We all know what we need to do to lose weight. Eat less, exercise, drink more water, sleep enough, and eat “real” food. Yes, there are other areas that we can consider such as number of calories consumed, tracking macros and protein intake to name a few, but the bottom line is eat less food, eat food that is good for you, get your tush off the couch, and drink water.
So why is it so hard? I am continually saying to myself, “Lorna you know what you need to do, so why can you not lose this weight?”
I’ll tell you why, my husband and I are empty nesters, and we tend to eat out A LOT. We have lots of cool wineries and breweries near us so on weekends we tend to meet up with friends to grab a beer or glass of wine and listen to music and then of course eat something from a food truck or whatever is available at these establishments that is not necessarily good for us. Don’t get me wrong, most of it is quite tasty, but I’m sure would not be considered healthy.
I also tend to meet friends for lunch, or happy hour which again means the focus is on eating and drinking.
Oh, and I’m a snacker. I’ve now banned my husband from buying anything good that I do not have any self-control over, this includes crackers, chips, hummus, and dips. If he brings any of this into the house, he’s been instructed to “hide it from me.” He has done this on occasion, but I’m quite scrappy when it comes to finding “the goods” and of course if I find the goodies, I EAT THEM!
I’ve decided I need some accountability, because it’s not reasonable to expect my husband to never bring goodies into the house so I started to work with a personal trainer to help me figure this out. I really enjoy working with Nick, he’s a young guy and he talks my language. I see him in person once a week. He’s provided me with an exercise plan to follow during the week and some general parameters to follow regarding my food intake. Nick’s theory is that we need to work towards what is going to work with my real life and NOT to go on a “diet” but figure out how I can best make decisions that align with my lifestyle.
Easier said than done my friend, but I am going to conquer this extra weight and keep it off once and for all.
As I’ve been thinking about this journey and discussing it with my other accountability partner, a friend who will remain unnamed until we reach our goal, I became curious as to what the weight loss and weight management diet market dollar value is. According to an Allied Market Research article the market size of this industry was $192.2 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $295.3 billion by 2027.
What the heck?!! $295.3 billion to help us learn to eat less, get more active, sleep more, and drink more water. This information tells me that I’m not the only one struggling with losing these extra 15-20 pounds.
In fact, many conversations that I have with my friends are discussions about our round midsection, how we just can’t eat anything anymore, how we are not sleeping, etc. So, ladies, how will we proceed with our weight loss? Will we continue to support the billion-dollar weight loss and weight management diet market, or will we take it upon ourselves to eat less, exercise, drink more water, get enough sleep, and see if we can make progress?
I’m committed to doing my part to ensure I’m healthy so that I can live my BEST life for the REST of my life. How about you?
Action Step: Decide how you can take control to becoming a healthier version of yourself and take the first step to start your journey.
