“Why doesn’t being sick and tired of our weight and condition translate into sustained commitment to

by Elad Levinson

The BIG question everyone asks is what does it take to sustain weight loss? Losing is not the hard part- keeping it off. Having confidence that you will continue to succeed is the difficulty.
I have been wondering this out loud to several clients and colleagues and collecting an informal survey of answers- and I am curious if anyone who reads this would agree or disagree.
Here are my conclusions- first and foremost; you have to care enough about something more than over eating. That could mean, living long enough to watch your kids grow up, or being able to play with your grandchildren or it could be that you have discovered that you are worth good health.
Second, there is some sort of epiphany or spiritual moment when you realize that you are a part of something sacred or blessed and that it is a part of your heritage as a spiritual being to be well. That awakening can take many forms from the sublime to the mundane experience of simply wanting to be healthy so that you can live fully engaged.
Third, honesty and self examination become a matter of survival not something to resist or rebel against. Without honest, direct feedback and the ability to listen to it and learn from it we are caught up in a bubble of self delusion and deceit. It is imperative that we learn to learn, the way a mature adult does. They want to improve and develop not stagnate and suffer forever.
Finally, we connect with our basic goodness and basic intelligence. Inside all of us is a simple, clear, helpful, loving perspective that we can access when we develop internal peace, slow down and listen carefully.
I believe that there are many more success stories than is currently thought to be and if you are one of them, please write to me and tell me about your experience of sustaining weight loss and continuing health improvement.