Top 10 Secrets for Weight Loss Success, Tips 1-5

At least once a week, one of the patients I work with complains, "Dr. Leah, It seems like since I hit my mid-thirties, I haven't been able to lose weight. I am frustrated! Why? I feel like I am doing everything right and the scale isn't moving!"

I love this question--as we have helped people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, achieve the weight loss they are hoping for. As a culture, we are bombarded with advertisements from all kinds of companies promising us weight loss. Many of my patients have tried these programs with short-term success, but most with the typical post-program weight gain, usually a good 10 to 15 pounds above where they originally started out. So what are the secrets to lasting weight loss?

1. Change your mind-set.

As one of my patients so eloquently stated, "When I changed my mind-set to one of creating wellness in my life, weight loss followed." That specific patient has lost over 30 pounds and continues to change his body composition, as it is his new lifestyle. Think about this as a process, but when you change your thinking to one of creating health versus just a quick fix, weight loss truly does follow.

2. Know your numbers. 

Many of my patients that want to lose weight are also dealing with other issues like high cholesterol, high triglycerides, pre-diabetes or high blood sugar, and many other issues. Knowing this information is essential in creating weight loss. As my husband, Dr. Scott Hahn, D.C. and I order and analyze blood work when appropriate, it allows us to tailor a weight loss program for our patient that also is helping he or she to tackle these issues. Losing weight is important, but being around for your family in the future is critical.

3. Build lean muscle mass.

We start to lose muscle mass in our 20s. Because muscle burns more calories than fat and takes up a lot less space than fat, you can see why in our thirties as muscle mass has been lost for a period of time, weight loss does start to become more difficult. Most of the women we work with love to do cardio for exercise and most of the men love to do weight lifting as their major form of exercise. Realize that both are essential for weight loss. Building muscle mass and changing your body composition is key for a long-term result. Cardio workouts (running, elliptical use, biking, etc,) are important for your overall health, but you mainly burn calories while you are performing the workout. A resistance training workout produces increased calorie burning throughout that day. The more muscle you have, the better your metabolism.

4. Pushing yourself during exercise sessions is important for your health and your weight loss outcome.

A key component I see as a commonality with my patients that want to lose weight is that they do not push themselves enough during exercise sessions. You should be sweating, you should be breathing hard, you should feel like you are working at it; i.e. walking often doesn't cut it. Each workout should be different and your individual strengths and weaknesses need to be accounted for, i.e. past injuries, health history, spinal function, etc. After examining a patient, we know how their spine, hips, shoulders, muscles, etc. are functioning. We perform a functional fitness screen that allows us to see how their body moves. This information then directs our personal trainers to design workouts for that patient, so everything is personalized given their individual strengths and weaknesses. Workouts progress as the patient's health and ability level progress. Patients work hard, have fun, and see results.

5. Food MATTERS!

The quality of the food you consume matters. Our bodies were not meant to digest and process chemicals that are found in many of the processed foods Americans consume. The more processed the food, the longer it sits in our digestive tract. The longer food sits in the digestive tract, the more likely it is to be stored as fat. When making the commitment to lose weight, think first about the quality of the food you are consuming. There are many components to losing weight that important. Dietary choices and developing a healthy relationship with food are vital steps to take for improving your health.

On Monday, January 23rd, at 6:30 PM, I will be providing a Dinner with the Doc class on the topic of making healthier nutritional choices, entitled "Stop Making Resolutions and Start Making Real Changes." We are absolutely passionate about helping people in our community with health challenges, so make sure to bring someone you care about so they too can learn how to Create Health by Choice, Not by Chance. We only have 30 seats available, so make sure to reserve your seat and your guests' seat ASAP. Dinner may be complimentary, but the information will be life changing.

P.S. Look for Weight Loss Secrets 6-10 coming to you next week!

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Monday
8:30 am - 11:20 am 2:30 pm - 5:20 pm
Tuesday
8:30 am - 11:20 am
Wednesday
8:30 am - 11:20 am 2:30 pm - 5:20 pm
Thursday
8:30 am - 11:20 am 2:30 pm - 5:20 pm
Friday
Admin Hours 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed