Situations that limit physical activity
Many of my clients are able to dramatically change their eating habits by using MyFitnessPal or some other type of food diary. However, exercising is another matter. There are situations that interfere or prevent people from establishing an exercise routine. Here are some examples:
1. Physical limitations (e.g arthritis, back problems, knee or foot pain)
2. Fatigue
3. Exercise is disliked
4. A vicious cycle of decreased physical activity and increased obesity, which prevents physical activity.
5. Overcommitted schedule
6. Travel
7. House guests
8. Poor access to workout locations.
Here are some tips to help encourage movement or exercise:
1. Try new modes of activity that are safe and possible given current physical ability (water aerobics and Nordic walking are two examples of physical activity appreciated by overweight and obese people)
2. Ask for help from an exercise specialist or work with a trainer to identify appropriate activities.
3. Find an activity that is fun and easily works into your daily schedule.
4. Exercise is a time committment. Therefore find something that is easily accessible and convenient.
Dan C!
Dan: Great seeing you yesterday. Thus far, you are down 45 pounds! Great job. You are on a roll buddy! Keep up the great work!
Great job Annie P!
Great seeing you today. You lost 12 pounds over the holidays.! Incredible. You look great. You are so close to your goal of 130! Keep up the good work.
Tammy M.
Tammy: great seeing you today. You have lost a total of 51 pounds and look great. You have become an expert at normal eating. I have no doubt you will stay skinny for a long time.
Good job Brandy P.
Brandy: you lost another 10 pounds in November for a total of 32 pounds! You are doing great. Keep it up!
Problem Solving
Hi Everyone:
November was a great month for a lot of you in spite of Thanksgiving. Not only did people lose a lot of weight, many of you are getting good at “problem solving.”
Remember that the main goal of weight loss is to lose the weight and then KEEP it off, i.e. weight loss maintenance. In my weight loss program, I emphasize the importance of attacking the weight problem using different strategies (i.e. seeing a doctor every month and being weighed, using a food diary, cutting back on carbs, avoiding fast foods, portion control etc).
However, the most important strategy over all is the ability to problem solve. People who were able to identify different solutions when faced with problems were more likely to be successful in both weight loss and weight loss maintenance. For example, people who use a lot of different exercises during the weight loss phase are “problem solving” to be able to come up with exercises they like so they’ll stick with them. They identified the problem (not exercising) so they problem solved by doing a lot of different activities until they found one they liked.
If you have trouble problem solving, have no fear. First you can start by recognizing that there is a problem and figuring out what that problem is. After you identify the problem, try to come up with a list of solutions, not just one. This will help you find the solution that works best for you. And don’t get caught up in failure. If you find a solution doesn’t work for you then learn from it and move onto the next strategy. If you still can’t find a solution, we will figure it out together. Keep up the good work!!
Dr. T
John T.
John: great seeing you the other day. You are off to a good start. You lost 13 pounds your first two weeks. Can’t wait to see what you do next month! Dr. T.
Nancy B.
Nancy ! Great seeing you yesterday. Thus far, you have lost 48 pounds and look great. Keep up the good work. Dr. T
Great job Serena
Thus far, you have lost 55 pounds. Great job. Keep going…..you are doing great!
Good Job Casey T.
Thus far, you have lost 48 pounds. You left the 200’s behind and it doesn’t look like you ever plan to go back. Keep up the great work. Look forward to your next visit.
