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The 10 Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss (July 12, 2006) 
I recently decided it was time to permanently lose the 15 pounds of non-muscle weight (i.e. fat)
which I'd accumulated over the past decade or so. Here are the secrets
which made it relatively painless and rewarding.
OK, they're not really "secrets," more like "what we all know but resist acknowledging," but I'm calling them secrets because they are not commonly acknowledged in the press or the gazillion-dollar weight-loss industry as the true keys to the health kingdom. We all know the problem is widespread: The number of obese Americans has gone from 23 million in 1980 to more than 60 million today, and is forecast to rise by another 28 million by 2013. People making more than $60,000 are the fastest-growing segment of the obese population.If we include "overweight" people and not just the obese, then the number rises to something like 50%-60% of all adult Americans. While we can quibble about what constitutes overweight, the Body Mass Index is at least a good start: calculate it here. Normal weight = 18.5-24.9, Overweight = 25-29.9, and Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater. Even though my BMI was in the normal range at 23.2 (181 pounds, 6 ft. 2 inches in height), I didn't feel good; I was too heavy on my feet and my belly had acquired a disturbing layer of jiggly substance which clearly wasn't healthy. Through a modest and moderate change in lifestyle, I have shed 13 pounds, and most importantly, I feel better. I do not feel deprived, nor am I constantly hungry. My BMI is now 21.4. You might wonder, OK, so what's the big deal? 13 pounds is nothing to brag about (I'm not bragging, just stating a fact, but go ahead and finish your rant), and you weren't even overweight to begin with. Fair enough. But I don't think it's the pounds lost which are the key metric--it's how it's done that counts in terms of one's longterm health. Just read the entire entry before deciding there's nothing useful here. Secret #1: Understand how our culture and built environment is condusive to an unhealthy, exercise-free lifestyle. While this seems obvious, it is necessary to understand this in a profound way. Otherwise, you'll end up wondering why you feel like you're swimming upstream to establish a healthier lifestyle. First, consider how our car-centric urban design has made us fatter. In many cities, suburbs, and towns, there's virtually no safe place to bike or walk. Some parts of inner cities are simply too dangerous to go outside (numerous people are killed by random bullets), while suburbs often lack sidewalks, bike lanes or any destinations to bike or walk to. Rural areas are fenced in with barbed wire as far as the eye can see, and roads are narrow. Recall that author Stephen King was struck and very nearly killed by a minivan while walking on a country road in Maine. the dangers posed by these car-centric conditions is real. As a result, it takes a lot of effort to figure out an alternative for yourself which will work longterm. The default setting of our built environment is typically: walk or bike nowhere, drive everywhere. If you're lucky enough to live in a bike-friendly town (like Davis, Calif.), or a relatively safe big city neighborhood, then you're fortunate; much of America is not so pedestrian or bike-friendly. Much has been made of the European lifestyle (i.e. "French Women don't get fat"), and I can attest that much of this is related to the inherent walkability of European cities and towns. People walk to the store, to the bakery, to the cafe, etc., and they walk fast. Europe is old, and was built long before cars came to dominate transportation. The urban fabric was stretched to accommodate cars, while in the U.S. everything built after World War I was constructed around cars. As for our food and fast-food industries--let's just face the fact that much of what is offered is simply not healthy. The packaged food industry has thousands of people testing "mouth-feel" and other subconscious aspects of why food appeals to us, and they generally use unhealthy fat, salt and sugar to concoct irresistable but horribly unhealthy foods for you to impulsively buy or use for gratification. Secret #2: If you don't feel happier being lighter than you do when indulging in the momentary gratification of eating food which is bad for you, then figure out why. The human mind and heart are opaque, and hard to untangle. If self-destruction (Thanatos) or self-sabotage is ultimately more rewarding than being lighter, then you have to ask yourself why that is so and work until you get the answer. Yes, we all resist admitting we have a problem we can't solve, and there is still a stigma about seeing a psychiatrist or counselor. But there's really no substitute for understanding what's going on inside you. I did it (for depression), and I recommend it. Many people would be better off spending the money they waste on diets (wasted in the sense that their weight loss is only temporary) on some counseling to resolve the issues which underpin their unhealthy lifestyle. Secret #3: Our culture glorifies instant gratification because it's highly profitable. The incredibly vast and pervasive advertising/marketing industry in our culture is aimed at one target: convincing you (yes, insecure you) that a product or service will inhance your self-worth or standing in society. If you are secure in your self-worth and standing in society, then all this garbage from facelifts to fancy automobiles to fashions simply have no appeal. Their inherent worthlessness is transparent. And with stores on every corner and in every web-enabled device, and lots of easy credit available for impulse purchases, the siren-song of temptation is ubiquitous in our society. Consider, if you will, that the amount of outstanding credit card debt has more than quadrupled since 1990, to $696.7 billion, according to CardWeb.com. I needn't point out just how profitable these card balances are to banks, or how destructive such free spending is to wealth accumulation. But it is indicative of the forces on all of us to just run in and