Losing the weight:

While we will dive into several potential reasons why it is so hard to lose weight and keep it off, it all boils down to accountability.

Much like getting ourselves out of debt, it requires a self reflection into our personal habits and that can be quite painful.  It is much easier to give 50% effort and say that “we tried” and ignore the underlying problems we have than to give 100% effort and potentially fail.

The bright side though is that, with 100% accountability, it is impossible to fail to lose weight!  As mentioned in a previous article there are laws of physics that we cannot defy when it comes to weight loss.

Accountability not only means keeping yourself honest to following your diet, it also means understanding and applying the principles of a diet in the first place.

The problem most people face when dieting is the later half of the above statement.  Most of us can keep ourselves honest to our perceived diet, however, perceived is the key to the equation most people fail.

Simply “eating healthy” is not enough.  While making healthier food choices is definitely recommended, most people tend to underestimate how many calories they consume anywhere from 10-40% with the average being around 20%.

To put this into perspective, an average American Diet is based on 2000 calories.  For example, if you perceive to eat 2000 calories and your estimate is off by 20% you have to add another 20% to your total calories or 100% + 20%= 120%.  So, 2000*1.2 = 2400 actual calories or 400 extra calories per day.

As previously discussed, in 1lb of fat there are 3500 calories.  So from our example above, 400 calories * 7 days = 2800 excess calories per week.  At best, your goal caloric deficit is 3500-2800= 700 calories or 1/5 lb per week assuming your current daily caloric intake is 2500 per day (2500-2400 actual = 100*7days- 700cal/week).  At that rate it would take you 5 weeks to lose 1 lb, very discouraging!

This ultimately boils down to one word “estimating”.  While it is impossible to 100% accurately account for every single calorie that enters your body, using a food scale is the most accurate way to track your calories.

Using a food scale eliminates any guessing done in your diet.  It forces you to be 100% accountable and it is far from easy, it requires constant work, but if you follow it you have a 100% chance of success.

Keeping the weight off:

While many people may achieve successful weight loss once or even several times in their lives, a majority will slowly see their weight loss reversed.

If it is possible to lose the weight in the first place, why is it then so hard to keep it off and maintain the weight loss?

While there may not be one defining reason that causes people to see the weight regained, there is for fact one defining characteristic, discipline.

The fact is that most people fail to mentally change when they do physically.  Weight loss is both a physical and mental challenge.  It takes hard work, stress, physical pain and sacrificing things we love in order to achieve our goal of permanent weight loss.

While science is on our side to achieve the weight loss, we also have to remember science is against us for weight gain.  If you lack the discipline required to maintain your new lifestyle for life, be prepared to see yourself back in the position you started at.

What can you do about it?

Dieting alone is a great first step, but much like an addict, you need to reshape your life and habits in order to live the one you desire.  

Making a million changes all at once is never a good idea because it is abrupt and will not be sustainable.  But slowly adding changes over time builds strength and can last a lifetime.

How to be successful:

In order to reinforce the muscle of discipline, make a list of things we call “non-negotiable”.

Things in your non-negotiable list could consist of:

• NEVER hit the snooze button
• Make your bed every day
• Strength train at least 3 days per week
• Meditate for 10 minutes a day
• Do 10 minutes of some form of cardio per day
• Read for 30 minutes a day
• Take a cold shower right after you wake up
• Abstain from social media 2 hours prior to bedtime 

Hopefully you can take some inspiration or practices from the list above an add into your daily routine, and again, do not attempt to add them all in at once.  Add one new non-negotiable in every couple weeks if you are someone who is slower to adapt new habits. 

As we mentioned, the key to keeping weight off is about being disciplined.  Doing things from the list above requires great discipline.

The great thing about being disciplined though is that, even though you may not want to do it, giving yourself no option not to eventually becomes part of your personal character and the new normal.  Staying strict on your diet will just become another bullet on the list and also become part of your daily life and easier to maintain. 

You now have the secret success to weight loss! It is up to you to climb the mountain and appreciate the view!