Easy Weight Loss
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Weight loss is easy. It’s the behaviour modification necessary to the follow through with the weight loss formula that is the hard part.

The Weight Loss Formula: Weight Loss occurs when Daily Caloric Intake (the food eaten) is less than Daily Caloric Expenditure (calories burned through daily living and physical activity).

This formula can be used in a number of ways:

You can eat less. This method is the common ‘dieters’ method. It does work, though there is a more effective method for the long term.

You can exercise more. This method is even better than method one because not only are you expending calories, you are also improving your fuel-burning system so that you become even more effective at burning calories. Not to mention you gain all the health giving benefits exercise has to offer.

You can eat less AND exercise more. This is the ultimate weight loss method. Not only are you modifying your diet towards eating healthier while making sure not to go to the other extreme, underdoing the calorie intake, but you are also exercising and gaining all the health benefits that come from being physically active. Studies have found that this method is the most effect way to decrease your fat levels and increase your muscle levels.

Behaviour modification is much-studied topic. Guidelines recommend that if you consistently maintain new behaviour for three months you will be well on your way to making permanent changes. Scientists and researchers have also come up with specific methods to help you gain your long-term goals.

For instance, the textbook Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies 9th ed gives the following behavioural modifications:

• Eliminate inappropriate cues
• Suppress the cues he cannot eliminate
• Strengthen cues to appropriate exercise and eating
• Repeat the desired eating and exercise behaviours
• Arrange or emphasize negative consequences of inappropriate behaviours
• Arrange positive consequences of appropriate eating and exercise behaviours

So how do they work? Here’s an example: Every morning at breakfast Tom eats a croissant with cream cheese, and then he hops in the car to go to work on the other side of town.

To apply a weight loss formula three behaviour modification strategy, Tom can leave the high-fat croissants and cream cheese at the store (eliminate inappropriate cues) He can then buy lower-fat bagels and no-fat cream cheese (strengthen cues to appropriate eating and repeat desired eating behaviours by replacing high fat with lower fat food choices).

And the car? Tom can leave it low in gas or misplace the keys consistently so it is easier to hop on his bicycle to get to work or head out on foot (suppressing the cues he cannot eliminate). Then, at the end of the week or month, he can reward himself for successfully exercising to work a certain amount of the time (positive consequences).

Rewards are unique to each person. Tickets to an event, a much longed for item, out to the movies, out for dinner, these are all examples of positive consequences for appropriate eating and exercise behaviours.

A negative consequence can be an interesting thing. Say you despise some organization. It represents all you dislike in the world. Entice a friend to help. Give him or her a certain amount of money to hold, with the instructions, ‘If I don’t walk to work four out of five days a week for the month, then please send the money out to said organization as a donation.’

Still not convinced of the effectiveness of this strategy? Say you hate hockey, the money goes to Don Cherry’s tie and shirt fund. Say you hate a political party, the money goes to that party. And if you’ve taken a disliking to some star? The money goes to the fan club.

It really is liberating to realize that weight loss is easy. And once we begin utilizing the behavioural strategies all those scientists have worked out for us, we can keep our negative behaviours in a headlock and get on with the gratifying journey of creating our fitter selves.

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Photo Credit: Martin Luechinger
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