Losing weight is simple.

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“You need to stop saying that. It isn’t easy or simple. I know what you mean–others don’t.”

My husband made that remark to me after I responded to a new friend’s question about losing weight.

It was only then I realized how frequently, when asked about my journey to fit; I used the adjectives easy and simple.

Once he pointed it out, however, I immediately saw his perspective.

Weight loss, loss maintaining, and healthy living was all very simple…to explain.

Carving my healthy living path, getting fit & remaining that way was all very easy …in theory.

In no fashion did I mean execution of these simple concepts was easy (I’d begged & bribed myself to do cardio enough times to know that well).

When I shared these thoughts with people I simply meant the explanation of how I became & remained fit was a simple one.

The how of  losing weight and maintaining my loss/staying fit was easy.

It all came down to three simple rules-which-really-aren’t:

  • Don’t over think it. Listen to your body. Once we slow down and focus on what our bodies need/want healthy eating becomes simple. For me this is 20+ years of gluten free living. For you it may look different.   Simply listen. Your body intuitively knows. The same approach applies to fitness. Try new things. See how you feel. Don’t over think “what’s the best workout” or what will get you to your goals quickly. Stop thinking. Try something. Simply listen to how your body responds.

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(my bod responds to long walks in the moonlight)

  • Eat as close to nature as possible. It’s easy around here. I have no rules when it comes to food. My choice to be gluten free is simply an outgrowth of paying attention to how gluten caused my body to feel.   I’ve discovered simple healthy recipes and foods in their natural state help me to feel my best.  The give me the energy I need to live the life I’ve chosen. Intellectually I’m aware of the advantages of eating healthy, yet the only thing I strive for is eating as close to nature as possible. When I don’t or can’t I make the effort with my very next choice. It’s simple.

roasted whole cauliflower

SIMPLE pufferfish FTW!

  • Let go and move on. It’s easy–be like Elsa. Everything became simpler and easier when I finally realized I’m never as far from my healthy path as my very.next.choice. It’s simple. Make a food selection you wish you hadn’t? Make a new and different one at your next meal. Skipped your workout yesterday (and the day before and the day before)? It’s simple.       Make today the day you recommit.  Let go of past (perceived) mistakes and move forward.

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OK’ness not perfection!

I’d like to say the epiphany above has changed my approach to sharing my story.

It hasn’t.

I still use the words simple and easy, I’ve just gotten better about shouting WICKWICK! clarifying what I mean.

And you?

No matter how you pursue healthy living or where you are in your journey:

Have you found, when all is stripped away, your approach is simple, too?

 

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Comments

  3. YES! It’s an extremely simple concept and easy math equation – agreed. The hardest part for me is #3. I think I need to watch Frozen 100 more times to get it right!

  4. Were you saying that to brush people off?
    I have lost 87 pounds and maintained the weight loss and I get tired of people asking.
    They never wish to hear how hard I worked they want it to be easy.

  5. Yes, Bonnie!
    I, too, have found people want an easy fix.
    It is easy to tell them I worked my ass off LOL but that is not what they wish to hear.
    (I love that tee picture, Carla. It should be a real shirt.)

  6. For me, it is easy and simple but that is because something clicked, I figured out what works best to me and stuck to it!

  8. I’m going with more veggies, more sleep, and more movement. Definitely simple in concept. A whole lot harder when faced with the reality of life…

  9. Anything is simple in theory! It is sticking to the practice that proves difficult. It is the mental aspect of change that can be trying–and sometimes the physical part as well–either way, the relationship with the body is complicated because their is a human component–every person is unique, and thus so is every situation.

  13. i’ve never had to lose weight, but I have had to CARE for my weight. And it all began when i let my brain and body connect. No rules, just caring. If that makes sense?

  14. I get what you are saying. Losing weight is a simple matter of mathematics. It’s the changing of habits and changing of the mindset permanently that is the hard part for most of us.

