Adam's April 2013 Blog

By Adam Glasgow - 4/9/2013

April 2013 Blog

Why a change of seasons is so nice and weight maintenance is so difficult

Doesn’t everyone love spring, and summer (if it’s not too hot), and fall with the beautiful foliage, and even winter (at least the excitement of the first snow?) We love the seasons because we love change. We hunger for what is new, different, and exciting.

The start of every diet, of every weight loss journey, of every “honeymoon” after weight loss surgery is filled with excitement and change. We eat new and healthier foods. We clean the cabinets of all the junk. We start moving and exercising and living. We are filled with good intentions. If we are even moderately successful others start to notice and the compliments flow and we glow. Lose enough weight and we get to shop-new clothes, new haircut, new attitude, why even a “new you.”

If we stick to it long enough we actually reach a goal, a milestone, and then the panic starts. “what do I do now?” “how do I stay at my goal?” “I only know how to diet. I don’t know how to maintain.” Anyone who has ever been married knows that the “honeymoon” is now over. Marriage is great and I love it and I love my wife but it is work. Next to childrearing, marriage is the toughest job you’ll ever love. Why? Because it isn’t the “honeymoon.” It isn’t exotic travel, sleeping late, romantic dinners, walks on the beach, the thrill of finally being alone with the one you love. It is work, and life, and bills, and kids, and family, and bosses, and traffic, and all that comes with it.

Once we reach our weight loss goal and are stable for a few months or even a few weeks, people stop noticing and complimenting. Our look is no longer new or different. We don’t need new clothes. We’ve already bought them. We don’t need to rid the house of junk food. It’s already gone. We don’t meet new people at the gym, the park, the Zumba class. They’re “old friends” by now. We’ve been working out with them for months. In business and in sport it is said that “getting to the top, isn’t nearly as difficult as staying at the top.” Anyone who has ever done both knows- the same is true for weight loss and weight maintenance. I would never say it is “easy to lose” but it is a hell of a lot easier to lose than it is to maintain. That’s ok because nothing worthwhile comes without effort. It’s ok because members of the “Adam’s Family” and “Band on the Run” don’t shrink from a challenge. They don’t turn from adversity. They meet life head on. They are strong and capable and successful and they win by losing and maintaining.

In a lot of ways weight maintenance is like brushing your teeth. You know how to do it, you need to do it, so you do it-but damn it can be drudgery. And the payoff for the most part comes later. Other than fresh breath, there is no real reward for brushing your teeth. That comes every 6 months when we hear the great news “no cavities, gums look good, pay at the desk, see you in 6 months.” Weight maintenance is also like wearing a seat belt. You’ve got to do it, you know it’s important, in fact it’s the law but it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, and you don’t like being told what to do. Get over it. Seat belts save lives. Hopefully they’ll never need to save yours but if they do you’ll be glad you had it on.

Weight maintenance means doing everything you did when you were losing just without all the fanfare, compliments, excitement, and change. You need to eat “good food,” less of it,” and “move more.” As I say so often-weight loss and weight maintenance are darn easy to explain and damn difficult to achieve. The devil is in the details. The plan is simple-it’s the execution that challenges us.

This spring I want everyone reading this to commit to themselves, to their fellow bandsters, to the team here at SWLS to journeying forward, to staying on the path, to doing what they need to do to lose or maintain or both. We are all in this together. Our strength is a collective strength. If you haven’t been to a Support Group-there are 2 every month-get in here! If you haven’t logged on to “Adam’s Family” the weekly Wednesday night chat-do it! We are running, walking, finishing the Walpole Day 5K on June 8th-join us!

As always, I and the “team,” the “extended family” are here if you need us. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone or shoot me an email-adam@massweightloss.com. Looking forward to seeing “less of you soon” and wishing a refreshing and energizing spring.

Adam

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adam@c3coaching.org

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