Your “Why” is the Secret Sauce to Weight Loss

It took me more than 50 years to learn an important fact and now I’m anxious to save you the time it would take to learn the same thing. When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, it’s not so much what you do or even how you do it, it’s why you want to shed the pounds. I think of this as my “Big Why.”

I’m someone who has tried just about every diet out there over the course of my life. I remember attending Weight Watchers meetings with my dad when I was 12 years old (followed by a treat of dinner at a local Chinese restaurant where a cup of white rice was okay on our program – food as a reward for losing weight – no thank you.) I have finally realized through the success I’ve had over the past few years that what type of weight loss program I follow is not nearly as important or effective as understanding why I want to remain at a healthy weight. Once you establish your “Big Why,” then it keeps you dedicated no matter whether you’re counting points, eating grapefruits all day long, eating foods assigned certain color zones, buying prepaid meal plans, or any other type of weight loss program. For sustaining weight loss, your Big Why becomes is most important.

Let me share my Big Why by way of giving you an example that might help you figure out your own version of Why. My change started  a few years ago as I was approaching my senior citizen years (I turned 65 this year). I realized that for many reasons, I needed to be fit, strong, and healthy. There are a lot of people in my life depending on me for resources and support. I’d experienced myriad illnesses, many of which were purely the result of obesity and poor choices. I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue to be there for the people in my life if my own health was at risk. Also, I am the mother of an only child, and I don’t want to burden her with caring for me if I develop chronic illnesses because I didn’t take care of my health when I could have done something about it. Lastly, I felt a real calling to help others, through health coaching and volunteering. But in order to be strong and fit enough to do these things, and to serve as a credible role model, I knew needed to walk the walk. This is the essence of my Big Why.

With my Big Why as my platform I’ve continued to try different approaches to weight loss, exercise, and overall health.  Some worked better than others, but in the end, it doesn’t matter which I do. What matters is that my dedication to my Big Why keeps me going no matter what.  If one thing gets boring or stops being effective, I don’t quit my focus on maintaining a healthy weight and being fit because it’s no longer about how and what. It’s about why and that means I don’t abandon an approach and give up – I just find something else that works for me. I travel internationally a lot and that can be challenging (delicious food, jetlag, long flights, and more) so I find myself gaining a few pounds here and there at times. All I have to do to get myself back on track is to think about my Big Why and it’s like a miracle motivator. 

I mentioned before that it doesn’t really matter what program you’re on. That’s true as what works for one person may not work for another. But there are a few basic guidelines that I’ve found helpful no matter how or what you’re doing, so long as you never forget the reason. Here are the few things I have found that consistently aid in weight loss.

Accountability – This can come in many forms. For example, as a health coach I work with clients to help keep them accountable to their Big Why and their weight loss or lifestyle goals. That’s one form of accountability and there are many others such as group weight loss coaching programs (click here to learn about a group forming in January 2023), sharing your journey publicly like some people do on social media, and having a weight loss buddy or partner on the journey with you.

Tracking Your Food, Water & Exercise – I’ll be the first to admit that tracking is a pain in the neck. Perhaps once you’ve reached your ideal weight and you’ve learned how to eat in a healthy manner tracking won’t be as important. But I find that even at my ideal weight tracking has continued to be important to me because it causes me to pause and think about what I’m consuming, and it gives me something to look back on if I’m not experiencing success. Tracking is essentially another form of accountability but one that’s always been a necessary ingredient in weight loss for me (and also to be sure I’m drinking enough water and getting in enough movement).  There are many tools you can use for tracking ranging from handwritten journals to online tools. Click here to access a simple tracker on my site to get you started. It doesn’t matter which you use, you just have to find the one that’s going to feel easy and comfortable for you.

Stay Hydrated – Drinking sufficient water throughout the day has many health benefits, including aiding in weight loss. Water helps your metabolism work more efficiently, lubricates you internally to make exercise easier and more effective, and can serve as an appetite suppressant.  In fact, quite often when people think they’re hungry – especially when you have a sugar or other craving – it may just be a symptom of dehydration.

Movement – I truly believe you will not sustain weight loss with diet modifications alone. You must also move through exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated. You can start slow and stay slow but little by little as you start to lose weight your slow, steady movement will probably increase because you’ll feel better and see how much it’s helping you. Click here for an article on Exercise Snacking that shares a variety of short, easy exercise routines.  In case you need inspiration, when I first started incorporating movement into my life, I weighed almost 200 pounds (on my 5-foot frame). I walked with a buddy (shout out to Denine) and when we first started out, I could barely walk 5 minutes without struggling with foot pain, breathing issues, and the strong desire to quit. I stuck with it and now probably a decade later I’ve lost more than 70 pounds and I walk at least 7,500 steps or more every day.

Realistic Expectations — If you have a lot of weight to lose and you try to envision yourself at your ideal weight, it can seem daunting. At first it doesn’t seem like the little steps you take each day will ever add up. Have realistic expectations – don’t set that big hairy goal of losing 75 pounds. Start with a manageable realistic goal. For example, track your foods, eat healthy, and walk for ten minutes every day for the next two weeks. Stick with that and see the results that’ll spur you on to setting your next short-term goal. Sooner or later, you’ll be able to start setting longer term goals.

Remember where you were to remember where you’re going – When I recently gained a few pounds, I started to freak out. All those old insecurities cropped up.  Rather than letting these feelings sabotage me, I pulled out some old photos and remembered how very far I’ve come. I also revisited my Big Why, which still holds true today and still motivates me like nothing else.

If I look back at the person that I was a decade ago I see that I was unhealthy, overweight, suffering from a variety of illnesses, stressed out, not strong, and not able to move very much. I don’t sweat the small stuff – I look at the progress I’ve made and let that motivate me. From where I was a decade ago, look at me now. I’m 65 years old and and a Certified Health Coach. I can do advanced yoga classes and teach them, I run on my Peloton treadmill, I have the strength to travel around the world, I volunteer and share my messages of health with people in impoverished locations and underserved communities. I have gone off all medications I’m able to continue to help the people I love in my life which you’ll remember was my Big Why.

If you need help setting your big why or accountability through your journey, let’s talk.