Can Dramatic Weight Loss Be Maintained?

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

22 Sep 2008 10:51 AM

I've seen countless talk shows and TV commercials showing various different celebrity-types who have lost twenty, thirty, fifty pounds . . . and just months later, seen their pictures in the tabloids, having put the weight back on. This phenomenon holds true for us regular folk, too-it's just that more attention is paid to celebrities who "fail" at their diets because they've got the eyes of the paparazzi on them. For those who have lost a hundred pounds or more, the tendency is the same-they lose the weight and then for some reason, put the weight back on.

Why is this?

I would say that for the most part, the methods they used to lose the weight in the first place were not maintainable. They focused diligently on their goals for a while, but when it came time for them to return to "regular life," they were overwhelmed by daily demands and weren't able to keep up the pace. That's totally understandable. I've done it myself scads of times.

However, you don't have to put the weight back on after you lose it. Jared Fogle, spokesperson for Subway, is living proof that a dramatic weight loss can be maintained. He has lost 245 pounds and kept it off for ten years. As we recall, he did this by eating the low-fat sandwiches at Subway every day, turning from his former high-fat diet, and walking regularly. Today, he's still walking regularly, he's still eating a lower-fat diet, and his weight? Well, it's great!

Jared now travels and speaks extensively to those who are seeking weight-loss solutions, and he also visits schools to speak with children about the importance of staying healthy and exercising. His entire life has changed by virtue of the fact that he did something so unusual - who would have thought that eating out every day would help you lose weight? - and was successful at it. The Subway sandwiches aren't magic-he could have gotten the same results from any low-fat meal, but the key was consistency. Any healthy thing we do with consistency will become a blessing in our lives. The trick is to maintain it and not lose sight of it when life gets busy.

Hats off to Jared, and to all of us who carve out the time to keep ourselves high on the priority list even when chaos is erupting all around us. We're worth the effort, even if other things need to wait while we care for ourselves and our health.

Related Blogs:

Hidden Fats

Getting More Protein Without the Cholesterol

Exercise and Nutrition

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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