You Donʼt Really Want to Lose Weight, Do You?

You donʼt really want to lose weight, do you?

by Boyd Jentzsch

HEART PLAN weight loss logo

TRYING to lose weight IS the path to FAILURE.

TRYing to lose weight is your way of telling yourself you are doing something about your excess weight.

weight loss programs

TRYing to lose weight is your way of feeling good that you are going to stop the upward tilt to your scales.
Photo: Getty Images

TRYing to lose weight is your way to focus on your weight, because you sincerely want to do something about it.

TRYing to lose weight is your signal to family, and friends, that you are taking action NOW, to control your weight.

But, as Master Yoda said to Luke, “TRY is the language of failure.”

“There is no TRY. Only DO, or NOT DO.”

WARNING: REALITY CHECK AHEAD

Do Not Enter This Next Area unless you are ready to be confronted by some difficult-to-face realities.

1. Most weight loss programs suck. They just donʼt work long term. Or at least not very well for you. Most are based on a fanatical devotion to just one thing… very low calorie diets, yet disguised as something else.

Truth: Everyone loses weight when they quit eating. Thatʼs not a diet. Thatʼs a way one ticket to stupid-hood. It sets your body up for some weight loss now and some weight Re-GAIN later, plus some extra pounds.

2. Most weight loss programs are based on partial-science. They jump on the bandwagon of the “latest scientific advances” as it it were the only science ever done — as if it were the only piece of science that mattered.

Truth: The body is complex. Science has discovered over 200 genes that influence weight gain. Less than 5 are scientifically understood enough to say anything specific about how they affect your weight. (Less than 2.5%.) Nobody knows how all those genes interact with each other in making you gain, or lose weight. NO ONE.

3. Weight loss companies want you back as a REPEAT customer. Itʼs cheaper to get you to come back than to find a new customer. That is basically an admission of their failure to help you permanently lose weight in the first place.

Truth: Weight loss programs are costly exercises in frustration. So, it would be denying reality to expect them to do anything other than lead you to failure.

OK. Fair enough. Weight loss programs set you up for failure…

So you use them, and guess what? You fail. That’s not a surprise, it’s an excuse…
“So, thatʼs why I canʼt lose weight!”

Then you use them again? Shame on you. You deserve better than that. Everyone does.

The failure cycle repeats because you are not in “weight-loss-success” mode. You are in “weight-loss-TRY” mode.

You will quite simply announce that you are “TRYing to lose weight,” which sets up your excuse in advance of your failure. Saying  the magic word “Try” gives you the wriggle room to not have to succeed.

STOP for a moment and ask yourself a very personal question:
“Why am I TRYing to lose weight?”

Look at it a different way. Think about a car.

Suppose you went out to your car, got it going, it started down the driveway and died. Out of gas.

So you go in the house. Wait an hour, go back out and TRY to start it again. Nothing happens.

So you go back home, come back out, and TRY to start it again. Nothing happens. Hmmm.

You decide to wait until tomorrow to TRY and see if it starts again. Nope. Drat! Still out of gas.

(One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.)

How many times have you TRYed to lose weight?

As you are reading this I can easily guess that you have TRYed 3-4-5 times or more to lose weight. Whatever your initial result, several months later you ended up weighing more than when you started. Right?

So have you been cycling and recycling on a single low-calorie weight loss program like Weight Watchers. Or are you more of a buffet-type user, sampling different ones each time?

Either way, you have TRYed to lose weight and ended up weighing more. Correct?

Now you can blame the weight loss programs — the Re-GAIN programs. Heaven knows there is plenty about them to blame. So, you have an excuse. No one will blame you. YOU wonʼt blame you.

Now here is where it gets a bit difficult…

Nearly every person who uses these weight loss programs gain all their lost weight back, and end up blaming themselves. Weight Watchers (or Jenny Craig, NutriSystem or South Beach, or HCG, or __________ (fill in the blank).

In your mind, each of these programs is OK. You are the failure. Right? I mean, theyʼve been around for so many years, and millions and millions have used them, so if YOU fail to keep the weight off down the road, you are at fault. Right?

Wrong. At least not as far as the weight loss programs are concerned (remember, they count on getting you back — which is why I call them “Re-GAIN Programs”).

So, you stop TRYing and accept your weight. Or you get discouraged, knowing you have some major genetic or character defect, and feebly commit to TRY something again next year. Have you ever done that?

Whew. Arenʼt you TIRED of all that?

(CONCLUSION HERE…)

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Comments

  1. Thank you for the info. You have to lose weight like you put it on, slowly. Good luck to all!

  2. to be perfectly honest.. i did all of those weight loss programs, and the best one i ever did i made up myself.. I lost 30lbs in 6 months.. now i need to maintain..

    • Elicia P says

      Congrats on you weight loss. Good luck with your journey.

    • Celebrate Woman says

      Hei Kungphoo,
      That is Fantastic! The best pills that are approved for weight loss allow a person to lose about 15lbs on average per year! With the side effects disclaimer that is 2-pages long! That is ridiculous!

      Congratulations of your achievement!
      Maintenance is your new Lifestyle that you have adopted during your own weight loss journey.

  3. Rebecca Swenor says

    There is no pill or diet supplement that will work without you putting in your mind you are going to achieve your goal.

