Human nature is such that patience is not one of our strong suits. When we want something, we usually want it NOW as opposed to waiting for the thing/outcome we desire. This is one of the major reasons why the overall credit card debt in America is incredibly (and dangerously) high: Even though we may not afford it, we want “it” NOW.
Weight control is no exception to this trait of human nature. When a person embarks on a weight loss journey, that person usually wants as much weight lost as quick as possible. The “pace” of weight loss is expected to be swift and aggressive. Anything less than a rapid pace is viewed with disappointment and as a failure.
Let’s first look at this from a medical aspect: There may be some circumstances when the pace of weight loss needs to be very aggressive such as:
- A morbidly obese person has an upcoming surgery and fast weight loss will result in less potential operative/post op complications and healing will be faster by going into the operation at much less weight
- A diabetic patient that is morbidly obese is seeing very high sugar levels bordering on ketoacidosis
- A morbidly obese patient has very high BP readings despite multiple medications for hypertension
However, in most cases, there is really no “medical necessity” of rapidly losing weight. Safe and sustainable weight loss is the goal.
Now, from a psychological aspect: The overweight/obese person needs to feel “rewarded” for their efforts. There is nothing more frustrating than to cut carbs/alcohol/sugars, exercise more and the scale does not show the loss you expected. Frustration will ultimately result in the “I Give Up” mentality and then the weight will never be lost.
So, I advise my patients to try as best as possible to reign in those thoughts of “losing weight as fast as I can”. Morph those feelings more in line with the concept of LONG TERM weight control. It matters much more where your weight is 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now as opposed to what you weigh in 3 weeks. Kind of like the “tortoise and hare” fable: slow and steady wins the race…in the this case, to long-term health and happiness.
Well, given the theme of “Pace” here is a real oldie by Gerry and The PACEmakers.
