Small Steps to Big Weight Loss
Some people think they have to go big and go hard in order to meet their weight loss goals. One lady, who lived in a distressed neighborhood, proved such adherents wrong when she lost a great deal of weight by going small. She was confined to a small area, which was just the sidewalk area in front of her home's sidewalk. What she would do is walk that space daily, back and forth and then back again over and over. She would walk down one end in a nice power walk, and in obedience to her husband, she'd turn around and walk back the other way. She repeated this over and over for about 30 minutes. The home was probably 1,000 Sqft, so the sidewalk directly in front of her house was probably five yards, that's the length of a doorway from the floor to the handle times five. Others have taken small steps or taken a long time in order to shave off pounds and meet a weight loss goal.
The New York Daily News reports a story of one man who lost 644 pounds after having a gastric bypass procedure. The January 13, 2013 article reported that the United Kingdom resident named Paul Masson once weighed a little under 1,000 pounds. The story goes on to detail how they had to use a forklift to get him out of his house when he needed hernia surgery in 2002. He had the bypass in 2010, and it took about three years for him to get down to 1/3 his weight.
Prevention Magazine's online site shares the idea that small steps for weight loss can produce the lasting results that are sought. A CDC expert is quoted as saying, “It's the small decisions that add up to change, and that's a good thing.” William Dietz, MD, PhD is also credited with saying, "If you can count it, you can change it." Amongst other things the site indicates that daily weigh-ins work because this first thing in the morning routine will enable the person to know if they need to be more diligent by turning down dessert that day. University of Minnesota researchers found that those in the research study who did daily weigh-ins lost twice as much as those who did not.
Speaking of small steps and counting, one fairly disciplined church lady shared how the Weight Watchers program helped her stay on track for the long term. She preferred to remain anonymous, and indicated that she even shared the calorie value of foods with her family members who were not even on the program. She said she didn't exercise at all, but just counted her calories and then stopped eating when she reached the daily maximum.
Conclusion
It may seem trite but true, but the small steps toward a goal can pay huge dividends if you use discipline and stay determined to shed those pounds.
References
http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-tips/weight-loss-numbers-really-matter
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/man-loses-644-pounds-gastric-bypass-article-1.1233021I
http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/health-on-the-small-screen/former-extreme-makeover-weight-loss-edition-cast-member-blows-whistle-on-shows-practices/