The Hard Truths of Weight Loss

In the last four months I've lost 25 pounds. Every time someone asks how I did it, I have to think about my reply. Do I give them the simple answer, the one that answers the question but doesn't really help them ("the South Beach Diet"), or do I tell them the truth? Most people who ask are hoping I will say there is a magic pill they can take to help them "Lose ten pounds in ten days!" They don't want to hear the real answer. But just in case there is someone out there who does, here is the truth: there are certain things, difficult things, that you have to accept in order to lose weight. You have to face the facts of weight loss.

Weight loss takes time. If you're still looking for a quick fix, then you're not ready for real, long-term weight loss. It took quite a while to gain weight, and it's going to take just as long or longer to come off. Understanding that this takes time and patience is half the battle.

There's no such thing as a temporary diet. I started with the South Beach Diet, and although I've made some minor changes since, that's pretty much how I still eat. It works for me because the good carbs fill me up, meaning I'm never hungry. Because if I'm hungry all bets are off! But whatever you choose, make sure you can maintain it far into the future. The problem with quick fix diets, aside from the fact that they don't always work, is that they don't teach you how to eat after you've stopped following them. And long term is the key. You have to eat properly for the rest of your life. The knowledge that you're always going to have to second guess that Big Mac or piece of cheesecake can be a scary thing to accept. That's not to say you can't have treats on occasion, but to maintain your weight loss, you're always going to have to weigh the good and the bad - cheesecake now means veggies for dinner, for example. This is forever. Period.