Weight Loss

Why You Can't Take Off The Pounds

-- Dr Phil McGraw explained this when interviewed by Oprah in 2001

You Either Get It Or You Don't.

Why are you overweight? It's not your metabolism. It's not your willpower. What is your excuse?

You choose to be overweight.

Accept that you're lifestyle is contributing to your obesity.

People Do What Works.

Your obesity serves a purpose for you. What is your payoff? You can't diet to permanent weight loss. Diets, gastric bypass, and certain medications can give short-term results, BUT they are not long-term solutions to your weight problem.

You Can't Change What You Don't Acknowledge.

You must recognize how you are using food. Food should be used as fuel for your body-not as a substitute for emotions. What triggers you to eat? You must change this response.

How do you see yourself?

Are you "dragging yourself down?" You need to change your internal dialogue, or you will sabotage your weight loss. If you see yourself the same, then you'll be the same. You have to get rid of the failure and the shame you feel.

Follow these five steps to create a strategy for your weight loss goal.

1. Set a very specific goal.

Remember that losing weight requires a change in thought and behavior, so set goals for your emotions and weight. Don't just set vague goals like, "I want to lose some weight." Be specific: How much weight do you want to lose? How do you want to feel? Close your eyes and visualize yourself after you've reached those goals. Use this visualization to feel commitment and inner strength.

2. Work out a very specific strategy.

Will power doesn't work! To lose weight and keep it off, you must have a strategy. Plan ahead: Get rid of your expandable clothes, stay away from fast food, and keep healthy food in your pantry.

3. Identify small, measurable steps.

Implement steps that will fit your lifestyle, not somebody else's. Be sure to move toward a positive goal, not just away from being fat. Every step you take will bring you closer to being who you want to be.

4. Create a healthy, realistic timeline.

Where will you be in a month? six months? a year? Fit your goals to your calendar, and stick to it. Don't expect to see huge results overnight; take the time to change your lifestyle, and you'll change your weight.

5. Create meaningful monitoring and accountability

If you know you have to report your progress to someone, you'll be more likely to stick with your plan. "Go public" with somebody you trust. Find support when you need it, and celebrate your victories!

Is Your Lifestyle Making You Fat?

"Get this! You can't be overweight if you don't have a lifestyle to support it."

-- Dr. Phil

Do you set up your life to be fat? Dr. Phil's quiz will help you understand what's feeding your weight problems. Answer these questions honestly — and get ready to get real about fat.

Do you keep lots of junk food in your house?
Does your desk drawer look like a 7-Eleven?
Do you have no allotted time for working out?
Do you get up late and have a chaotic life?
Are your clothes expandable so you can grow into them?
Is your time spent doing sedentary things like watching television?
Do you frequent fast-food take-aways, and eat in your car or while you're doing an activity like reading or watching T.V.?
Do you eat until the activity is over instead of until you're full?
Is your social life defined by food instead of activities?
Do you choose restaurants with buffets and large portions?

If you answered yes to one or more then your lifestyle is contributing negatively to your weight. It's time to stop making excuses and take action.

Frequently Asked Questions About Weight

Have a question about weight? Dr. Phil has the answer. Browse these commonly asked questions, and start to Get Straight With Your Weight!

Don't genetics affect weight?
What if medication makes me gain weight?
What about "magic" diets that promise quick results?
My friend lost weight; why didn't her strategy work for me?
What if I just really like food?
I like everything about myself; I just don't like the fat.
I can't seem to get my appetite in check. What's wrong?
Why do I keep slipping into my old habits?
How can I heal poor body image?
I've always dealt with difficulties using food, but now I've solved my problems. Why am I still fat?

Motivation and Danger Zones

Stay Motivated

Nobody ever said that losing weight would be easy. Staying motivated can be hard work, but it isn't impossible. Accept that you will hit a motivational plateau. At first, losing weight and exercising is exciting and fun. After time, many people lose their motivation. The key to motivation is figuring out how to keep going, even when you don't feel like doing so.

Don't rely on willpower - it simply doesn't work

Willpower is driven by emotions, which can be fickle. Emotions landed you into a weight problem, but they won't get you out of it. Give yourself permission to say, "I don't have to want to do this all the time." By acknowledging that, you can respond to it accordingly.

Avoid Danger Zones

You can't be overweight unless you have a lifestyle to support it. Danger zones can be places, times, or moments.

Places: Clean up your kitchen pantry. You can't eat unhealthy food if it's not there. Avoid fast-food restaurants, takeaways, and other places that don't go along with your goals.

Times: Change your routine. If you know you tend to eat junk food in the afternoon, come up with an incompatible behavior during the afternoon. Do something different.

Moments: When you get an impulse to eat, and you're standing in front of food, fight it. Leave the room, go outside, do whatever it takes. The impulse will pass. Fight the urges moment by moment.

Stick to the Plan!

Be Accountable

Dr. Phil says that when others are monitoring your weight loss goals, you'll stick to your plan. Without external monitoring, you'll let yourself off the hook.

Find a buddy. Some people exercise with friends, and you can start your own group, too.

Regularly post your weight on a chart. Use your actual weight, or if numbers are intimidating, use bars to represent each pound.

You can join Dr. Phil's ten-week program and be accountable to thousands of other people. Remember, it's your job to change your lifestyle; it's your buddy's job to help. Only you are responsible for your weight loss.

Reward Yourself

When you first begin to lose weight, the pounds seem to drop off. The rewards are obvious. After time, though, it takes longer to see visible results because your body's rate of loss diminishes. This is normal, but often frustrating. Find another "currency" for rewarding yourself. Acknowledge your self-mastery and take pride in how you've taken control of your life. You used to be controlled by the food, but now you control the food.

A Final Word

The next year will go by whether you want it to or not. You will weigh either more or less, but you won't weigh the same. Make the choices that lead you to your goal.

Ask yourself these questions:
How will I look when I lose the weight?
How will I feel when I walk into a room not tugging on my clothes, trying to cover up what won't fit?
How will I feel when I present myself physically and socially?
What's it going to mean to me when I look at the last year and say that I required more of myself?

When you know the answers, that vision will come into focus. You have to project ahead to stay on track.

After you've reached your weight loss goal, don't let go of your new good habits. Develop a maintenance plan and incorporate it into your life.

The Body Mass Index - divide your weight in kilos by your height in metres, squared.

70 kilos divided by 1.7 metres squared = BMI of 24 (between 20 & 25 is ideal)

Waist measurement should be less than hip measurement.

The Okinawa Program was also explained on an Oprah Show in 2001.

Many people think it to be the Best Age-Defying Diet in the World

Dr. Willcox says the Japanese Okinawa diet can help you feel better and look younger no matter what your age. This plant-based diet contains fewer calories than the average American's but fills the stomach up faster so a person eats less.

Daily Diet

7 fruits and vegetables a day

7 servings of whole grains a day

2 servings of soy products a day
They use soy flour, tofu, and soy beans in the pod are a popular snack

Fish — Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna
Fresh water fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which reduce heart attacks

2 servings of calcium a day

6 glasses of water a day

6 cups of herb tea.