Long-term weight control success requires LOTS of thought, focus and attention to detail. Weight gain requires none of these: Do what feels good, don’t think a second about it and weight gain is almost a guarantee.
When I have my weekly encounters with patients and we observe what transpired on the scale (weight loss or weight gain that week), I will ask the people what their approach was that week. Sometimes, patients will whip out a dietary journal showing me exactly everything they consumed for every meal/snack that week. More often people will, off the top of their heads, recount what their strategy was.
Here is the point: It is VERY important to know “what went right and what went wrong” during the week as this relates to weight control. The other day, I had a patient tell me that her only “tweak” was getting rid of nuts and not drinking fruit juices and the weight loss was 3X more that week than the week before. In the weeks in which weight gain (or no loss) occurs, we need to identify the causative factors. Often, these are obvious such as a vacation or trip that included alcohol usage, no kitchen to prepare meals, etc. However, sometimes these are subtle factors that on the surface, would not seem to be important.
We are all different in our physiologies and therefore we respond differently to various dietary/exercise factors. I see our program as NOT intended to rush as much weight as we can off of someone in 12 weeks. Rather, I see it as the goal of our program is to help people find the patterns of diet and exercise that help them attain and maintain their healthy/happy weight.
Identifying “what went right and what went wrong” in the weight control arena requires us all to be aware of what we are eating/drinking and then adjust these based on what transpires on the scale. There is no better way to do this than journal our food intake. Pain in the ass? Yes, but studies have shown a 60% better success in shedding weight when tracking occurs.
And whether you are right or whether you are wrong, we all can still appreciate Sammy Davis’ song that starts with those lyrics. Enjoy!
