As Much Time As It Takes

Throughout my weight loss journey people have asked me a lot of different questions.  Perhaps the most common question is, “How long did it take you to lose all that weight?”  When I tell them that it took me the better part of three years to lose one hundred pounds people often respond by saying, “That is a long time.” 

Over the years I have come to learn that like it or not, losing weight takes a considerable amount of time.  And the time that is needed takes many forms:

·         Healthy, Effective Weight Loss Should Be a Slow and Steady Process – Generally speaking, depending on your size, it is not recommended that people lose weight rapidly.  FITDAY discusses six advantages of slow weight loss.

·         Shopping, Preparing and Cooking Your Own Food – It is very challenging to eat at restaurants a lot and lose weight.  While many restaurants offer some healthy menu options these days, the selection is often limited.  Even worse, it is almost impossible to know what is in restaurant food.  More often than not, restaurant foods contain preservatives, lots of sodium and lots of other things that do not support a healthy lifestyle.  If you do your own shopping and your own cooking, you and you alone control the quality, nutritional value and portion size of your food.  You will also probably need to spend time researching healthy recipes for meals and snacks.  All of this takes time, but it is time well spent. 

·         Journaling – One of my previous blog entries highlighted the importance of journaling.  WebMD summarizes a study that found people who keep a daily food journal lose twice as much weight as people who do not keep regular food journals.  Yes, it takes time.  But again, it is time well spent.

 

·         Exercise – A regular, well-rounded exercise routine will speed up your metabolism, build muscle, increase fitness, burn calories, help support weight loss, give you energy and generally make you feel good.  My workout routine was 50-60 minutes a day six days per week during my peak weight loss.  This is a lot of time, but in the end it was worth it!

I understand that most people are very busy.  Free time is a luxury.   But if you are serious about losing weight, especially a lot of weight, then you will need to find the time.  The time you dedicate to weight loss is an investment, not a cost. 

My mother used to say, “Son, people have a way of finding the time to do the things that they truly want to do.”  No matter how much time it takes, if you really want it, your health is worth the time investment and you will find the time.