Weight loss journeys are often deeply personal and multifaceted, requiring a comprehensive approach that addresses not only physical health but also mental and emotional well-being. Many individuals, like Susan, grapple with weight management, seeking effective strategies for sustainable change. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, two out of every three adults in America are obese or, at the very least, overweight. This article explores various weight loss tips and approaches, drawing from the experiences of individuals named Susan and expert insights, to provide a well-rounded guide for those on a similar path.
The Role of Weight Loss Clinics
Weight loss clinics have emerged as a supportive network for individuals aiming to lose weight and improve their health and confidence. These clinics offer strategies and approaches for maintaining health, backed by trained clinicians and doctors who create evidence-based plans tailored to individual lifestyles.
Choosing the Right Clinic
Selecting a weight loss clinic requires careful consideration. It's essential to ensure the clinic provides guidance under the supervision of a trained medical professional. It's also important to find a team that doesn't immediately resort to medication without exploring the patient's medical and emotional history, including triggers like food or depression. Credible weight loss centers typically start with an initial consultation to gather information and create a customized approach that aligns with the patient's lifestyle and preferences. Under no circumstances should you ever feel like a specific plan is being forced on you.
Susan's Story: A Journey of Transformation and Self-Discovery
One inspiring example is Susan, a 51-year-old who transformed her life through the Ultimate Performance (U.P.) program. Reeling from her mother’s passing, Susan was heading towards depression. A heart-to-heart with her husband made her face the truth - she needed to prioritise her own health and wellbeing. Susan was worried about her family history of diabetes and wanted to avoid going down that path. So together, the family decided that a transformation programme at Ultimate Performance would be just the thing. Susan spent 25 weeks at U.P. and transformed herself completely - both inside and out. “I feel like a different person. I just feel like I’ve gone back to who I was."
Ultimate Performance (U.P.) Program
For Susan, U.P. was a way to deal with grief and to find something to take her mind off her emotions. “Being overweight made me feel like I lost myself. I felt like a big person had kind of eaten a small person. “I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I needed to make some big changes. The U.P. programme was unlike anything she had experienced before. Ultimate Performance has radically redefined the art and science of one-to-one training to create an experience that will transform your body, your health and your life. They focus on diet and mindful eating. According to one client, the focus on diet and mindful eating is relentless and life changing. Another client shared that their personal trainer was fantastic throughout their entire ‘transformation journey’.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to the Suzanne Somers Diet
The U.P. Formula
Several clients attest to the effectiveness of the U.P. formula for weight loss and fitness. One individual, who had previously trained for two years with no results, experienced significant change in just two months with U.P. They strongly believe that the only right way to lose weight and get fit is the UP formula. Another client, who had been with Ultimate Performance since February, described it as life-changing. They had previously held hearsay ideas about what ‘good’ nutrition constitutes and tried a range of fad diets unsuccessfully.
Lifestyle Changes and Habit Formation
Achieving successful fat loss often requires lifestyle changes. It’s an inevitable fact of life that if you want a different outcome when it comes to successful fat loss, you need to change what you put into the equation. However, that’s not to say that you need to completely uproot your life either. And beyond simply being impractical, this would not be reasonable or conducive to long-term adherence. That’s why we focus on habit changes rather than prescriptive, rigid plans that only work on paper. While there may be some golden rules that we encourage our clients to follow, we won’t try and force you to follow something you just don’t want to do.
Calorie Deficit and Exercise
To improve body composition, some level of fat loss is nearly always needed, requiring a calorie deficit. It is very hard to do this through diet alone without being very restrictive, which can only be effective for so long. It’s also very hard to do this through exercise alone and one high-calorie meal can easily offset several hours’ work. Creating a calorie deficit through increased activity and nutrition changes is essential for weight loss. The level of this deficit determines whether we lose weight and how fast.
The Importance of Resistance Training
Rather than simply burn huge numbers of calories, resistance training functions to retain and build lean tissue during times of caloric restriction. Once we have created the demand for our body to tap into its stored energy, we need to make sure this comes from tissue we don’t want to keep (body fat) rather than tissue we do (muscle). Resistance training helps retain and build lean tissue during caloric restriction, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy metabolism.
Psychological and Behavioral Strategies
Weight loss is not solely a physical endeavor; it also involves psychological and behavioral adjustments.
Read also: Weight Loss Journey: Susan Graver
Understanding Hunger and Satiety
When you lose weight, you trigger a cycle that makes you more hungry. Fat cells are metabolically active and secrete a hormone called leptin. Leptin signals the brain that you have enough fat stores, causing you to feel less hungry. When you lose weight, you lose fat cells and produce less leptin. As a result, you’ll feel hungrier than you did before. This is your body’s way of defending a higher body fat set-point. Be aware that when you lose weight, hunger and satiety may not be reliable cues for how much you should actually be eating.
Choosing Whole Foods
Our food supply is radically different than it used to be and sets you up to fail. Stay away from addictive foods, the ones you can’t stop eating once you’ve had a taste. It’s much safer to eat whole foods. Now, if I’m hungry and crave something sweet, I’ll have an orange or an apple. It’s important to make conscious food choices, opting for whole foods over processed options.
