I know I'm really dating myself, but does anyone remember the machines from the 1960's and 70's that were supposed to jiggle your fat away? The person stood on a platform, put a looped belt around their waist or hips and the motor on the front would cause the belt to vibrate and jiggle their fat, so that it would disappear. I mean, as if! (Now I'm dating myself again.)

But people bought and used these in the (mistaken) belief that they could become thinner without actually having to do anything but passively stand there!

But don't we all want to lose weight while doing nothing?

Sadly, there's no one machine (or pill or food) that will magically melt away the pounds.

It just doesn't work that way.

When I was in my early 20's I was having some health issues and took a co-worker's advice to see a Traditional Chinese Herbalist.  He diagnosed me, and for the treatment, he had me change my diet (what a surprise!) and gave me some herbs. I asked him how long it would take me to get well.
He answered, how long did it take you to get sick?

Not what I wanted to hear!

We all want to get well overnight, or to have lost 10 pounds by yesterday. But again, it doesn't work that way.

Studies have shown that the best way to lose weight AND keep it off, is to lose 0.5-2 pounds per week.

You heard me right.

A bit disappointing.

Of course, if you have a lot of weight to lose, you will most likely lose more than that--at least at first.

I know you're doing the math. If you want to lose 10 pounds and you lose 1/2 pound per week, it will take you 20 weeks, which is 5 months!

No wonder so many people give up on a weight loss diet, if it could take them 5 months to lose 10 pounds.

But, think about it. If you are losing weight slowly, you are easing your body into it. Your body isn't freaking out about how it's going to keep you alive during a famine. It's okay with eating a little bit less or eating some lower calorie foods and so it doesn't feel it has to drastically lower your metabolism, and you start to lose weight.

This is why I think focusing on weight loss is the wrong thing to do.

When we really, really want something, we might try to force it, or try too hard, and that often leads to our not getting what we really, really want.

Focus instead on eating and exercising to feel better, get fit, reverse diabetes, live longer, be healthier,  lift your mood, have more energy, more strength, more resilience, more of a glow, etc.

Then the weight loss will begin to happen, and even maybe more easily than you thought.