“I’d like to lose weight permanently, but I just can’t stop myself eating”. “I need to exercise more but I can’t get myself doing it”. “I know, I shouldn’t eat this, but I am doing it anyway”.

Almost everybody I’ve ever worked with complains that they tell themselves over and over to

• stop eating when they are full
• exercise more
• not to eat certain foods
• have a healthier lifestyle
• and many such directives

But- something prevents them from following their own directives.

Most people do know a lot about permanent weight loss, but they just can’t get themselves to do what they know is right for them.

When we have a consultation and dig a little bit deeper, we often find that many of my clients habitually do the wrong things. So let me ask you this question: Which of your habits are in your way, are an obstacle to lose weight permanently?

It’s often the habit to eat, even after feeling full. It’s often the habit not to exercise. It’s often the habit ”When I am in situation X, I’m eating Y”- as in “When I am watching a movie, I am eating popcorn. When I am at a stadium, I am eating a hot dog.”

Many of my clients had a lot of success using the following approach:

1. Become aware of your habits, especially around eating and exercising
2. Acknowledge what the habit wants to achieve for you. For example, it might make you feel comfortable, or it might make you feel belonging to a group (”everybody is eating fries, so I do it too”)
3. Find another way to achieve the same goal. For example, instead of eating the same food, participate in the conversation and make friends
4. Only after you’ve done step 3 successfully, consciously break the habit by doing something different

You need to satisfy what your habit wants to do for you, before you can break them by doing something differently in order to lose weight permanently.