  4. I could not agree more–all those diet fads etc out there are good for 20 pounds down-then up again you go! Or at least that has been my experience over the years. Now I just try to eat the right foods in small portions-sometimes it works-sometimes it doesn’t-an under active thyroid does not help! But I am always trying to tweak my diet by myself!

  5. I did a few weight loss programs too. I am continuing to eat better and exercise. Very disappointing when you try so hard.

  6. I disagree. I think weight loss programs can be wonderful. Some people need that structure. The trouble is finding a program that works well for you. I do agree that think finding your healthy weight is all about a lifestyle change, not a fad diet. Too many people are looking for that quick fix. Losing weight is not easy or quick.

    • Celebrate Woman says

      HI Michelle,
      I agree with you that weight loss programs, almost all of them, allow a person to LOSE weight. No doubt.
      Where the missing part comes in –> after people are finished with the program, they’re lost and gain it all and plus more again. The yo-yo cycle is a perfect result for the programs to have a REPEAT CUSTOMER!

  7. I think the important thing is that we have a good reason to lose weight so we are doing it for the right reasons.

  8. Elicia P says

    Summary:
    In order to lose weight and keep it off. It is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE no diet or cleanse is going to keep it off. Changing the way you eat and how physically active you are will work. There are no instant fixes. It took you X amount of time to gain the weight is is going to take a long time to lose it.
    Once off and you make the changes in your lifestyle you should be successful. If you fall back on old habits the weight will come back…guarantee.

  9. THis post is so true! Thank you! I keep trying and it’s true that it’s not the same thing as doing.

  10. I agree. There has to be more besides losing weight. I think too much emphasis is on that weight numbers and it shouldn’tbe. You should be considering your overall health and how your clothes and how you feel emotionally too.

  11. lisa jones says

    There Are No Magic Pills Out There To Lose Weight Eating Healthy & Food In Moderation & Exercise Is The Only Way!

  12. I hate trying to lose weighht. I am currently eating clean, running and trying to be healthy

  13. I quit the whole “I want to lose weight” nonsense years ago. I strive for health and fitness. That’s it! I lost inches, I am toning up and I am happy!

  14. I think the problem with our society is that we want instant gratification and real weight loss takes time, determination, and a complete overhaul in how you eat and think. It will take a while, but if you stick with it, it should work. And I agree that lots of weight loss programs are not helpful…I mean, if you lost weight, you wouldn’t need them anymore.

  15. I totally agree – most do not work. They are not long term solutions. A healthy body takes a lifestyle change.

  16. Chasity Boatman says

    I couldn’t agree more. It takes exercise and eating healthy is how you lose weight.

  17. I so agree with you! Any change we want to see around us, starts within us. l love the Yoda quote and the Einstein quote. I really love how you are not hating on the weight loss companies and programs, yet you are exposing their agendas. It’s a business, not a ministry. I love your thought-provoking post!

  18. I totally agree with what you are saying especially this one Weight loss programs set you up for failure…

  19. Different things work for different people, as everyone is motivaed by different things.
    I feel any diet with a goal of substantial weight loss should be done after consulting physicians.

  20. I so need to take heed of this, there are heart issues that run in my problem – heart disease.

  21. there is no better weight loss program then USING YOU OWN WILL POWER to make life style changes!!

  22. Alaina Bullock says

    Wow! What an amazing post. I love how you laid it all out exactly as it is. And you are right, trying is the wrong mindset and the wrong word. I have never weighed as much as I do now, and I am miserable. Like you said, the two things holding me back are Doubt and Fear. I need to convert those into Belief and Action. Thank you for this, and the motivation!

  23. Yep, tired of trying…it’s time to DO!! I hear ya. I’m going thru menopause right this moment and have gained 20 lbs overnight it seems…Never having to “diet” in my whole life makes it really hard to lose weight. Which reminds me I need to call the doctor!! Great article.

  24. losing weight is just as much of a mind battle as a physical one!

  25. This is a great post. It’s timely too with so many people scurrying to be ‘bathing suit’ ready. I see it to be especially true this year with the teen crowd (teen daughter in the house). I stress healthy balance to them all of the time.

  26. Totally agree with you. I have Thyroid and I am plump, there were times I used to feel bad about it, but now I have accepted myself the way I am. You really need to love yourself and accept yourself the way you are, before you go ahead to change yourself for people who dnt even know the real you 🙂

  27. You are so right! Fad diets just don’t work- the key is to focus on getting HEALTHY and let weight loss be a byproduct of health 🙂

  28. Now that I think about it, I can definitely see why trying to lose weight and really thinking about it all the time can lead to failure or a total loss in motivation. I recently lost 40 pounds over the course of the last year after completely changing the way I eat and approaching food based on what I need to be nourished and healthy over approaching it purely from a place of craving. It has changed my entire lifestyle and I have been much better for it.

  29. There is no easy way to do it. You have to put in the work to be successful.

  30. Losing weight is not an easy thing to do. It requires dedication.

  31. I know I struggle because I want to lose weight every month! It’s definitely difficult. I totally agree with you about dieting. I think focus and determination and motivation are all key components to health and fitness. Those are your best helpers.

  32. great post… thanks for sharing!

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