

Finally, do it for the right reason. Don’t do it for someone else, don’t do it to impress someone, or for revenge, or to show someone up. Those emotions and motivations won’t last.

Instead, you have to make a permanent decision deep down that exercise and eating right are something you are doing for you. Commit to taking care of yourself and treating yourself right through regular exercise and proper nutrition.

That’s a motivation that will last, long after you’ve shown up at your old job or at that reunion four dress sizes smaller and 40 pounds lighter. And, that way you’ll continue to be motivated to keep the weight off for good, making permanent weight loss a permanent fixture in your life!

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