by patbarone
One year ago, I celebrated 10 years of sustained weight loss after losing 74 lbs. Even though permanent weight loss is measured at 5 years, and I had passed that milestone years before, I had not let the magnitude of what I had accomplished seep in.
When I set out to achieve permanent weight loss, I knew only 1% of people who lose more than 20 lbs. achieve it. Once I lost those 74 lbs. and started “the countdown”, I created a sort of tunnel vision.
Celebrate
Then, at a celebration last year, I was surprised at the emotion that hit me as I spoke to the group of well-wishers, friends and clients.
Claiming something is powerful. (more…)
by patbarone
Having traveled my own quite complicated journey out of body hatred and losing over 70 lbs permanently, I’ve come to believe every body is different and unique, though we’re led by society/culture to believe their is a “standard.” I’ve had the experience of coaching hundreds of women towards their own unique “optimal” weight, and discovered we all lose weight at different rates (and, yes, in different places!).
Loving and appreciating our own distinctiveness isn’t the easy road in our society, but it can be done.
I once had a client lose weight at a rate of a pound a month, and be upset (more…)
by patbarone
One of the very few advantages of having my long history with the diet world is that I can see the patterns perpetuated by the diet industry.
For instance, my first diet was Atkins but not the recent round of that high protein diet. I was on the original diet when I was 10 years old! (Looking back, I was not overweight but my mother was, and she put all of us on a diet to keep her company.)
I’ve lived through various rounds of low fat, high fiber, low calorie, high protein and high carb diets. Tried them all, and felt the impact as they all failed, time after time.
So, what’s next in diet world?
(more…)
by patbarone
The first of the year always brings energy to weight loss. The gyms get busier. Stores stock diet products and push them in our face. Advertising proliferates.
Now comes the news that Jenny Craig has a new spokeswoman, Carrie Fisher.
This news really hit me hard. It made me very sad.
I wasn’t sad because we’ve got yet another famous face attempting to glamourize temporary weight loss. I wasn’t sad because we are once again NOT TALKING about sustainable change. I wasn’t even sad because we have to watch another public “slim down” and rebound.
The fact that our society spends untold amounts of energy circling the real reasons for our addictive behavior and instead plays bullshit games with destructive dieting is always sad to me.
I was really affected by this because I think Carrie Fisher is a remarkably talented woman. (more…)
by patbarone
It’s December 31st. Resolutions fill the air. It’s only natural to want to make changes, and we’ve been conditioned to assign a “start date” to every “project.” Think: first day of school, Mondays, first of month, summer.
But some changes take a bigger shift than one day can signify. We can start a diet on a certain day… but a journey to permanent weight loss has no start date. That’s because every day of the past is part of it, including all those bloomin’ diets and freaky binges and the very sad thirteen Weight Watchers tries where I let some stranger put me on a scale and record my worth.
My own journey to permanent weight loss has been going on for over 35 years. I’ve helped thousands of people on their journeys. And my experience has taught me that we all want real, deep and meaningful change in our lives. But that scares the crap out of us so we opt instead for superficial change.
(more…)