  15. The easy part is knowing what to do. The HARD part is doing it when your mind is telling you to go back to old habits. But the longer you stick it out, the easier it becomes. 🙂

  17. I appreciate that you expanded on the topic of how “easy” weight loss can be. People (I’m over-generalizing) like to make things super complicated with lots of rules and regulations. They should just read this post!! 🙂

  18. I have found losing the weight was simple. Not sure how easy it was, but the concept of eating less and moving more is pretty simple to grasp. However, I have also found, that continuing to do it indefinitely (i.e. forever) is much much tougher. And….in order to keep the weight off, it is absolutely necessary to keep doing what I was doing, which isn’t easy for me. It does need to remain a priority in my life, and sometimes I just grow weary of always being vigilant, of never falling off the wagon, of never indulging! But in my experience, one indulgence leads to forgiveness for many more indulgences and we all know where that leads. WYCWYC is a good concept, but I find myself justifying doing less, because that’s “what I can.” I just wish I had more self-discipline.

  21. Why is it that the SIMPLE is sometimes the most COMPLEX and complicated?!

    But maybe when we think about it as something that’s simple and easy… then it BECOMES that.

    *wanders off to do some thinking*

  22. I guess nothing in life is simple in execution 🙂 Emotions are complex and so is change of any kind. But yes, the steps themselves really are simple I believe, not just for weight loss but for so many life changes. The reasons we hold ourselves back, not so simple!

  23. Everything always seems easy in theory but not always in execution. My approach is easy, but sometimes my head gets in the way.

  24. Everyone including me will say, “It is so easy to gain back the weight”, “It is so easy to not exercise” “It is so easy to get out of the good habits of eating right and exercising!”. The word ‘easy’ just spills out but for you, you’ve made it a habit so it is easy. You are inspirational!

  26. For me, the only thing that really works is being able to eat everything in moderation. Any other method I try always starts working and then backfires….but knowing I can have anything I want, and exercising regularly works. It sounds simple, but it actually is difficult. It’s making decisions every day, committing time everyday. But it’s worth being healthy and feeling better than I ever have.

  27. I agree, eating healthy and exercising is totally simple, but NOT at all easy because of the whole behavior component. Most of my patients come in with an overly complicated view of how they should eat. But that makes it far less achievable because it takes too much time, energy, and takes the fun out of eating! Focus on MyPlate + actually exercising! But we all have habits and preconceived health ideas that make it difficult to switch to this simple tactics. I’m a huge proponent of addressing the triggers & behaviors that lead to our actions. That’s where we can make changes to be healtier, not focusing on the actual eating 5-a-day…
    Thanks for sharing!

  29. Simple in theory, hard in practice (at least for me). Sadly, I’ve been bashing my head against the last 20-30 for many years and being an endurance athlete complicates things (when my appetite FAR outpaces my calorie expenditure).

    Sometimes the simple solution is give the reins to someone else to figure out. Which is actually what I’m in the process of doing.

  30. “It’s simple. Make today the day you recommit. Let go of past (perceived) mistakes and move forward.”

    <333

    Thanks for the reminder Carla.

  31. I was making my own yogurt, growing my own food (in the summers) and doing what I loved to do (running, cycling, hiking) back in 1970. Refused to hang with and be swayed by certain people while following my own heart. I won a long time ago and continue to do so…and I don’t find it difficult as it’s a lifestyle and just what I do.

  32. I found that if I exercised too much I’d eat more and then it would be hard to lose weight. I eat clean all the time and drink lots of water. You’re so right about listening to your body because everyone is different. I hate counting calories but noticed that when I used a Fitbit and wrote down what I ate, I lost weight. Too much emotional eating, I guess.

  33. My first reaction to this post was to consider the things (varying from person to person) that make execution hard. Things that erode discipline. Things that support a perpetuation of the old instead of the building of the new. But maybe we (or I) make those things more powerful than they really are.

  34. Yes, simple but not always easy. Especially when I’m tired and stressed and did not plan healthy options.

  35. For me it’s as simple as, if it looks a lot like it did when it grew out of the ground, it’s good to eat. And it’s as easy as only putting those things in my mouth.

