Smart Weight Management 10 Guidelines For Successful Weight Management.

It's easy to lose weight. People do it all the time. The problem is that the success rate (for keeping weight off) is dismal. Statistical data reveals that 95% of us who lose more than ten pounds gain it back--and more.

So, why not a paradigm shift? Instead of talking about weight control, let's think weight management. And instead of focusing on weight loss let's put our energies into the development of an individualized program that prevents weight gain.

I've coached hundreds of people who have been willing to make this paradigm shift. (See Smart Coaching on LIFESTYLES home page). To do so I've used ten guidelines: They include:

ather the Numbers: This is about assessments. In order to create a plan there has to be a benchmark that can be used to say, 'this is where I am today.' I use five assessments to gather the numbers that can help me create an individualized diet and exercise plan that works.

anage Your Metabolism: I used to call this Never Crash Diet. The new guideline recognizes that there are many factors which affect metabolism. I’ve a ‘bible’ on which I build my response to questions folks ask me about a full range of subjects. It’s called Metabolism At A Glance. This book reveals the metabolic pathways for all the reactions that are going on in my body at any given time. it also shows how a less than healthy approach to food and exercise can alter these pathways. Keep your metabolism ‘tuned up,’ provide your body with the right fuel and, like your car, everything will run smoothly. Purge or deny your body the calories it requires and it says, ‘Famine again!!’ Let’s go on strike!!

at for Optimum Health. Although there are very few of us who eat only to provide our body with the nutrients we need on a daily basis, there are some simple guidelines that will assure I get all calories and nutrients I need every day. They’ve been outlined in Smart Eating, Smart Recipes and the Smart Eating poster. Your goal should be to become your own best nutritionist.

e a savvy consumer. I’ve a favorite slogan, ‘label’s don’t lie but liars write labels.’ Although the government has made great strides to help make food labels easier to understand they still have a long way to go. Whether you are looking at a food label or a weight management ad, reading the latest multi-marketing vitamin scheme or watching an infomercial with an action call to ‘buy now’ it’s important to be equipped with some simple guidelines that can help you choose wisely. Restaurant survival and Smart Supermarket shopping skills can bring sense to this crazymaking that does little for us but encourage us to lighten our wallets!!

xercise for Optimum Health. This goes without saying. The farther away you move from a couch potato lifestyle the better off you will be in the short and long term. Exercise, however, now means more than cardiac conditioning. A well rounded program includes strength training and movement that improves flexibility, balance and coordination. Cross training assures that the body doesn’t get too complacent--with cross training your metabolism is always getting a wake-up call.

isten--Without Judgment. Whenever we start something new the temptation is to make a decision and put it on the back burner. It’s impossible to make change without paying lots of attention to the habit you want to break or learn. The ‘without judgment’ part is about not beating yourself up if you don’t maintain a commitment. Remember, it takes many lapses to make a relapse and many relapses to make a collapse. Each lapse is an opportunity to learn. Preventive maintenance is the key.

now Your Family. So many of our behaviors are forged in the first six-eight years of our life when our brains don’t process very logically. The experiences we have and the response to the subsequent thoughts, emotions, feelings and actions play a big role in how we respond to events later in life. In every moment we have a choice of a self defeating behavior that may be a habit or a self affirming behavior that paves the pathway to a higher self and self esteem. It’s inevitable that growth includes introspection. An examination of where you came from can help you reparent yourself with healthier habits that allow you to reach your full potential.

dentify Supporters and Saboteurs. So often we think there’s something wrong with us if we can’t ‘just do it.’ In fact, change is most successful when we have someone to give us unconditional support for the changes we want to make. How else can we reprogram the computer that has subconsciously ruled our lives for so many years. Ask for help and accept it graciously. Then you’ll gain the experience to be able to give help to someone else in the future. What goes around comes around.

ake Smart Goals. I wouldn’t drive from my home in Oregon to Maine without a map. It’s extraordinary that I might think I can manage my lifestyle without a map that sets a path for me to follow. (There’s a great article that flushes out this concept in Smart Behaviors!)

ighten Up! No this isn’t about your weight. It’s about learning what’s important in life. Worrying in advance, overgeneralizing, awfulizing, shoulding and labeling are just a few of the exercises you want to avoid. Pay attention to what restores you and do it often. Spend time every day giving thanks for the good things in your life. Smile. It’s pretty hard to have a bad day when you face the world with a sunny disposition. >

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