Tasty Tuesday (key to maintenance)

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You probably know the statistic: 95% of us will lose the weight and then regain it all back, plus more.

I think my chances were worse, because I had shown many times before in my life that I was part of the 95% who regain their weight.

And somehow… I became part of the 5%.

Why? How?

Really, it’s all “iterative,” as I like to say.

We use learnings from today to improve tomorrow.

I took my learnings from all of those failed times and I did things differently this time.

There’s no particular magic in any of it. You gain some weight back, and then you lose some. In the beginning you might gain it all back. Next time you might gain half of it back.

How you respond each time shows the progress you are making.

Don’t live in the shame of regain. Simply take your frustration and get more expert at responding sooner and with more intent.

My Recent Weight Regain

I am up 33 pounds since my injury a year ago, with a lot of fluid retention right now but surely upwards of 20 pounds of fat.

I have been intending to get the weight off but have had some other areas of focus these months, including vastly improving my time in cardio.

And then… I got injured and I am currently laid up on the couch.

The whole thing really ticked me off. I was limping around on an injured knee, just like I did at 280 pounds. In fact, I felt so bloated and discouraged that I literally felt like I was in that 280-pound body again.

As I looked at myself and saw how ticked off I was, I knew from experience that this was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I would be laying on the couch recovering and I could get fatter or I could trim up.

That very instant, I reigned in my eating and went super-strict.

I lost four pounds in three days and then eight in the first week (mainly fluid).

My knee started feeling much better and it would have been easy to ease up on the diet.

But with this experience I have gained these last seven years, I have kept that “ticked off feeling” prominent in my heart and I am not letting go of it. These opportunities for such strong internal motivation do not come every day and I need to lean into it, lest it evaporate with one small bad decision that would set me off track.

I have learned this key thing about myself: If I can tap into that emotion and then sustain the “diet energy” that follows, I can get rid of a whole lot of pounds.

You may find the same thing! If so, look for your opportunities and then dig in and don’t let go.

You may find some other key to getting where you need to go. Make a note of it and implement it.

Weight loss and maintenance is all about the ups and downs. Lean into your learnings and catch the regain sooner than you did last time and handle it with your new-found expertise.

That’s it! That’s my core advice this week.

Stay focused…

Oftentimes staying focused on your core goal requires giving up some focus elsewhere. There’s a whole lot going on in the world right now that will demand a lot of energy. Try not to let it eat you up. Establish your structures and work towards your long-term goals. THEN catch the news. I recommend a balanced source like 1440, our newsletter sponsor. Click around and check them out.

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That’s it! See you soon.

P.S. Get strategic about your meals if you haven’t. The popular meal framework here at Eat Like a Bear will help with that. Grab the three-pack collection from the Bear Shop for more: https://thebearshop.life/products/three-pack-print-book-collection

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