This week’s update from the Ms.Fits, our home team competing in Live Healthy Iowa, proves that individual differences have a lot to do with how people respond to lifestyle changes. The team wins a gold medal for activity, logging more than 60 hours last week. That’s impressive by any measure. Unfortunately, a few of the team members have seen some of the weight they lost earlier creep back. That’s discouraging, of course, but it doesn’t mean they can’t lose it again and keep it off.

One of the Ms.Fits, Sue, is still on track to reach her goal of losing 21 pounds over the 100-day challenge. She’s down 17 pounds, with 4 more to go.

Since she has tried diets and exercise programs before to lose weight and been frustrated and ultimately disappointed with the results, PDQhealth asked her what seems to be working for her this time around. She pointed to five strategies that, together, are making it easier to lose weight and stick with the program.

1. The combination of exercise and diet. “In the past I’d often concentrate on just one or the other. I think doing them together means better progress,” she explained.

2. Fitting in “everyday” exercise rather than setting aside time for exercise. “Like most people, I really don’t like to ‘exercise,’ so I can’t seem to stick with it for the long haul. Making myself go to the gym or get up at the crack of dawn to get on a treadmill gets old very fast. But walking and doing general activities instead of an actual exercise routine is something I can live with.”

3. Trying to eat healthier foods instead of counting calories and struggling to eat less. “My focus has been on eating more fruits and vegetables and whole grains, which really helps to make meals satisfying and filling.”

4. A support group. “Having people to walk with, and having everyone around me at work watching what they’re eating so nobody is bringing fattening goodies into the office as a temptation. That really helps.”

5. Setting a definite goal. “I used to just try to lose weight. This time around I’ve set a specific number of pounds to lose by a certain date. Plus, I’m tracking my progress by writing it down and being accountable to myself and others. I’ve even made a bet that I’ll meet a goal of losing 30 pounds by June 26. I want to win that $20!”

We know about that bet, since we made it with her after posting an article about betting as a motivational tool. (Check it “Wanna Lose Weight? Bet on it!”). This is one bet we won’t mind losing.

© 2009 PDQhealth

Tags: weight loss strategies