5 Habits of Highly Successful Dieters 2 of 5

[NoSnacker]

K, a friend asked what were the other 4, I'll post 1 a day. Please know that none of the types discuss counting calories or diets...which I thought was nice to read.

"Be very specific"
When we make goals that are vague, like "I want to lose weight," we set ourselves up to fail. Motivation happens when your brain detects a difference between where you are and where you want to be. When you are specific about your goal (I want to lose 10 pounds), that difference is clear, and your brain starts throwing resources (attention, memory, effort, willpower) at the problem. A clear target looks something like this: "I want to weight 135 pounds. I weigh 155 now, so that's a difference of 20 pounds."

Being specific gives you clarity because you've spelled out exactly what success looks like. That means more motivation--and better odds to success.

Mmmm for this one I also say I want to get from ... to ..., but have never said in my mind I want to lose 30lbs...or 40lbs...too painful I think to think of it that way...so while maintaining my food the No S way..I would like to lose 30lbs! There I said it..

[KL]

Good job on being VERY specific...you can do this.

[oolala53]

I like these posts because they help us see how to curtail them for our own use. I hope it's not a downer that I post my caveats.

Reinhard keeps emphasizing we need to be specific about our BEHAVIORS, not the results. To aim at results, we can get caught up in all kinds of crazy behaviors to meet those goals, but our goal here is non-crazy behavior, not necessarily weight loss. The belief is when our eating is consistently moderate, we will get results. It seems to me if people fail here, it is because they didn't let the rule of moderation rule, whether they recognize it or not.

Here is a link to the transcript of his podcast on habit management: http://everydaysystems.com/podcast/episode.php?id=9

In my opinion, one of the reasons for the huge failure rate to lose weight in general is the focus on weight loss goals. When we look at the successful people, we are still only seeing 3-5% who made it. What Reinhard did was look to see why so many people fail and attacked those behaviors.

I think people also choose goals that are too low, though as we get older we get smarter. I'm on a site team for maintainers and the ones who struggle are all trying to stay in the low end of the BMI range. I wish they could lighten up on themselves and realize that honest moderate eating will likely sustain a body that is thin enough, especially if they stop looking to the media for their image of what is thin enough.

All that said, I salute your goal, No Snacker, and I think you will get there. I'm not sure when, but if you persist, you'll get there, as it sounds like a reasonable goal for you.

[bbc1372]

I hardly maintain 1 or 2 of them.

[NoSnacker]

Thanks to oolala, she found the article...

Here is the link to the others:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/2 ... rian_AFTER

By Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D.

[Mander]

I thought about this article this morning, and I definitely agree with Reinhard's focus on behavior rather than results. Much like my writing goals when I was working on my thesis, I found that I was more successful when my goal was to work on writing a particular section for a set amount of time rather than writing a set number of words or pages.

So my specific goals this time around will be 21 days in a row on no-s, 21 days of 5 minute exercise, stuff like that. I know the difference between where I am and where I want to be in terms of inches and pounds, but I also know the frustrations of trying to diet by the numbers. I don't really want to diet in the conventional sense, exactly. I want to modify my self-indulgent eating behaviors and improve my fitness, with the hopeful side effect of slimming down a bit.

[sophiamitchell37]

Wow! thanks for sharing.. I'll try to imitate that.
Looks like i need to change my diet solution and exercise routine.
Can't wait to see that day that i'm one of them.

[JakeMincey]

I quit smoking a year ago and I took 12 kg. I hope to lose in 5 months and I really hope that I'll keep. I fear a lot because I'm a big greedy and I grignotte not bad!

[Chance]

oolala53

Thank you for your caveats, this type of discussion (opinion) is healthy and interesting.

I'd like to start with saying that there is more than one way to accomplish weight loss for every individual, Reinhard's system works and I enjoy using some of it's methods, but he certainly has not cornered the market on weight loss.

Focusing on behavior is very effective on a day to day basis, but knowing where you would like to end up is also effective. I'm positive that Reinhard had an idea of what his ideal body weight or appearance would be. In fact, I would bet that you do to. This is normal.

You mentioned that the focus on weight loss goals in general is responsible for a huge failure rate. I disagree, in fact, the opposite is true. I guarantee you that the lack of focus is responsible for failure. Your focus on behavior is focus on weight loss. Your focus on "moderation" is focus on weight loss. Finding sustainable behaviors that lead you to your end goal is key, most people do not do this and this contributes to failure.

Chance

[wosnes]

I'll have to say that I think setting a number goal (either goal weight or amount of weight to lose) isn't wise. It's probably one of the biggest ways to fail at weight loss. Make your actions your goal; you have control over those.

[Jethro]

I like these posts because they help us see how to curtail them for our own use. I hope it's not a downer that I post my caveats.

Reinhard keeps emphasizing we need to be specific about our BEHAVIORS, not the results. To aim at results, we can get caught up in all kinds of crazy behaviors to meet those goals, but our goal here is non-crazy behavior, not necessarily weight loss. The belief is when our eating is consistently moderate, we will get results. It seems to me if people fail here, it is because they didn't let the rule of moderation rule, whether they recognize it or not.

