I'm well into my third year as a Health Coach, and I've come to learn something about people's attitudes. In particular, I've learned a great deal about people's attitudes toward their weight. And some of it has surprised me.
I've learned three things about people and weight.
First, most people would like to weigh less than they do. Not so much with younger people, but very definitely this is true after folks reach middle age, 40 or thereabouts. Today, the average American is 20-30 lbs overweight, or two dress sizes, or 4-6 inches in their waistline. That's a fact. But what's disturbing is that the population of overweight (including obese) people has more than doubled in the last 30 years (1980-2010), and now constitutes almost 70% of our population.
So, many of us look around and say, "Maybe I should lose some weight, but I'm not doing too badly compared to all these other folks." That leads to postponement of any serious attempt to bring weight under control. The availability of ever-more popular loose-fitting clothing enables us to ignore what we know is a growing problem. In fact, elastic waist-bands and over-sized sweatshirts have made a big contribution to our national weight problem because the first and most obvious sign of excess weight gain is tighter fitting clothing. Almost all my clients have testified to me that they had reached the point where they had two wardrobes: stuff that fits, and stuff that hasn't fitted for two years or more, but they still wished they could wear.
Second, the majority of people does not think they can lose weight and keep it off. At least not without doing something that is (a) difficult, (b) expensive, and (c) inconvenient. Or some combination of these three features. In some cases, they have tried different things, only to lose heart after several weeks or months.
Many diet plans require obsessive calorie counting or point counting. Exercise routines usually require many hours of time every week to have any significant effect. And personal trainers, although effective, can be pretty expensive.
Studies have shown that the average dieter gains back more weight than they lose in a 24-month cycle. This is almost always caused by the individual returning to his or her "old ways" as soon as they get close to their weight-loss goal. One or two rides on this merry-go-round teaches people that they "can't" lose weight, even if other people seem successful.
Third, people look for excuses to avoid changing their lifestyle, even if it is destructive. Based on my experience (and the experience of thousands of other health coaches) I can safely say that most people are overweight or obese because of life-long bad habits, not genetics or allergies or low self-esteem, or stress, or their work schedules, or... or... etc. We humans can rationalize anything, even when we want to achieve something else.
The good news is that changing some of the simplest habits of eating and exercise can have a dramatic effect on weight and well-being. One example: eating meals only 2 or 3 times each day is a common habit acquired during our youth. For most of us it means gorging on twice as many calories at a sitting as we can effectively use. The answer: eat smaller meals more often, at least five or six a day.
Another habit is eating carbohydrates at every sitting. Ours is a carb-heavy world. No one needs to seek out carbohydratess as part of their diet; they're everywhere! Learning how to include protein at every meal is the key to weight loss, energy maintenance, and long-term health. But you need to know what foods will provide protein, and then include them in your meals, while weaning yourself off the excessive carbs in the American diet.
So, that's two of the "bad" habits that cause poor health. There are other habits, as well, which need to be addressed. Eating, drinking, sleeping, walking, and travelling all involve habits that can work against your long-term health. Over the next few blog posts I will introduce you to ways that you can start changing your world for the better.
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