Don’t give up- no need to lose weight before returning to our practice for help- that is what we are here for.
Obstacles to returning
When it comes to returning to our office after a difficult time period, many of our patients tell us “I didn’t want to come back and let you see that I’ve gained weight” or “I kept delaying making a return visit because I really wanted to lose a few pounds first”. Our response is always “we are so glad you came back, we are here to help”. There is a notion among many folks who struggle with their weight that they are “failing” if they hit a plateau or regain a portion of their lost weight. The reality is that plateaus and regains are a completely NORMAL and expected part of a journey to a healthy weight. There are almost no scenarios in which weight is lost each and every month without issue. Plus, every successful weight loss attempt ends in a plateau- we simply call it “maintenance”.
We are here to help, not judge
If you are thinking of starting new, restarting after months, or just trying to get the courage to call for your 4-week follow-up appointment, remember that there is no shame, no blame, no negative talk- only support, encouragement, and positive reinforcement. We are here to help, and some patients have said that we are actually the most helpful when they feel the least confident about coming in due to their life challenges. Often it is simply the act of showing up to an appointment that reinvigorates them to resume healthy lifestyle behaviors. During appointments, we are here to remind you that this is a very difficult journey that you do not need to experience alone, that there does not have to be a hard timeline for weight loss, and that you’ve already accomplished so much despite the setbacks.
Build yourself a healthier you
As your weight increases, so too does your chance for cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. Your blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar may rise and contribute to the likelihood of developing other medical conditions related to weight. But weight loss isn’t just about saving you from things the medical community warns you about. It will do that, certainly. Every pound you lose lowers those metrics and reduces your chance of coronary artery disease, diabetes, stroke, and heart attack. The most noticeable impact, though, will come from how you feel. With increased cardiovascular health, you won’t get winded as quickly. You’ll get greater joy from activities that now seem like a chore. If you have children or grandchildren you’ll be able to keep up with them easier and better enjoy the precious time that you have while they are still young. This isn’t to say that getting healthier shouldn’t be a motivating factor. It most assuredly should. After all, it’ll keep you around a lot longer for those who love you. We want you to be as healthy as possible. We also want you to enjoy life to the fullest, which is easier to do with a strong and healthy heart.
Forge a happier you
Evidence suggests a link between depression and obesity. Obesity can cause feelings of depression and depression has many negative effects on the body such as weight gain. It can be a vicious cycle. But you do not have to let stress-eating rule your life! Depression, in particular, is hard to beat on your own. When you return, we’ll help get you back on the path to leading an active lifestyle. One that will fill your life with more enjoyable activities that help to stave off the effects of depression and prevent it from making it harder to achieve your weight loss goals. We’ll also give you the encouragement that you need to prevent you from being too hard on yourself and help keep you motivated..
The key to permanent motivation
One of the biggest mistakes people make, as we’ve hinted throughout this post, is that they become slaves to numbers. More accurately, they become slaves to the wrong numbers. Your goal is weight loss, so it seems to make sense for your weight to be the metric you measure your success by. Perhaps you use your body fat percentage as a secondary (or even primary) metric. Both of these are less than ideal for a number of reasons. First, your weight fluctuates throughout the day. This means your scale can give you the illusion of having lost more weight than you have or trick you into thinking that you are going in the wrong direction! That is a great way to kill motivation. If the scale goes down five pounds one day and up three the next, you may feel as though you’re losing pace and lost motivation. Most consumer quality body fat measurements are equally unreliable. This may be one of the reasons that you are delaying your return to us. Don’t let the scale’s inaccuracies keep you from coming to us for help.
These are useful metrics when taken as trends, but even then we all hit plateaus. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to lose any more weight and it absolutely does not mean that your health is not benefiting. If you must use daily metrics, try to run a little bit faster than last time, lift one more rep than before, or spend a couple more minutes playing with your children. These are daily goals that are within your control and not subject to the whims of fickle machines. Most importantly, when you feel your motivation waning, reach out to us. Don’t wait for that extra pound to drop. We are here to get your motivation back and remind you of all the wonderful accomplishments you’ve made and have yet to make!
Get back on track!
Now is the time for you to realize that you don’t have to lose weight before you come back to the office. Returning to us will not only help you start taking those pounds off again, but it will bring with it a whole world of health and lifestyle benefits that you don’t want to miss out on for another minute. Dr. Simonds Metabolics and Weight Loss is an essential business and is remaining open as normal to serve our patients’ weight loss needs. We also provide telephone follow-up visits for any patient not able to come into the office at this time. Our experienced providers are also able to dispense weight loss medications as needed for your goals. Both of our office locations have an on-site pharmacy, so patients can leave their appointments with their medications, or we can ship them to you.
We’re here to help in any way that we can and hope to hear from you soon. Contact us to schedule your appointment and let’s get to work achieving your goals!
