Week Eight Long-term Set Point Solutions

Step 1: Read Lesson

Common Barriers

Learn from others! Read the case studies below to hone in on what common barriers may be keeping you from reaching your goals. Then strategize way to overcome these barriers.

Vacations/Family Patterns: Jamie has recently lost 10 pounds. Now she is headed down to Florida to visit with her parents for a week and then depart on a cruise. She is excited to get some rest and relaxation. She also knows however, that when she is around her family she tends to revert back to old habits. Her mother cooks high fat, high calories foods and always has sweets in the house. Her family has also never found interest in exercise and mainly spends their time poolside or at the beach. She is nervous about the cruise as well because she has heard about the midnight buffets and she thinks once she indulges, even one time, she will throw herself off of her "plan" and ultimately throw in the towel.

• What challenges does Jamie face in maintaining her weight loss during vacation?
• What strategies do you have for Jamie?

Holidays/Seasonal Triggers: Jim is known as the "king of the grille" in the summer. His house is the "party house" where all of the family barbecues seem to happen. He is known for his "Jumbo Jimbo Burgers" as his family calls them and having lots of high fat, high calories fixin's to go along with them. Jim has started working towards reaching his set point and has been doing well, but summer is fast approaching. Not only does he seem to host a barbecue at his house a few times a month, he also ends up visiting with friends for their barbecues as well and knows that once he steps up to the picnic table he "can't seem to say no to barbecue foods". Deep down he knows that each party may work against him and his new found set point, but he doesn't know what to do.

• What challenges does Jim face in maintaining his weight loss during the summer?
• What strategies do you have for Jim?

Weekends: Tori works hard all week to "be good" and eat based on her set point principles. Once Friday rolls around however she says she feels like it is time to "kick back and relax". She generally dines out with friends a few times during the weekend and sometimes stays up so late she ends up eating another "late night" snack or meal. She says she has good intentions of making it to the gym, but after going to bed late and getting a late start the next day she doesn't find time to fit it in. Generally Tori cleans the house on Saturday's and treks in and out of the kitchen all day "grazing" on what she finds in the cabinets. Tori also finds that she is on the road a lot visiting friends or running errands so she frequently skips meals. She has been noticing that the scale doesn't seem to budge and by Monday she feels bloated and disappointed with her lack of progress.

• What challenges does Tori face during the weekend?
• What strategies do you have for Tori?

Six Key Strategies for Keeping Off Lost Weight

20% of people in the general population report that they have lost at least 10% of their weight and have kept it off for a least a year. The National Weight Control Registry is tracking over 4,000 people who have successfully kept off 30 pounds or more for at least one year.

An analysis of registry participants revealed six key strategies for keeping off lost weight over the long-term:

• Doing lots of physical activity. They exercise about 60 minutes daily, burning an average of 400 calories per session. Walking is the most frequently cited physical activity, listed by 77% of registrants. Women burned an average of 2,545 calories and men burned 3,293 calories weekly, which is equivalent to walking 20 to 30 miles per week. And one in five engage in weight training.
• Eating a diet that's low in calories and fat. Registrants make an effort to eat few calories; in particular, they eat less fat and more fiber. On average, their diets hover around 24% fat, which is lower than the typical American diet.
• Eating breakfast. Seventy-eight percent say they have breakfast every day. Their typical choice is my own favorite, cereal and fruit!
• Weighing themselves regularly. Seventy-seven percent weigh themselves at least once a week and 44% weigh themselves daily.
• Having consistent eating habits. Most say they following the same eating patterns on weekdays and weekends, as well as during vacations and holidays. They ate at fast food restaurants once a week and ate 2.5 meals per week at other restaurants, on average.
• Catching "slips" before they turn into larger regains. Their frequent weight monitoring helped, but taking action is what really counts. Most participants kept close tabs on how much they ate, particularly if they gained more than a few pounds.

The findings from studies- described in some 400 scientific publications-combined with knowledge from the many experts quoted throughout BTYSP, form the foundation of the advice, which is summarized in these five simple steps:

• Eat less to weigh less
• Eat well to stay healthy
• Exercise to feel good
• Get sufficient sleep
• Control stress and enjoy life

Step 2: Watch Video

Watch Kristina Spellman's video to get tips and information to help you understand this week's principles.

Step 3: Review and Complete Activities

Activities Workbook (pdf)

Step 4: Listen to Podcast

Listen to Dr. Blackburn's podcast to keep yourself motivated.

Step 5: Take Quiz

Take the quiz to test what you've learned this week!

Step 7: Complete Exit Survey

Please take a few minutes and tell us what you think about the Break Through Your Set Point online weight loss course by taking our exit survey >>

Step 8: Keep Up the Good Work!

Your jumpstart towards healthy living may be over, but don't stop now!