A Long Distance “Loser”
ByHi there! I’m Mary Ann Del Aguaro, a newbie to Dr. Clark’s e-Weight Management University. I am overweight and have been yo-yo dieting most of my adult life. Wow, that sounded like an intro to an AA meeting! As hokey as that sounded, if I’m brutally honest, it’s true, and I’m afraid of failing again.
I feel that in order to be successful in this next and hopefully last “diet”, it’s important to understand why I haven’t been able to lose weight and keep it off. So here goes!
Meet Mary Ann, our latest "Loser"
As a “woman of substance”, if there’s a new diet out there, I’ve tried it. From Weight Watchers, Adkins, South Beach, some chocolate wafer thing, Fen/Fen to Jenny Craig, and those are just the ones I can remember! In fact when the intake interviewer with Jenny Craig asked me to list all the diets I’ve tried in the past, I had to continue on the back of the page! Most worked, I got results, felt good, looked better, had some wiggle room –and wiggled myself right back where I started!
I have always been impressed by Dr. Clark’s programs. In fact, on several visits to Virginia, Karol (she’s my sister!) took us to the Center for Weight Loss, introduced the variety of programs and product and even “treated” my other sister and I to a workout session! It was brutal and I’m glad the evil room of pain will be demolished!–Just kidding! When she gave me this opportunity to try the Weight Management University and online instruction, I wondered…can I be successful long distance? I am afraid of disappointing my family and of not having all the resources I need since I live in Ohio. As I get older, it gets easier to gain weight and harder to lose it, but it’s time to take control and make this work.
Yes, I am committed, excited and ready to make a life change to become a smaller, healthier, smarter me. Thank you, Dr Clark and Karol, for this opportunity.
All right Mary Ann! Way to go…..and now its time to buckle down and get to it. You will learn a few basic principles to keep in mind. First figure out some concrete goals and write them down. Then begin planning the small steps to reach those goals. Make sure that you do not confuse RESULTS with the ACTIVITIES/BEHAVIORS needed to reach those results. The activities/behaviors needed to reach your goals must allign with 2 important questions: Can I do it? and Will it be worth it? The answers need to be YES for any behavior change to “stick” for the long run.
Remember that help is right at your finger tips – only an email or phone/skype call away.
The age old adage remains true: “A journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step”.
TWC
I realize that in the evening I can get a little esoteric, but review the comments I made last night carefully. They are very important. ANY behavior change MUST answer those 2 questions – Can I do it and Will it be worth it?
AND…. the YES answers should be addressed on a Personal level, Social level (the groups I associate with), and an Environmental level (the “world” in which I live). Any one of these levels can easily trip you up and derail the best of intentions. YOU DO have some control over each of these levels.
Envision what you want. Be very clear about it. Start living the life you want. Each of us really can shape our own destiny!
TWC
Thank you Dr. Clark for the insight. I can honestly answer yes to both of the questions. I think what really rings true to me in your comments is not to confuse results with the activities/behaviors. I have been able to reach results in the past, but have not permanently changed behavior. I have a diet buddy who is just as committed to making lifestyle changes too. We spend alot of time together socially and support each other. Mark is onboard as a support not sabbatour ?sp. I realize the rest is up to me. I have to admit, I am learning more about nutrition that is useful to change my eating habits. (I hated nutrition in nursing school!) You present information in a simple, straightforward manner and I do not get lost in a lot of supperfluous info. Perhaps that is the difference
Great information. Thanks very much.
Useful information like this one must be kept and maintained so I will put this one on my bookmark list! Thanks for this wonderful post and hoping to post more of this!