 Give your weight-loss plan time
Do you struggle to stay on track while watching the scale remain stuck? Then in a moment of frustration, you indulge and see a loss the next day?
Weight loss is not linear. When you eat 500 to 1000 calories less per day than you burn, you will lose one-half to 1 pound over time. Those two little words, "over time" are overlooked but extremely important. Weight loss takes time and perseverance. At even one-half pound per week, that adds up to 26 pounds per year.
Now, when one-half pound comes off, the scale doesn't move much. It takes about a 2-pound move for most of us to feel as though we have accomplished something.
At one-half pound per week, that's four weeks before we see progress. It can be hard to persevere that long if you don't feel as though you're being successful.
Also, there is usually a lag time between actions and results. I experience a lag time of up to two weeks between what I eat and what the scale does. That means, what my scale is reading today is a result of my eating pattern of two weeks ago. So, if I've been eating right since January 1, I may still not see that on the scale yet since it's still registering the last part of my holiday indulgences.
If I give up now and just eat ice cream, next week, the scale will reflect the first two weeks of work. This can make it appear as though I can only lose weight if I eat ice cream!
Whatever day you start, make a commitment to stick to your plan for one calendar month. Be patient, and the results you see in those four weeks should help motivate you to continue.
|