get that 400 calorie mocha drink or that 300 calorie muffin or that 1,000 calorie fast-food meal. Secret #4: We are a "I want a pill solution" medication nation. Have you noticed this pattern? Some vitamin or obscure supplement is glorified as the cure-all for some condition, and then some years later careful studies reveal it to be worthless, or even outright harmful: for instance, mega-doses of vitamins may be harmful. I am not revealing anything you didn't already know, but evolving a healthy lifestyle takes daily effort and some discipline. It requires a commom-sense grasp of what's required to change one's lifestyle, and an understanding that there will be no instant gratification of such a longterm, critically important goal. OK, let's move on to the nitty-gritty secrets: Secret #5: Cutting calories is only part of the equation; exercise is essential. The diet industry is built upon the edifice of calorie-counting; exercise is always mentioned, but basically it is dismissed because it's unprofitable to everyone but gyms. If going to a gym works for you, then great; if it doesn't, then you have to find some other way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. What works for me is Tai Chi Chuan, walking and biking; everybody's different, so you have to find activities which work for you. I have found that a 6 ft. by 6 ft. space is my gym, anywhere on the planet. Of course I'm a poor broken-lance writer, so the gym was never an option anyway. (If you think Tai Chi Chuan is too wimpy, try standing Zen --a.k.a. the "Horse stance" which is the foundation of all martial arts--for 5 minutes; unless you're in truly excellent shape, your legs will start wobbling in agony after a minute or two.) Please don't tell me you don't have time, unless you never watch TV. People never have time to walk, but somehow they find two hours a day to watch the idiot box, play video games, etc. And don't overdo it so you're really hurting; some modest discomfort is part of exercise, especially as you get older (I'm 52), so make stretching the first part of your regime. Secret #6: Exercising isn't enough--you have to change what you're eating, too. A Japanese woman who moved to the U.S. for college told a telling tale about the American diet. As you'd expect, she started eating pizza, burgers, fries, sodas, etc. and as a result she quickly gained 30 pounds on a very petite frame. She tried jogging, but couldn't lose a pound. Then when she returned to Japan and began eating her Mom's cooking again, her extra weight melted away without any arduous exercise regime. There is basically no way anyone can maintain a healthy lifestyle eating junk food, period. So you have to move beyond junk food. Here's a simple step recommended by a Chinese master acrobatics instructor I am blessed to know: drink a big glass of water as soon as you get up in the morning before breakfast. Here's another. Cutting out all fat doesn't work; starving all the time doesn't work. Find habits which work permanently. Eat a handful of healthy nuts or have an ounce of cheese when you're starving; we all need some protein and fat. But try eating a nice crisp carrot or two as a snack, too. Don't like vegetables? Try some Thai or Chinese veggies. Moving beyond broccoli can be a good first step. In other words, if you focus on eating well (ditching the empty-calorie stuff like deep-fried foods, fast food, soft drinks, beer, chips, etc.) then you'll naturally be eating fewer calories without any fancy diet. Secret #7: Deprivation doesn't work. Being moderately good does work. Sure, have a pizza slice once a week, or fries once a week, but accept the fact that junk food is not good for you. It's not that great, really; we just don't like feeling deprived. OK, so have a burger once a week; now you're not deprived. Have a scoop of ice cream once a week, or some chocolate; you're not deprived, you're just taking care of yourself. Get past that sense of deprivation, and start craving that feeling of being lighter and healthier. One easy step is: just don't have any horrible food in your house; then you won't be tempted to eat it. Just don't buy chips, baked goods, ice cream, etc. and you won't be tempted. Really, this works. Find desserts you like which are low-calorie substitutes--Jello is good, give it a try. Secret #8: Nothing will happen for weeks. Accept that getting healthier takes time. I have a pretty active lifestlye, and I ramped up my exercise level to a daily 45-60 minutes--yet my weight never changed for weeks. I'm used to rejection and failure (recall I am a writer), but even I was getting frustrated. But eventually the modest changes began having a noticeable effect. Secret #9: Diets don't work because they are a priori temporary. Make changes in your daily habits which will automatically stay with you your entire life. This isn't as hard as it seems. Some morning yoga or Tai Chi Chuan, an afternoon or evening stroll, finding a low-calorie dessert you like, these types of things aren't that difficult. Secret #10: Reward yourself when you do establish healthier habits. Yeah, discipline is necessary to change habits, but we respond to rewards. For more on this, read the book Feeling Good  .
The author, David Burns, rewarded himself with his favorite candy bar after every jog.
You'd think eating a candy bar was counter-productive, but because he rewarded himself for
the run, he continued the practise long enough to actually start losing weight.
Bonus secret: don't forget about upper body strength. You need it for healthy bones. Extra-special bonus secret: don't focus on metrics like weight; focus on feeling better. Previous entries on health/diet/exercise: The Healthiest Cold Cereal: Surprise! 900 Miles to the Gallon Are Our Cities Making Us Fat? One Serving of Deception Is Obesity an Inflammatory Response? Are the Risks of Obesity Overstated? Medication Nation For more on this subject and a wide array of other topics, please visit my weblog. 
copyright © 2006 Charles Hugh Smith. All rights reserved in all media. I would be honored if you linked this wEssay to your site, or printed a copy for your own use.
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