Habit Hacker: Sustainable Weight Loss, Success BEYOND the Challenge!

Yesterday at work one of the nurses approached me and said they are going to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge for the nurses on the floor. The one who loses the most weight at the end of the 90- day challenge will win a cash prize.

Weight loss challenges are common themes for the summer...but I posed a challenge back to the group: Let's transform that weight loss challenge into a habit hack and mindful movement!

Lasting weight loss strategies may be triggered by an initial challenge. But, research indicates that lasting weight loss success hinges on sustained lifestyle changes including regular physical activity, a balanced diet and consistent self monitoring (Catenacci, 2011).

More recent evidence confirms, the proper psychology for weight loss is critical for regulating PHYSIOLOGY that supports weight loss.

Before we dig into the idea of a HABIT HACKER, lets first talk about common strategies of successful weight loss maintenance (of at least 10% of initial body weight) for at least one year.

A systematic review published in Obesity Reviews tells us that behavior and cognitive determinants are the most dominant factors that predict weight loss maintenance. (Varkevisser, 2019). Those predictive determinants ultimately promote a better utilization of energy intake and an increase in energy expenditure along with monitoring of this balance.

Hang onto that thought for just a moment!

If we take this behavioral context and realize that long term success hinges on: self-monitoring of day to day behaviors that drive energy intake and energy expenditure, especially eating behaviors. Those who have high self-efficacy (aka, belief in your capacity to execute certain behaviors) for exercise in particular are more successful at sustaining weight loss (Teixeira, 2015). Research is pointing more in the direction of decoding mindset that instills of a strong belief in ones own ability to execute the larger constellation of important weight management behaviors.

Maintaining weight requires multiple tools, training and support. What we can say for certain is that for any and all of us, maintianing weight loss beyond the scope of a challenge must take us away from a mindset that weight loss = discomfort. If we are constantly perceiving weight loss and the maintenance of weight loss as a form of deprivation, success may be fleeting.

Instead, our lens should shift towards building a high self-efficacy for:

• interpreting the discomfort of high intensity exercise

• forgoing the highly palatable foods and subsequent dopamine hit

• deciphering reward-seeking huger versus real hunger

• instilling habits that ASSIST our physiology like light exposure and mindful movement throughout the day

• setting boundaries with our sleep and screen time

• preparing food at home instead of eating out

Now let's circle back to the concept of how we can take one more step beyond the weight loss challenge and CONSISTENTLY participate in behaviors that...promote a better utilization of energy intake and an increase in energy expenditure along with monitoring of this balance.

UTILIZATION OF ENERGY INTAKE:

1. Understand the importance of energy sufficiency.

2. Recognize that food is our main source of nutrient intake.

3. Focus on improving digestion AND elimination for nutrient availability.

4. Realize that CALORIES matter AS WELL AS nutrient availability and density.

5. Begin to tune into how food makes you feel and function.

INCREASE IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE

1. View exercise as a tool to create a stronger system resistant to fatigue.

2. Focus on becoming more metabolically expensive with more muscle mass.

3. Understand that exercise alone for weight reduction experience minimal weight loss (Franz, 2007).

4. Recognize the value of exercise snacks to break up sedentary time throughout the day (Islam, 2022).

5. Follow a progressive program that builds strength and cardiometabolic health.

MONITORING THE BALANCE

1. Establish incremental goals which focus on habits that will result in weight loss INSTEAD of a number of pounds or inches to lose.

2. Build accountability with a buddy, partner, coach or internally by journaling.

3. Understand the importance of the environment for supporting your success.

4. Do not set an expectation of perfection and learn from both wins and loses.

5. Keep learning about SUSTAINABLE tools that can become a part of your world to support lifestyle and habit change.

Sustainable weight management comes down to a well functioning physiology that is not overburdened by stress and recognizes nutrient availability. The body and brain that can utilize availiable energy stores in the body , bring it into the cell and catalyze the thousands of chemical reactions that produce energy will feel and function very well. Let me leave you with one more list of ideas on which you can focus INSTEAD of a weight loss challenge:

1. Eat a savory, high protein breakfast every morning.

2. Eat two plants at every meal.

3. Strength train following a progressive program 3 days per week.

4. Get light from the sun on your skin and in your eyes soon after waking.

5. Walk a minimum of 7500 steps throughout the day in addition to your regular exercise program.

6. Log meals 1-2 days per week to determine nutrient sufficiency: vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein.

7. Avoid uninterrupted sitting for longer than an hour.

8. Intentionally move after meals for better glucose utilization.

9. Go to sleep at a time that allows you to get 7-8 hours of SLEEP not just time in bed.

10. Make a meal plan each night before you go grocery shopping.

These are foundational habits that you can build off and tailor to make your own! The foundational habits are the ones that generate lasting weight management and keep you out of the diet cycle.

I hope this post inspires you to make sustainable changes and recognize that you have an immense amount of power over your health through habit change!

XX,

Amy

Sources:

Catenacci VA, Grunwald GK, Ingebrigtsen JP, Jakicic JM, McDermott MD Phelan S,

              Wing RR, Hill JO, Wyatt HR. (2011).Physical Activity Patterns Using Accelerometryin

              the National Weight Control Registry. Obesity, 19, 6, 1163-1170.

Franz MJ, VanWormer JJ, Crain L et al. Weight-loss outcomes: a systematic review and Meta- analysis of weight-loss clinical trials with a minimum 1-year follow-up. J Am Diet Assoc 2007;107:1755–1767

Islam, H., Gibala, M. J., & Little, J. P. (2022). Exercise Snacks: A Novel Strategy to Improve Cardiometabolic Health. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 50(1), 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1249/JES.0000000000000275

Teixeira, P.J., Carraça, E.V., Marques, M.M. et al. Successful behavior change in obesity interventions in adults: a systematic review of self-regulation mediators. BMC Med 13, 84 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0323-6

Varkevisser, R. D. M., van Stralen, M. M., Kroeze, W., Ket, J. C. F., & Steenhuis, I. H. M. (2019). Determinants of weight loss maintenance: a systematic review. Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 20(2), 171–211. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12772