The Role of Exercise
As you lose weight, your resting metabolism will probably slow down. Since muscle mass boosts metabolism, you can help to balance this effect by lifting weights and building muscle. You can also exercise a bit more than you did before you lost the weight, to counteract the slowed metabolism. Thankfully, exercise has so many amazing side effects, from a better mood to the decreased experience of stress. Exercising more will probably make you feel better than you already did. Regular exercise, including weight lifting, can counteract the slowed metabolism that often accompanies weight loss.
Mindful Snacking
Apparently, we snack at least one more time a day than we used to in the past. On average, we get a quarter of our daily calories from snacks. Do you snack during the day (or at night) because you’re actually hungry? Or is it because you’re bored, tired, need a break, or just like the feeling of eating while watching Netflix? When you find yourself wanting to reach for a snack, get in the habit of checking your mood and motivation. Much of the time, it’s not food you actually want. It’s a feeling. Find other ways to achieve that positive feeling. It’s crucial to be aware of snacking habits and identify emotional triggers for eating.
Limiting Food Variety
The more food options you have available, the more you’ll eat. Keep your choices simple at home. Don’t have a snack cupboard with dozens of different tempting options on hand. Keep simple healthy food choices in your fridge, and not too many different types. The novelty will also cause us to automatically eat more. Limiting the variety of food choices can help prevent overeating.
Read also: The Powter Diet Plan
Prioritizing Sleep
If you’re sleep deprived, leptin production gets suppressed (recall that leptin is the hormone that promotes satiety) and you produce more of another hormone, ghrelin. Ghrelin stimulates appetite and also makes you crave higher fat and sugar foods. Getting enough sleep (at least seven hours for most people) will go a long way toward giving yourself a biochemical advantage. Not only will you automatically feel more full and have fewer cravings, but you’ll also handle stress better. You’ll be less likely to fall into “stress eating”. Finally, adequate sleep gives you the advantage of lower, more stable blood sugar and better insulin function. Adequate sleep is essential for hormonal balance and managing appetite.
Avoiding Alcohol
Alcohol reduces inhibitions and I’m quick to forget my intentions and go into “party mode” (party = find and enjoy in excess any food I can find). It very likely stimulates the brain to increase appetite (see “party mode”). Alcohol promotes belly fat, hence the term “beer belly”. That’s a real thing. Since I’ve been fighting a higher body fat setpoint for a few years now, I’ve decided again - sadly - that wine and I just can’t hang out that much anymore. Avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption can aid in weight management.
Stress Management
If stress plays a big role in your food choices, this strategy might be the best place to start. Maybe you need to give yourself enough time to get places. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Let things go, that just isn’t worth the trouble. Learn to use stress management strategies that don’t involve food. Effective stress management is crucial for making healthier food choices.
Susan's Success with iDiet
Another Susan is a big fan of the iDiet. She has lost 40 pounds and her doctor recently took her off her medication for hypertension. She has no set finish lines, only steps in a continuous process of self-improvement. Her only goal is to keep getting in better shape every day.
Surgical Interventions: Liposuction and Bariatric Surgery
Some individuals opt for surgical interventions to aid in their weight loss journey. Susan had already lost a substantial amount of weight on her own, so her liposuction and AbEX operations were about maximizing those results that she had achieved. Susan is now recovering from her procedures and is already feeling like a new woman. After only 48 hours, she says that she had regained most of her mobility. She says that the best part of the surgery was, “the thought that I can fit into my new size of clothing is amazing. To anyone considering having liposuction surgery, Susan’s advice is, “Be realistic and don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
Another Susan started the process in May of 2023 to get bariatric surgery. She did all of her insurance requirements and had Gastric Bypass on December 19th, 2023. At 7½ months post-op, I’m down 129 pounds so far! I now weigh 216 pounds. My personal goal is 180 pounds. She feels better than she has in years, and she is once again participating in her life. It’s important to note that surgical interventions should be considered carefully and with realistic expectations.
Addressing Underlying Health Issues
Weight management can also be influenced by underlying health issues. Susan, age 51, had no major concerns about her health or wellness prior to becoming a patient at Wisconsin Institute of Functional Medicine (WIFM). She had started menopause early at age 48 and was experiencing some hair loss. Second, in summer of 2021, Susan went in for her annual exam and learned she had a slightly elevated calcium level.
Diagnosing and Treating Parathyroid Issues
The endocrinologist detected a tumor on one of Susan’s parathyroid glands, one of four glands that control calcium in the blood. Within a month or two of testing, she was referred to surgery. Thankfully, the tumor wasn’t cancerous, but it had been overproducing. By August 2022, six months post-op, Susan’s parathyroids and hormone health were back to normal. Now she has more energy and less anxiety. She sleeps better, feels happier and has some new hair growth. Addressing underlying health issues can significantly impact overall well-being and weight management.
The Importance of Support and Community
Susan C. started with the Little Black Dress Challenge in September 2017. She had never done anything like it before and she was amazed at the amount of support - not only from the trainers but also from other members! When she saw her results, she knew she could stay here and thrive. She’s gained her confidence back! She has learned that I’m surrounded by women that are all struggling the same struggle, but in their own way, and we keep on plugging along. We support each other - big time! Just when you feel like giving up, one of your “gym family” members will tell you to keep going and that you can do it!