A 12-year-old boy weighs about 87 pounds on average. When Rob and I analyzed how our bathtime feels different, something struck me… we’ve lost a combined weight of 112 pounds total, in the last year. It’s the equivalent of a 14-year-old child. Remove that from a bathtub, and it’s bound to feel different.
He’s lost 87 pounds to date, with about 10 to go. He’s no longer diabetic, doesn’t get hangry if he misses a regular meal time occasionally, and no longer desires “those” foods. He’s lost the equivalent to a 6th grade child. He was carrying around another human, 24-hours a day. In hindsight, that’s mind-boggling.
He reflects on the journey a lot, as I recommend anyone doing, when they’ve accomplished something amazing.
“When I think about it, it comes down to 3 things:
- The knowledge of what to eat (that’s where you come into the picture as my wife and expert),
- Willpower, because the 1st 3 months are a detox from all those foods, and
- It took me 20 years to put on all that weight, but only a year to lose it.”
I’m going to emphasize his 3rd point again: “It only took a year to lose it.”
That’s a tremendous shift in mindset.
So often, we hear people complain about how difficult it is to lose weight (been there, so I get it!). But that’s simply not true. We gain, on average, 10 pounds a year, unconsciously. Yet we LOSE 25 in a year, when we’re conscious.
The difference is simply where we’re focused… we rarely focus on the scale when we’re gaining, yet obsess over it when we want to lose.
Consider a pregnancy… women gain a bunch of weight steadily and fairly gradually, losing it suddenly. Yes, the weight gain and loss is because of a human growing and being birthed, but every woman who’s given birth knows what the difference in your body feels like. You know how clothes are different, and how your body changes after losing that weight.
It’s important to tap back into that feeling.
These women also have confidence they CAN lose the weight—the extra weight that had nothing to do with their newborn. The weight gained because of shifting hormones, cravings, and changes to your diet and exercise routine. That confidence is key…
It’s not that it’s harder to lose weight than it is to gain it, despite what EVERYONE says. It’s just that we’re focused on losing weight, so it APPEARS to be harder. Where’s your attention/intention? Because as my Transformational coach says, “You are where your attention is.” If you’re focused on the scale, the clock ticks away. When you’re focused on everything BUT the scale (or you have a Dr. who tells you the scale is a useless tool), time flies by.
Anyone ever looked in the mirror and said, “how’d I get here?” If so, you understand that your attention wasn’t on fat loss.
Why is no one discussing this, especially when the mental aspect of health is critical to success? It’s SIMPLE to be healthy… but it’s not easy. Until you get your brainset right…
Here’s an example of the deep programming we live with:
“Doesn’t it usually take more time and effort to clean up the mess than to make it? Seems like a law of life. You can consume enough calories in a day to gain a pound, but how long does it take to work that many calories off? Healing takes time. Imbalances take time. Especially hormones.”
While this is a good argument posed to me when I discussed this in a group, it’s riddled with fallacy about biology and fat loss/weight gain. No one gains a REAL pound in a day. Even if you eat enough calories to do so, and the scale is higher the next day, that’s not how the body works. It needs a set amount just to survive, which is why health guidelines suggest a range of 1800-2000 calories per day.
This is why it’s so important to stop listening to friends, family, and ads that give you bad nutritional advice. Know what’s best to eat for your body, age, and lifestyle; understand the mindset and tools to create success; and you have to have patience.
There is no pill or fad DIEt/workout program that will create lasting success. Mastery comes through 10,00 hours of practice and learning about biology and nutrition. Knowledge is what builds confidence in a world of nutritional misinformation.
