Day 134 - Why Slow Weight Loss Wins

Day 134 - Weight 197.4 - Lost 1.6 pounds this week and 34.8 in all. I put another rock in the jar. When I entered my weight in my Weight Watchers Online Weight Tracker, a pop-up said "Why Slow Weight Loss Wins" and it had a link to click. Of course I clicked it and found so much encouragement in the article. What I am about to share is from Debra Mandel, PhD, a Los Angeles psychologist who specializes in eating disorders

First of all, we live in a quick-fix society filled with ads for quick weight loss. But where weight loss is concerned, quick is not good. When it comes down to it, fast weight loss can't last, because it usually means adapting to very difficult eating habits and an impossible-to-live-with lifestyle. Quick fix equals fast failure. Our metabolism slows down, and eventually we're eating fewer and fewer calories but not losing weight. This leads to anxiety, which prompts us to eat even fewer calories to try to lose. The body rebels against that even more.

So it's a vicious cycle. Because if you don't get enough nutrients — which is a major risk when you're going for a quick fix — your brain, and then your body, will, well, insist that you eat. To your body, it's nothing more than survival. But to you, it will feel like you're giving in and losing control. Then you'll feel like a failure, which might very well send you to the fridge.

Losing weight slowly isn't just healthier,  it's a better investment. Not only are you dropping pounds, you're working on building habits that you'll be able to maintain. And those habits will help you maintain the weight you lost, so you can stay at your goal weight for good. Plus, you have more energy to live life in the present, because you're not starving and focusing on food. You're creating a healthy relationship with food. That's the key to lifelong success.

I am realizing that I will probably not be able to lose 2 or more pounds a week at this point. I am trying to look at 1 pound a week as success. I am heading in the right direction. I just have to be patient. I do not feel like I am on "a diet" because I eat better than ever and I am never hungry. I am making life-style changes that will help me keep my weight off when I reach my goal.