The Secret To Permanent Weight Control

The standard weight loss advice doesn't help much. We are told to eat less and exercise more. This doesn't help because it is way too vague. Eat less than what? How much less? Exercise how much more? Eat less of what foods... Too vague for sure.

I will tell you in the next paragraph how to be the weight you want to be and stay there permanently. It is all the information you will ever need. If you use it, you can be successful at achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. I have lost over 50 lbs. and have been maintaining that loss for over 18 years. I have helped hundreds of others do the same. You can do it too. Here is the secret:

To be the weight you want to be you need to balance your calories in/calories out to equal that weight. To do this you need some numbers. To determine how many calories a day you need, women take their weight and multiply it by 10, men use 12. That number is the approximate number of calories you need, without exercise, to maintain that weight. So, for example, if I want to weigh 130 lbs., I need to balance my daily calories around 1,300. I can take in 1,300 calories a day, on average, and/or I can add in some exercise and take in more and still weigh 130 lbs. If I burn 200 calories in exercise, I can take in 1,500 calories.

How to achieve this caloric balance is the hard part. You will need to keep food records and learn the calories and portion sizes of the foods you eat. (Drinks as well if they have calories) Most people aren't willing to do this and continue to try crazy diets and look for a quick fix. Since you need to deficit 3,500 calories in order to lose a pound of fat, there is no such thing as a quick fix. You can lose many pounds of water weight quickly when you go on a crazy diet but that comes right back when you go off the crazy diet. Keeping food records is tedious, I know, but there is no way you can "eat less" if you aren't aware of what/how much you are currently consuming.

One cautionary note: if your weight is high, don't try to balance your calories around a super low weight. Shoot for a 20 lbs. loss to start. For example, if you are a woman and weigh 200 lbs., you are probably taking in about 2,000 calories a day. Start by balancing your calories around 1,800 per day and this will eventually take you down to 180 lbs. Then shoot for 160 lbs. by balancing your calories around 1,600 per day. This gentle weight loss will allow you to lose without feeling too deprived. Extreme deprivation can be fattening as we all have a tendency to binge and throw in the towel completely.

More on how to keep and use a food journal in my next blog. Until then, good luck and let me know how you're doing.

If you'd like to participate in the research for Irene's new book about the process of weight loss, please visit http://www.eatingdisordertherapist.com/and take the survey.

Comments

[evekendall]

You can help control your weight and possibly prevent diabetes if you will eliminate from your diet foods with high fructose corn syrup ... and you should read labels because it is in almost everything these days.

"As a person with diabetes, you know how important it is to control your blood glucose and insulin levels to avoid complications. So, it would seem that a lack of glucose and insulin secretion from fructose consumption would be a good thing.

However, insulin also controls another hormone, leptin, so its release is necessary.

LEPTIN TELLS YOUR BODY TO STOP EATING WHEN IT'S FULL by signaling the brain to stop sending hunger signals. Since fructose doesn’t stimulate glucose levels and insulin release, there’s no increase in leptin levels or feeling of satiety. This can leave you ripe for unhealthy weight gain."

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/08/20/4274.html

Google high fructose corn syrup leptin:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=high+fructose+corn+syrup+leptin&aq=f&oq=

[caroveggie]

I think it is easier to follow the principles of a low-fat whole plant based diet. I have lost weight easily, maintained it easily, and do not have to count anything. Also I know I am preventing heart disease by avoiding animal fat and cholesterol (only found in animal products) and also other lifestyle related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America and strikes slim people also, it's a matter of the amount of animal products, fats, and oils in the diet.

I can eat until I'm full and eat a variety of tasty meals. The only writing down I've ever had to do has been for recipes. I think your method also works to help people lose weight, but they still remain at risk for these kinds of diseases unless they learn to improve their diet by limiting/e­liminating the causes of the problem.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for your comment caroveggie. You are so right that eating mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats, like olive oil, is the most healthy diet you can consume both for weight control and health. Even though most people know this, most people in the U.S. don't eat this way and therefore need help to control their calories. If we all ate like you, didn't overeat, and got some exercise, maybe none of us would need food records at all.

[HRhuffinstuff]

If you've got an iphone, LiveStrong has a great little app that helps you tracks your calorie intake and your activities­... And if you're trying to lose weight it can adjust your calorie count. I really like seeing the little bar as I progress through the day, by lunch I'm usually just under 50% which means I can have a pretty tasty dinner...

[Marioli]

Ideally, one day one won.t need that crutch of writing everything down and counting every calorie - and just eat or not.
As humans we are able to return ourselves to instinctive living that got lost in following numbers and scientific findings that don.t take our individuality into account.
It takes a while to find one.s unique way but it.s utterly freeing and rewarding!

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Marioli, it sounds like you have found what works for you and that is fantastic. I am happy to say after keeping records for many years I no longer have to and can maintain my weight without them. If I do start to gain, I go back to the records for brief periods of time but no longer need them like I did at first. It does get easier the longer you do it. Thanks for your comment.

[gfk]

This is right on the money. I have lost weight by keeping a food journal and counting the calories. I don't love doing it but I do love the results. Thanks for this Irene.

[Strepsi]

Thank you! How many people don't get that it's simple math. If you intake more energy than you burn, you gain weight. If you burn more than you take in, you lose. Simple subtraction. Of course you should always tip the scales in your favor by eating raw food (i.e. an apple) instead of processed (apple juice) because it takes energy to break down the food!

Easy.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for your comment Strepsi. You are so right that it is better to eat an apple than drink apple juice. Not only because it takes energy to break down the food, but the fiber in the apple slows the body's absorption of sugar, which is a good thing. You clearly get it!