Here is a link to the transcript of his podcast on habit management: http://everydaysystems.com/podcast/episode.php?id=9

In my opinion, one of the reasons for the huge failure rate to lose weight in general is the focus on weight loss goals. When we look at the successful people, we are still only seeing 3-5% who made it. What Reinhard did was look to see why so many people fail and attacked those behaviors.

I think people also choose goals that are too low, though as we get older we get smarter. I'm on a site team for maintainers and the ones who struggle are all trying to stay in the low end of the BMI range. I wish they could lighten up on themselves and realize that honest moderate eating will likely sustain a body that is thin enough, especially if they stop looking to the media for their image of what is thin enough.

All that said, I salute your goal, No Snacker, and I think you will get there. I'm not sure when, but if you persist, you'll get there, as it sounds like a reasonable goal for you.

Excellent points!

I might add - from my own perspective -

1. Most of the pleasure comes from the habits that get you there, and

2. Expect bumps along the road but keep going.

[BrightAngel]

IReinhard keeps emphasizing we need to be specific about our BEHAVIORS, not the results.
Here is a link to the transcript of his podcast on habit management: http://everydaysystems.com/podcast/episode.php?id=9

I'm on a site team for maintainers and the ones who struggle are all trying to stay in the low end of the BMI range. I wish they could lighten up on themselves and realize that honest moderate eating will likely sustain a body that is thin enough, especially if they stop looking to the media for their image of what is thin enough.

Yes, Focus on BEHAVIOR, because Results are not under our control.

Although I'm probably not be one of the people on your maintenance site,
I want to state that I am an Exception to what you appear to have seen in maintenance.
For 5 years I struggled greatly to remain in the middle of my BMI range,
and even after this consistent great struggle my weight has gone up,
so that during past 2 years I've been near the top of that range.
I'm now struggling just as hard, here at the very TOP of my BMI range to keep from going over.

Our bodies are NOT all the same,
and avoiding obesity is more difficult for some people than for others.
I know from the records of my own history that what most people would define as "honest moderate eating"
will not even allow me to maintain my own body inside the 190 lb range...
and for my own body, 155 is the beginning of the obesity range,
and 200 lbs is the borderline of morbid obesity.

[oolala53]

I understand there are exceptions, but again, I think they are exceptions. I hope more of them can find their way as you have. I think those of us for whom moderation is working actually would help because we support of culture of sanity around food. The careening between fat hatred and food excess doesn't help anyone, IMHO.

[Jethro]

Although a goal should be specific it also needs to be realistic.

If my goal was a 26" waist, at my height - 70" - I would have to weight 120#, like the late Michael Jackson.

[milliem]

I don't think it's necessarily an 'either/or' between goal setting for behaviours or targets. Setting your heart on a specific weight which may or may not be reasonable is a dangerous game to play! Especially once you realise that weight can fluctuate by pounds every day depending what you ate and a ton of other factors. However, setting a goal such as 'being within the healthy BMI range' or 'being able to fit into size 12 trousers' can be realistic and motivating.

I love the SMART acronym for goals - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Saying 'I'll lose 10 lb in 10 days' might be specific and time bound, but it's sure as hell not achievable or realistic!! I also like to focus on goals about things that I CAN do rather than things to STOP doing - far more motivational to achieve something than to have a long list of things I can't do

[jamescarter]

Eat less, exercise more. That's the recipe for losing weight, and we all know it by heart. So if we want to get slimmer, and we know the formula, then why can't we do it?
Commitment is important—in fact, it's essential—but it's only the beginning. The key to successful dieting is bridging the gap between what you want to do and actually doing it. The desire is there; you just need a plan.

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[oolala53]

Just to remind what Reinhard has said about this, though I don't mean to decry the original post.

Here's Reinard from one of his podcasts:
"Think in terms of actions and behaviors rather than results. Frame your problem in terms of what you have to do in order to solve it instead of what you hope will happen to you as a result of your actions. This is important for a number of reasons. We tend to be really, really bad at making results goals. They're usually pretty arbitrary, based on our vacation plans or something, not on a realistic assessment of what we can actually accomplish. And then, just consider the obvious: you can't turn a result like "lose 50 pounds" into habit. Right? It's an end state. What do you do? It tells you where you want to be, but not how to get there. A habit is a special kind of behavior, right, an unconscious behavior, and a behavior is way of describing a repeated action, and an action is something you do. A results goal like this isn't even an action. Of course you can't make it into a habit.

So instead of thinking about desired results, think about the actions that you hope will get you those results -- or something like, it, because we're so bad at actually figuring out what the results should be. For example, "no snacking on weekdays" or "exercise 14 minutes every weekday morning." These are behaviors. Long term, results come from behaviors. In fact it's the only thing (short of surgery, I guess) that results will come from. Focusing on behaviors means you are forsaking results. It means you are focusing on the part of reality that you can actually change. Results goals are essentially just wishful thinking."

