Weight Loss Setbacks and the All or Nothing Attitude

I want to talk about the "all or nothing" outlook that is death to any attempt to lose fat and get in shape.

You're probably familiar with this concept... you might be rolling along making progress at losing fat for a few weeks when a holiday rolls around (typically Thanksgiving) or during the summer you have some company that comes to visit for a week. Suddenly the rules you've been following go out the window: There are goodies all around, and with all the friends and family there's no time (or thought) given to working out.

Next thing you know, you look at the scale and you've put on two, three or four pounds over the course of a week or two. Weight that you worked so hard to lose, and took you probably twice that long to take off.

Your first reaction is probably to say "The hell with it, what's the point?" and go back to your old ways, and for good measure you probably end up even more overweight than where you started.

Believe me, that's completely understandable. The problem is that although the human body is a miraculous thing, it can also be brutally unforgiving when it comes to staying in shape. You can lose months of hard won fitness in a couple of weeks.

I've always been big on analogies, and here's a simple one that I personally use when I "fall off the wagon" as far as diet and working out:

Instead of looking at a setback as a total car wreck, look at it as just a minor fender-bender.

You see, although the body can be unforgiving, it also has memory, and if you get back to your regime you'll find that you will bounce back and reach your prior level of fitness/weight much faster than it took to get there the first time.

So the next time you backtrack and put on a couple of pounds, don't throw your hands up in dismay. Instead, do an "Indiana Jones": Put that hat back on, pull down that brim, get that determined look back in your eye and get back on track!

Victor Holtreman is the author of Lose the Last 10 Pounds, an eBook which chronicles his 2 month journey from 13% to 9% body fat using kettlebells. He is also the author of the Kettlebell-Training.com site and a number of other fitness related sites.

---

Of Super Mice and Supermen- and the Magic Apples of Avalon

Recently, a Japanese study showed dramatic results of organ fat... Read More

Rating The Diets: A Mindless Exercise?

There has been a recent surge in the experts weighing... Read More

Tuna and Water Diet

Ready for a hardcore diet to get lean in a... Read More

Lose Body Fat by Choosing the Right Diet Plan For You

If you are overweight and searching for the diet program... Read More

Is Low-Carb Weight Loss Really Just Water Loss?

Any weight loss or diet plan, including low-carb plans like... Read More

Weight Control: One Day At A Time

Most of us are aware of the AA axiom of... Read More

Ultimate Weight loss: Ephedra is it Good or Bad?

I have had some e-mails come in and everyone is... Read More

Results Not Typical

I had 14 weight/health-oriented newsletters in my inbox this morning.... Read More

Cause and Solution to Obesity

ObesityToday, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are... Read More

Before and After Your Liposuction

Although liposuction is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic... Read More

Setting Objectives For Weight Loss

I am sure that when I mention setting objectives for... Read More

3 Steps Gastric Bypass Patients Can Take to Avoid Calcium Deficiency

Most Americans do not get enough calcium in their diets;... Read More

New Weight Loss Plan -- Resistance Training

My last article, Make Diets Work, concluded that dieting the... Read More

Have You Given Up on Weight Loss?

Have You Given Up on Weight Loss? by Greg Landry,... Read More

Putting it Off Until Im Thinner

I can't do that Until I Lose This Weight! If... Read More

20 Ways to Lose Weight

20 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT1. Take it one step at... Read More

The TRUTH About How to Lose Weight

The huge companies stealing your money by promising impossible results... Read More

3 Ways Going with the Flow Will Make You Fat - And What To Do About It!

Wanna know the truth? If you're going to... Read More

Spot Reducing is For The Laundry

· Can you give me an exercise that will get... Read More

The Ultimate Weight Loss Product Guide

Are you one of the many who may be tempted... Read More

Weight Loss Program - Weight Loss? Why Bother With a Diet Plan? Does Weight Loss Matter?

We all know that weight loss is important. We know... Read More

Daily Weight Loss Motivation

When you are faced with the daily challenge of trying... Read More

Fish! It?s What?s For Dinner After Gastric Bypass

Since gastric bypass weight loss surgery gives us a second... Read More

Where Diets Go Wrong

When we discover that we are heavier than we want... Read More

What is the Glycemic Index?

Over the last 30 years, research into food and blood... Read More

Loss Your Weight

WEIGHT LOSS:Nutrition and weight-loss researchers say that some supplements can... Read More

Cruisin to Lose

Recently, I won a family cruise on the Regis and... Read More

Tips For Successful Weight Loss

Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my... Read More

Bodybuilding Weightloss Diet Tips And Strategies

Just the facts on bodybuilding weightloss strategies that work. No... Read More

Low-Carb Diets - An Introduction

According to a recent survey by the National Health Institute,... Read More

Are You Losing Weight and Getting Fatter?

Your Can Turn Fat into Muscle......Fact or Fiction???Completely False!!!!First of... Read More

The Myth of Fast Weight Loss

You will be surprised to find out how many people... Read More

The Psychology of Weight Loss: Part 5 ? Perspectives Toward Food!

Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More