Why is it so hard to lose weight?

The number one goal I hear from prospective members who are stopping in to check out the Wisconsin Athletic Club is weight loss. Even for those that are already in above average shape and just looking to workout without using any of the classes, amenities, etc they'll write down "lose some weight" in their fitness goals.

This is from an article I read recently by Nancy Clark:

Why Gaining Weight Is Easy

• To the detriment of our health, we are living in a food carnival. No wonder today's kids enter adulthood 20 pounds heavier than in 1960. By the time kids are 4 to 5 years old, 60 percent of them have lost the ability to self-regulate food intake.
• Most people believe that obesity is a matter of will power, but it's not that simple. For example, in obese people, the brain's response to food odors and flavors is often blunted. Compared to lean people, they need more of a food to experience a positive brain response.
• When stressed, obese people (more so than their lean counterparts) seek high fat foods such as chips, ice cream, fries, etc.
• Impulsivity, a genetic trait, is a risk factor for obesity. That is, obese people (more than their lean counterparts) tend to impulsively eat, for example, the whole plate of cookies.   
• Food advertisements are designed to encourage impulsive consumption.
• Food advertisers know that marketing "works"—and kids who watch TV are a prime target. The average child sees an average of 13 food ads a day on TV; most of these foods are high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat.
• Research with children who watched TV with four ads for food ate 45 percent more Goldfish Crackers (100 calories more) when exposed to the ads for food as compared to when they watched four ads for games. The kids who liked the taste of Goldfish ate even more calories.
• Foods marketed with a character (such as Scooby-Doo) sell better. Fifty-two percent of pre-schoolers said the character-food tasted better (as opposed to 38 percent who said it tasted the same, and 10 percent who said food without the character tasted better).
• The standard supermarket diet is rich in sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. It causes obesity in rats. That is, rats fed standard rat chow maintained a normal weight. But rats fed a standard supermarket diet ended up overweight—until researchers took away that food. The rats then lost weight when they returned to eating rat chow. There's little doubt that fats, sugar, and salt stimulate us to eat more than we need.
• When the calories are listed near a food, as is happening in many fast food restaurants, some people choose the foods with higher calories, believing it will be yummier. That response certainly negates the intention of the calorie campaign!
• People make an average of 200 food choices in a day; all these decisions can deplete our limited mental "resources" that govern self-regulation. That's one reason why, at the end of a hectic day, you can more easily overeat. You lack the mental resources to say "no" to that tempting cookie.
• The food industry's bottom line is profits. When Pepsi started marketing more of its healthy products, sales of the unhealthy products dropped. The stockholders complained—and that puts the food industry in a bind.

So how do you combat these and start losing weight?

• Get active! Even if it's as simple as going for a walk with the kids in the stroller for 30 min each morning. If you aren't moving, you aren't losing.
• Watch less TV. Go for a walk every night with your spouse or children. Not only will this burn some extra calories but it will also deepen your relationships due to talking and connecting.
• Or watch TV while you workout on a bike, treadmill, or elliptical. At the WAC we have individual TVs on most pieces of equipment with separate cable controls for them.
• Pay attention to your stressors. What causes you to eat unhealthy or binge? Next time that urge comes up take a minute to think back about what you've had to eat today and WHY you're feeling like this.
• Once you determine the why you can figure out if you're truly hungry or if it's just because you're stressed or bored or whatever your stressor is.
• If you're legitimately hungry then eat, regardless of what time it is. If it's 8pm and you're hungry then have a high protein snack that will fill you up before bed. Avoid eating about an hour before bed time if possible because this may or may not cause trouble sleeping.
• Set small goals. Maybe one week you cut down from two sodas a day to one or only eat out once per week instead of three times. Study after study show that those who set goals and write them down are far more successful in achieving them.
• Stop making excuses. Yes, life is busy. Learn how to better manage time and find a way to work in at least 4 - 30 min exercise sessions each week - your health is counting on you.
• Too tired to get up early? Stop watching late night TV and go to bed earlier. You're more likely to stick with a workout if it's first thing in the morning rather than after a long, stressful day of work. Not only will morning workouts actually get done, they'll give you extra energy for the rest of your day.
• Don't give up. The first 3-6 months are the most critical in making exercise and healthy eating a habit. If you stumble, get back up and start fresh right away (not on Monday).

I wish you the best of luck in achieving your health & fitness goals. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me.