[BrightAngel]

Reinhard keeps emphasizing we need to be specific about our BEHAVIORS, not the results.

I totally AGREE with this statement.
Focus on BEHAVIOR, not on RESULTS.

The belief is when our eating is consistently moderate, we will get results.
It seems to me if people fail here,
it is because they didn't let the rule of moderation rule, whether they recognize it or not.

I DISAGREE.
We are not ALL THE SAME, and MANY people share my own personal difficulties.
"Moderation" is a rather vague concept which means different things to different people.
The No S rules are specific behaviors which are intended to help people move TOWARD moderation.
SOME people will lose or maintain their weight following the basic No S "moderation" principles,
and SOME people will gain weight.

For young, large, active males like Reinhard, the basic No S rules
....the way that Reinhard personally follows them ... is moderate eating.
Notice the kinds and amounts of food he actually eats on N days, AND on MOST S days...
On S days, Reinhard goes just a little bit outside the N day rules...only SOMETIMES.
On those few occasions, he has a bit more than 1 plate at meals,
or a dessert, or a small bit of snacking.

However, for older, smaller, sedentary females like myself (and many other No S members),
following the rules to eat exactly like Reinhard most likely will cause weight gain.
As I am at the very TOP of my "normal" BMI, that type of "moderation"
would not be moderate eating for my body, and would put me well into Obesity,
at least to a BMI of 40-50 and, probably even higher.

[wosnes]

The belief is when our eating is consistently moderate, we will get results.
It seems to me if people fail here,
it is because they didn't let the rule of moderation rule, whether they recognize it or not.

I DISAGREE.
We are not ALL THE SAME, and MANY people share my own personal difficulties.
"Moderation" is a rather vague concept which means different things to different people.
The No S rules are specific behaviors which are intended to help people move TOWARD moderation.
SOME people will lose or maintain their weight following the basic No S "moderation" principles,
and SOME people will gain weight.

For young, large, active males like Reinhard, the basic No S rules
....the way that Reinhard personally follows them ... is moderate eating.
Notice the kinds and amounts of food he actually eats on N days, AND on MOST S days...
On S days, Reinhard goes just a little bit outside the N day rules...only SOMETIMES.
On those few occasions, he has a bit more than 1 plate at meals,
or a dessert, or a small bit of snacking.

However, for older, smaller, sedentary females like myself (and many other No S members),
following the rules to eat exactly like Reinhard most likely will cause weight gain.
As I am at the very TOP of my "normal" BMI, that type of "moderation"
would not be moderate eating for my body, and would put me well into Obesity,
at least to a BMI of 40-50 and, probably even higher.

What's moderate for one is starvation for another and overeating for still another. I know I don't eat enough to satisfy one of my daughters or son-in-law, but I eat more than my other daughter. One friend thinks I eat huge amounts of food and another friend thinks I'm practicing calorie restriction (I'm not). The amount I eat is moderate for me.

[oolala53]

Maybe the difference is between successful dieters and successful No S-ers. I don't see them as exactly the same. No S doesn't promise to make people thin. It says it will help people learn to eat moderately for the long run. In my mind, they don't even have to lose much weight to be success. People who consistently pile food on their plates because they theoretically can are not honestly implementing the program. That is all I meant by failure. But I guess I do still believe that the MAJORITY of those who follow the rules honestly and consistently will lose SOME weight, and likely enough to improve their health profiles, even if they don't meet cosmetic ideals.

But I've also often said if someone has a true health condition, eating to change that trumps No S, and I pray for the strength and courage for all those in that situation to follow the plans prescribed or find the system that helps them. All I know is my blood panels have always been enviable, and my doctor did not have a problem with my weight until I crossed over into the obese range. He also wanted me to lose because he claimed it was impacting another problem I was having. I've lost nearly 40 lbs. since then, and maintaining in the normal BMI range, and the other problem did not improve. My blood panels haven't improved, either. But I'm relatively happy with my relationship with food and the amount I eat. That's why I'm here. If something changes, I think I'll likely be able to use mods to accommodate it, and I think what I've learned from No S will help.

[Flintor]

Thank you mate for sharing useful post. Eating disorder causes many serious problems. If some one want to improve fitness, he must improve his diet plan. Time and quantity of eating plan is also important.

[finallyfull]

I think oolala makes an important point. Life is about the journey, not the destination. If my goals are not in line with a decent, reasonably pleasant day-to-day existence, then maybe the goals are the problem. I think No S challenges individuals to find what is "moderate" for each of us, and find the sweet spot between too much and too little (both exercise and food). This varies wildly.

I may have a strong desire to be a size 2, but if that means I am hungry every day, then maybe the goal is the problem, not the fact that I can't seem to force myself to live with too much daily deprivation. My hope is that if I become moderate 90% of the time, and still not an idiot that other 10% (okay maybe 1% idiot), then my body will look about as good as it can look while still housing a happy, peaceful, non-food obsessed, non looks-obsessed soul.

Also, I think having a specific weight goal might hurt those of us whose bigger goal is to get our minds out of the refrigerator, off the scale, and out into life.