Comfort WILL kill your weight loss

In this blog post, I want to discuss the condition of “comfort” when attempting to lose weight and why this will NEVER lead to long-term success (if the goal is to lose weight and keep it off for life). Human beings naturally seek out comfort and convenience but this is not always what is best for the outcome that is desired. I believe that this is true in most situations but in this blog I want to solely focus on comfort when trying to lose weight.

First let’s define what comfort in weight loss is and how people seek it out. Many people, when they attempt to lose weight, want to put in the least amount of work possible. They don’t want to make changes that are seemingly inconvenient or alter their day-to-day life in any way. They are looking for the “magic bullet” in weight loss. These people often turn to gimmicks they see on social media, shots, pills, etc. They want to throw some money at the problem and have whatever method they purchased “force” their bodies into weight loss. Doing so makes the individual feel like they are addressing the situation even if all of the data points to the inevitable failure of whatever pill or potion they bought. There are almost unlimited options for individuals to buy that fit this description because there is a market for it. They don’t work. They can’t work.

In our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky weight loss offices, we tell our weight loss clients that there needs to be a little bit of discomfort with a weight loss journey. This discomfort helps to change long-term behavior and allows the individual to feel rewarded as they put in the work to achieve their goals. Feeling completely “comfortable” during the weight loss process simply won’t stick long term. There are pills, shots, etc. that can help you temporarily lose weight but the weight always comes back once they are stopped. There is simply nothing learned or earned from losing a bit of weight by taking a pill.

So there MUST be some discomfort, but this does not mean that weight loss should be difficult. Certainly there are natural weight loss aids that are effective, as well as low-calorie products that taste good, etc. We don’t want to make the process harder simply to do so. The fact remains, however, that if a person has gotten into a position where they are significantly overweight they will need to make modifications to their lifestyle that are going to feel uncomfortable for a while if they want to lose the weight and have any chance of maintaining it. A priority shift is needed and this can often only come from within the individual. It is for this reason that in our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky weight loss offices, we require all potential clients to go through a screening process to make sure they are ready to take an active role in their health and weight loss.