Doing just okay is enough to lose weight

If there is one thing I would like to get across to anybody who wants, or needs, or even feels desperate, to lose weight, “all you got to do is just okay.” No major effort and certainly not perfection is necessary for the best results.

Here is what I see happen to many folks who want to reduce their body weight

First they do their research. They read different weight loss plans with total dedication. They investigate them all – low-fat, low-carb, no-carb, Paleo, sugar busters, Vegan, gluten-free, liquid diets, meal replacement plans, very low-calorie diets, detox diets, etc. I won’t list them all, but there are many more and they read, research and interview people they know who weigh less than they used to.

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They carefully select their plan based on their research and confident they’ve picked the plan guaranteed to yield perfect results. They get ready to embark on their “new lifestyle,” because they learned through their research they must approach this, not as a diet, but rather a “lifestyle change.” They go into it completely committed.

 

The do a thorough cleanup of their personal environment to remove the stuff that they can’t eat according to their new lifestyle. They buy what they’re going to eat. It might be expensive both in terms of getting rid of the food they have on hand (that they enjoyed eating before the lifestyle change) and replacing it with different food. They set up their environment to ensure they exercise daily.

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Now they’re ready to begin their new lifestyle. The first few days, and sometimes even weeks all goes well. They are carefully abiding by the lifestyle rules. They feel proud, empowered, and excited about the success they’ll soon be celebrating.

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As time goes on they find their new lifestyle to be a poor fit with their life. They come to a fork in the road, Some choose to put their life on hold while they continue to follow their new lifestyle. “Eventually,” they tell themselves, “this will become a habit.” Others choose to go the other way when they reach the fork. They just revert to their old ways with a new sense of hopelessness accepting that they will never reach goal if they’re lucky, or probably will just keep gaining weight.

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Regardless of which fork they take, the result is the same. Unrealistic expectations lead to one more failure at lifestyle change. While most of us can make changes to our lifestyle to make them support our health and weight-related goals, few of us can manage a complete lifestyle change, and nobody has to.

Making sweeping changes with food isn’t necessary for successful weight loss, nor is it necessary to be perfect with your new lifestyle. “Just okay” can get the job done. Actually, just okay is the best way to get the job done. Forget about major changes and perfection.

Just okay is identifying areas where you can do a little better.

  • Do a little better eating more foods that are nutrient dense rather than energy dense
  • Do a little better choosing whole foods over processed foods
  • Do a little better sitting less
  • Do a little better moving your body more often
  • Do a little better doing a little better some days, not every day.

It’s okay if it’s not every day.

 

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.