7 Secrets for Long-Term Weight Loss

1. Acceptance

For those of us who are addicted to flour, sugar, and processed foods, we must accept the fact that we can’t eat like everyone else. We are not part of the “normal” eaters club. In other words, those people who can just eat one or two bites of a double chocolate cheesecake and be satisfied.

Sometimes, we may wonder why they have control to eat like that and we don’t? Well, that’s just the way it is. This is how our bodies react to these substances. We must come to terms with it and accept that this is what God has allowed in our lives. As a result, we must learn to eat differently, without flour, sugar, and processed foods that trigger uncontrollable cravings.

Have you accepted that this is how you need to eat to stay healthy and in a normal weight range for the rest of my life?

    2. Submission

Accountability! Oh, we know, it’s not easy sometimes taking directions and or “suggestions” from a sponsor, the person who holds us accountable.  But submitting to another person is a necessary recovery tool. It helps guard us against our compromising negotiations around food. It also gives us that needed nudge to do the right thing because we don’t want to confess to our sponsor that we messed up… again.

We must also submit to God for help in living a life of recovery. We are accountable to God in the way we live our lives. The will power that we have has not been enough to relieve us of our addiction. We need God to give us the power to choose His will for us instead of the food.

We can’t treat the recovery process like a diet, do it for a little while, walk away, then pick it back up later when our weight has gone up again. It has to be a lifestyle that happens one day at a time.  It truly is a choice that is made every day.

Have you submitted yourself to the recovery process?

    3. Commitment

We must think long term, not, “I just need to lose weight for my cousin’s wedding!” This is why participating in a recovery process is so important. Recovery is a holistic approach that focuses on our physical, mental, and spiritual health. This process can help us to reach our full potential.

Committing to the recovery process is not easy at times, especially around the holidays. There is usually food at holiday gatherings that we have grown up eating, which could be a big temptation. However, no matter what holiday it is, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or our birthday, we should not let it be an excuse to pick up food.

Is your desire to change stronger than your desire to stay the same?

     4. Resilience

Progress, not perfection! Which one of us can say that we are perfect? Well, that would be no one!  So, when we slip up, get right back on track. Don’t let it be an excuse to start back eating addictively.

Others have abstained from eating flour, sugar, and processed foods for years, so you know that you can too.  It’s in your reach. You just have to want it and to put in the effort.

Do you readily get back up when you fall?

     5. Gratitude

When we are in gratitude, our focus is not on food.  It changes our outlook on our situation and perspective. A shift in attitude is sometimes all we need to get through things in life.

Appreciation for even the little things can shift our mood. That mood shift is sometimes all we need to keep us from reaching for food to make us feel better. This attitude of gratitude is a powerful tool to have in our recovery tool bag.

Do you often think of things that you are grateful for?

    6. Shake Off Negative Thinking

When we are in a complaining mood or feel like fussing and fighting, try to shake it off.  Stop dwelling on the negative. All that will get us is a stinking attitude, right?  We are more likely to pick up food when we’re in a negative thinking mood.  We think that the food will help calm us and make us feel better.

Instead, focus on positive affirmations. Choose a favorite motivational scripture or a positive quote. Say it out loud and meditate on it. When we think positive, we are optimistic and in a good frame of mind.

Do you have a personal favorite affirmation?

   7. Reality

Reality is a real-time teacher. When we see people who are very overweight, we may say to ourselves, “There but for the grace of God, there go I.”  Also, watching people eat piles of food on their plate and then go back several times to get more, is also a reality check. Some of us used to eat like that, if not in public, in private.

Reality is a teaching gift that keeps on giving. It reminds us that if we don’t continue to live in recovery, we could be headed back to eating addictively.

Is reality a real-time teacher for you?

Please leave a comment or email me your thoughts about this topic.

Cynthia