If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes

This is an old saying that can be applied to all kinds of life situations, including weight loss.

In many support groups, it's put another way:

If I keep doing what I always did, I will keep getting what I always got.

You can read these blog posts and other internet articles on weight loss and nutrition,  pick up healthy living magazines, even buy books and dvd's on exercise....but until you make the decision to change your habits, your weight will stay the same -- or increase.

That sounds like a simple concept, but here's what often happens:

We want to lose weight. We want to be "in shape". We want to fit into a smaller size, have lower cholesterol, be able to run up the stairs. Then we study how to make that happen: plan meals, count calories, buy low-fat foods, exercise. But when it comes to day to day living, we often fall back into comfortable old habits because they are familiar- it's easier to grab a vending machine sweet roll than cook oatmeal; it's too hard to resist the burger and fries and dessert at our favorite lunch spot; we get sleepy in the afternoon and need that soda and Hershey bar for a pick-me-up caffeine boost; we're too tired to exercise after work, so we snack our way through until dinner; we have a sweet tooth craving, so we sneak downstairs for ice cream in the middle of the night. In other words, we just do what we have always done.

So for another day, nothing changes, and it follows, for another day nothing will change.

I also work with people who want to quit smoking and this is an issue we work on too. How to get from the "Wanting to" to the "Doing it".  One technique is to tell yourself you are now a person who has an eating plan. Say to yourself: "I used to eat junk food. But now I choose healthy snacks." "I used to skip breakfast, but now I have a bowl of high fiber cereal every morning." "Food used to control my life, but now I choose to be in control of what I eat and when I eat." We are own own worst enemy, and we have to convince ourselves and believe in ourselves that we are capable of change.

Once you start thinking of yourself as being someone who DOES those things you have learned about, you will find it much easier to put it into practice.  Next step: create and commit to your plan!