If you don't have a plan, the world has a plan for you... and it's high in fat and calories!

What you eat and how much you eat is largely a function of what is available in your environment. When is it more difficult to avoid eating cookies? When there's a plate of fresh baked cookies on your kitchen counter? Or, when the nearest cookie is at the bakery two miles from the comfort of your living room?

Most people have a simple relationship with food, the "see food, eat food" relationship! If you don't have a plan, the world has a plan for you! And the world's plan is high in fat and calories, and low in physical activity--a guaranteed recipe for weight gain. Successful weight control in modern America has never been more challenging.

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10 Reasons Why Record Keeping is Invaluable in Weight Management

1. Success requires self-management. Record keeping is the basis of this.
2. It keeps the focus on relevant behaviors, which translates to more success with those behaviors.
3. You learn calorie and portion information.
4. You learn the consequences (caloric cost) of various food choices and environments.
5. You learn where you consistently have trouble (difficult/impossible places to be and not also overeat).

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What would you guess is the #1 predictor of keeping the weight you lose off?

That would be Physical Activity. I know, I can almost hear all the groaning! Here’s the deal. No sugar coating. You can fight gravity all you want, but that won’t change it. There are a few Weight-Loss-Mastery-Skills that do indeed need to be mastered to get and keep weight off. We know that you need to burn a minimum of 2,000 calories a week in physical activity. The good news is that physical activity is like a magnet behavior. When you’re active you will tend to also follow your healthy eating plans and do better with the other factors that support your weight loss.

For more see: How much physical activity is needed for successful weight management?

No “magic formula” here, right?

There are “Masters of Weight Control” who have lost an average of 25% of their body weight and kept it off for an average of 5 years. Data collected on these “successful losers,” was among the first to become broadly recognized for illuminating methods and techniques associated with successful maintenance of significant weight loss. The “Weight-Loss-Mastery-Skills” drawn from this and other data are:

1. Physical activity
2. Food & calories
3. Record keeping
4. Stimulus control
5. Support

No “magic formula” here, right? Right. Nothing sexy, and nothing that gets authors to the top of the “Best Sellers List!” It’s just, roll up your sleeves and get-on-with-it common sense.

Most diet books waste your time on nonsense that won’t—ever—produce results

How many diet books have you read over the years?
Most diet books waste your time on nonsense that won’t—ever—produce results. Every book has its “magic formula,” usually some special combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates that only the author has the secret to. All nonsense. What counts are actions/behaviors that directly impact your weight. In other words, they directly impact your calorie intake or output. I’ll continue on this thread the next few days, introducing you to what I call the “Critical Control Factors” of weight management, what they are and why each is critical.