  36. Yeah, it’s very simple:

    When it comes to exercise, I just do it!

    When it comes to unhealthy eating, I just don’t do it!

    🙂

  38. That’s true, it’s simple to explain, not necessarily simple to START. I do like how you say listen to your body, I agree. However, if you are an over-eater or emotional eater, it’s also about changing how you view food. That and moving more.
    For me, it was about knowing what I am putting in my mouth and getting off the couch. You have to change your LIFE, it’s an all-around thing.

    I like your husband, he’s a smart cookie. 🙂

  39. If you substitute your noun-goal-words with “budget” it would be all the conversations I’ve had over the years. I have very, very recently (like I wrote the post today and have it scheduled for uh sometime later this week I think) tried to shift my budgeting/spending attitudes and behaviors to my activity goals.

  40. YES!
    I’ve found that the more complicated the ‘system’ I try to follow, be it nutrition (bye bye paleo…) or exercise (4-day body-part splits confuse my brain), the sooner I bail on the whole thing.
    Spending the time to figure out what works for you is much faster, in the long run, than trying every diet and fitness plan out there!
    (I still need to try the pufferfish!)

  41. Ah yes I totally understand this…My weight loss journey wasn’t easy; took a lot of work; patience; and strength; but since I’ve gotten to where I am now it is simple…

    Eat Well
    Sleep Well
    Live Well

    Does that make sense…DOH!

  42. Well, you know my deal.. I think the process of it all is not rocket science but it is hard for many to do it… and we all have our own way of doing it. Mine is different from yours plus we all have different goals & lives. 🙂

  45. It took me a year to listen to my body, but I used the same process to get there throughout. Many people forget about Let it Go, and choose to obsess over numbers on a scale. Every day is another chance to do better (and not just in a health sense)
    Many folks are awesome at losing weight using crash diets, but not changing their habits. Habits are harder.

  47. Yup – just try and be active every day and eat mostly healthy and not beat myself up when I go overboard on things. I am so grateful to be able to move and do things again like I used to that I am grateful for every little thing I can do. It all evens out and life is good 🙂

  48. I share your view on this Carla. But I did start with looking for the best workout plan, the best diet, the best technique for fat loss etc and this became dauntingly overcomplicated.

    Eventually for me it was a case of choice and habit. Choice of actually shaking a limb instead of sitting on the couch. Choice of eating a burger vs grilled chicken with broccoli. As for habit, I subscribe to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s view, “do the thing and you will have the power”. So it really is that simple then, make small exercise sessions a habit and follow through with choice on actually doing it and of eating.

  50. My mother-in-law & I were talking about this just the other night. She is one of those who tries every fad that comes along and two days into it, she’s begging you for affirmation: “Look at my pants! It’s already WORKING!” The problem is that she can’t stick to it. Right now she has a good friend who wants to come stay with her for a week, cook for her – show her how to eat healthfully, etc., and then wants her to come stay a week with her for a cleanse & more cooking/caring. I just looked at her.

    We had a frank conversation about all the diets and exercise plans we’ve both started. We know what to do – eat less, exercise more – but we aren’t doing it. I asked her what was going to be different about this time – all of this effort – when she can’t even get in the pool or on the treadmill & isn’t willing to give up the cigarettes or stay away from corn-based products like her doctor told her to? (and that’s saying nothing about me and the changes *I* need to make but haven’t)

    Weight loss is very simple in theory. But there’s a whole huge part of it that is extremely difficult.

    Stopping by from Sharefest

  52. A friend of mine lost 120 lbs after a gastric sleeve. When asked after the 100th time what was his secret? He would joke and say, “I cheated and had 80% of my stomach removed, then ate eggs and oatmeal for a year.” I guess that was sorta easy.

  54. It took me something like two years to integrate clean eating into my life, and I wasn’t even overweight! Gradual attitude shifts and habit changes work best. Unfortunately, many folks think it should all happen within a few months. One reason it takes time to lose weight because it takes TIME to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Humans are like that :).

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