3 Keys for Successful Weight Loss during the Holidays

Quite a few women have recently come to me for help with weight loss. You are probably thinking this is a very common request, and you’re right — but requests like these are not usually made right smack in the middle of the holidays.

While everyone else has been indulging, these women have remained steadfast in having healthy habits. They all told me they have not been touching candy and cakes, they are saying no even when other people are gorging or egging them on, and they are mindful of what they put into their bodies.

I’ve observed the following three key commonalities in this group of women:

1. Holidays or no holidays, these women want to lose weight now. Most people try to time things in such a way where they indulge in whatever it is they want to stop before they actually do stop or quit. This behavior is very common in smokers and some weight-loss clients, but not these women. Even during the holidays, when they knew temptation would be high, they decided they were going to shed the weight. Most wouldn’t have dared, but these women did. Their desire to slim down and feel good about themselves has been so strong that not even the holidays can hold them back.
2. All of these women are totally committed to losing weight. Our minds learn through the repetition of meaningful positive behaviors, and this is particularly true for weight loss. I explain this to all my clients, but not everyone has the same level of commitment. Not one of these women has tried to come in for just one session, thinking it would be a magic bullet. Instead, they’ve come in weekly, and listened to their session recordings daily — sometimes even twice a day.
3. These women believe in their ability to lose weight now — even if they haven’t succeeded before, and even if they had been overweight as kids or young adults. They believe in themselves now, and have enough self love to invest their attention on themselves.

My experiences with these committed women demonstrate how people who are truly ready can do anything, at any time. They become unstoppable.

PHOTO: Ron Mahon