The Puzzle of Lasting Weight Loss
One thing I loved about nursing was the puzzle. Each patient walking in my door was a mystery I had to unearth and sort out.
They would list of symptoms they were having, and I had to attribute each on to some cause. Is the dizziness from a medication, inner ear problem, or some more dangerous like bleeding internally?
Each day meant digging to find the root problems. If I find and manage the cause of the problem, either the issue would worsen, or it would come back for the patient.
I guess mainstream, commercial weight loss isn’t concerned about the source of the problem.
Did you know that approximately 90-95% of people that lose weight gain it back again? Not just what they lost either. Dieters end up gaining back more.
Is it staggering, right?
My mental nursing alarm is beeping like crazy at this information!
What does this mean?
Something is wrong!
How do we have so many weight loss options out there, but no real, lasting solution?
Simple.
We haven’t got to the root of the problem when it comes to being overweight.
Being overweight or having excess fat on our bodies, that is just a SYMPTOM. It’s the result of a deeper problem; it’s not the problem in and of itself.
Overeating and under-exercising are the ACTIONS that lead to having excess weight, but, again, these also are NOT the problem.
Dies and exercise routines focus on these actions though. They will tell you the real problem doesn’t matter. Just will-power through. Eat these specific foods and complete these routines, and you’ll be thin.
So, we try. We try to push our way through consuming only “good” foods and drudging through miserable cardio sequences. The whole time we are wondering if it will work “this time” and waiting for our "cheat" day (which turns into a cheat week).
We are so focused on changing our ACTIONS that we forget the most crucial part. **Remember, if you don’t take care of the root cause, it will get worse or come back.
It’s like the example of the symptom of dizziness I used before. What if you went to a doctor and he/she said, “Take these pills. It will give you relief for a couple of hours, but then it will keep come back.
I’m not going to worry about what caused it. This medication will at least keep you functioning.”
I would be irate if an MD told me this! I wouldn’t want to spin in dizziness again in a couple of hours. Who wants to take pills for days on end or even the rest of their life? What if there is something serious that needs to be addressed? What if it’s something simple that can be changed so I’ll never be dizzy again?
I would demand some testing to figure out the ROOT CAUSE!
But, when it comes to weight loss, most women don't demand this.
So many women I talk to don’t want to or think about taking care of the problem. Instead, they focus on taking “a pill” hoping that one of these times they’ll lose the weight, and it will magically stay off. Often, they are drawn to the quickest and cheapest way.
But quick and cheap actions means quick and cheap results.
Nothing gets fixed and more problems end up arising.
Roots are important, my friends. Roots are what gives life.
Do you have roots growing in the problem or the solution?
And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. Mark 4:17
Many women want to lose weight. But their knowledge of the cause is shallow. They endure for a while, lose some weight. But tribulations come along (holidays, loss, “busyness”), and soon they fall away, gaining the weight back.
Not for my clients or me, though.
We've grown roots deep into God’s love and care for us. Roots that allow us to then love and care for our bodies easily, day in, and day out.
We understand the source of the problem. It’s not just about what we eat; it’s about WHY.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:12
As Christians, we are called to look at things differently. Just like how I look at things differently after being trained as a nurse, we too, are to look at our lives, our actions differently as Jesus Christ believers.
Don’t conform to the pattern of this world’s weight loss any longer.
Transform. Renew your mind.
And get to the root of the problem:
Why do you eat more fuel than your body needs?
Not what, not how, not when, but WHY.
Next week we'll dive into this root question of WHY.
I can't wait until then!
If you're ready to dig up the roots of why you're overweight, sign up for a Discovery Call. Let me help you start putting the puzzle together so you can lose weight and lose it for good! Click HERE to pick a time.
