5 Steps To Becoming Your Own Weight Loss Boss

5 Steps To Becoming Your Own Weight Loss Boss

Since I’m entrenched in the fitness industry, I come across a lot of Diet and Fitness books. Frankly, when I saw the new book, “Weight Loss Boss” by David Kirchhoff, President and CEO of Weight Watchers, I didn’t know what to expect! Yet surprisingly, it really struck a chord: It’s a refreshing, authentic look at the struggle of losing weight and maintaining it by the head of one of the most successful weight loss brands in the world.
What I love about this book is that he doesn’t speak as a CHIEF EXECUTIVE from his lofty perch in an ivory tower, but as a regular guy who has had his own lifelong struggle with weight and learned valuable lessons along the way. The truth is, whether you’re a world traveling CEO or a stay-at-home Mommy blogger, everyone struggles with similar food and weight issues. Kirchhoff’s advice and tips are realistic, relatable, practical for everyone, and they pave the way for a sustainable, healthy lifestyle – the kind of lifestyle I advocate for in everything I do. Here are 5 steps he talks about that you can use to set yourself up for your own success:

1. Willpower is overrated

When you rely on willpower alone you set yourself up to fail. Routine will win out over willpower 99% of the time and this is why diets don’t work. They rely on short-term changes that no one can keep up! If you plan your everyday routine around exercise, nutritional meals, and reaching realistic goals, you set yourself up for success.

2. Create Good Habits

A good habit doesn’t require willpower or discipline. By definition, a habit is something you don’t think about much, it’s automatic. With a bad habit you probably don’t think about it until you suffer the repercussions. Kirchhoff outlines the Formula for Behavioral Change created by B.J Fogg, a professor at Stanford. If there’s a habit you’re trying to shed, you need to be motivated to lose it. You need a reward (not food!) to make it worthwhile; you need the steps to get rid of it in the simplest way possible which is the ability. Finally, you need a trigger. This can be anything from a personal trainer, best friend who will remind you, or even an alarm clock to get you going. It takes 4-6 weeks to internalize that trigger mechanism and establish a habit, and now is the best time to start!

3. Managing your Environment

Kirchhoff says, “Out of sight, out of mouth” and don’t bring it in to your house or your office. Make the better alternatives for yourself easily accessible, and learn to predict what David calls “hot states” and “cold states.” Hot states are when you’re tossed into a situation where temptation is all around you, like a buffet at a busy conference that is filled with foods out of your normal routine that will kill your calorie budget and make you feel horrible afterwards. The best way to deal with these situations is with a plan when you are in a cold state, before temptations present themselves. Most of the time you can predict your “hot states” – our brains can get us in trouble with cravings, but they can also help us behave. The longer you’ve been practicing your routine, the less you’ll be prone to give in to a hot state situation.

4. Build a Support Network

We tend to think that we’re the only ones who are having a hard time, and everyone else eats well and exercises without any effort. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Opening up about your experience helps to hold you accountable for your actions. Before writing Weight Loss Boss, Kirchhoff started a blog called “Man Meets Scale” to share his struggles and triumphs with weight maintenance. He found that men and women opened up, and found encouragement to keep going and keep sharing. The more people who know about your goals and struggles, the more people are able to help and support you in your journey.

5. It’s about Food & Exercise

It’s one thing to lose the weight, but how do you keep it off for the rest of your life? He talks a lot about maintenance: Staying focused, continuously setting new goals and being accountable are the keys to maintaining weight loss. It’s a sobering truth that if you struggle with weight, you will always struggle with weight, but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to live a life without enjoying food! The best thing you can do for your relationship with food is to love food that loves you back. Stay away from the “bad girlfriends of food,” as Kirchhoff cleverly calls them. They’re the ones that give you a quick thrill and make you feel like crap afterwards, leave you wanting more and are TERRIBLE for you in the long run. “Settle down” with great food, and you’ll be in a happy and satisfying commitment for life.

All proceeds of “Weight Loss Boss” the book go to benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, a nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. You can check out “Weight Loss Boss” on Amazon and where books are sold. For more information visit www.ManMeetsScale.com

How do you balance health and a busy life? Comment below, talk to Jennifer on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/theRealJenniferCohen, or on twitter @therealJenCohen.

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