Weight Loss Made Simple and Permanent By Kathleen Wells, Ph.D. Executive women are strong, intelligent and wise. Why is it, then, that we want to lose forty pounds in two weeks? It is because we are women of action. Who wants to take months to get rid of a problem? However, that's exactly what it takes if you want a permanent solution. Science is finally backing up those of us who have said lifelong weight loss results from lifestyle changes in eating and exercise. It's not the favored answer. Magic pills, exercise machines with pie-in-the-sky promises, those are what many of us buy into. How about trading impossible claims for a plan that will work and be easy at the same time? Lifestyle SculptingÒ is a method of changing eating and exercise habits so slowly that weight loss and good health sneak up on you. The first step is to take a good look at your eating and what drives it. Have you got emotional issues to take care of before any weight loss program can work? Is your overweight simply a matter of having children and/or getting older? You need to clarify what your triggers are to help avoid them and possibly seek professional help to deal with emotional issues to ensure your success. Internationally known author and coach Caroline Miller says it is essential to "identify people/place/things that are triggering food binges." She says to "tame the food monster" you have to discover these things about your eating patterns to stop them before they start. The second step is making changes in your eating habits. As the term Lifestyle SculptingÒ implies, you make small changes one or two at a time rather than drastic changes. Sculpt as a master would, removing thin layers of unhealthy eating at a time. We've all told ourselves we will eat 800 calories a day, get up at 5:00 a.m. and run five miles, and lose a ton of weight. That lasts all of two days. Slow and sure definitely wins in this case. Think about making one change, say cutting out one soda a day. I think we can all manage on one Coke instead of two, or two instead of three. If you need to, you can even cut down by one-half a soda until you are used to the new amount being "normal." Then cut down again. It doesn't sound like much, but that one soda a day will cut 17 pounds over a year if the rest of your eating remains the same. Now, add to the decreased soda substituting one high fat food for a lower one. Keep all your favorites for now, substitute ones you are not really particular about. Each small change you make adds up to a few pounds lost. Make only two or three changes at one time. Do those until the new food or new amount becomes normal to you, then make another change. Exercise is important, too. Not only for weight loss, but for overall good physical and mental health. This is your third step. I hated exercise when I designed Lifestyle SculptingÒ. What I decided to do was to apply the same techniques to changing my exercise habits as I had food. I literally rode my stationary bike for only two minutes. Then it went to five and ten and now forty. Instead of hating exercise, I now really hate it when I can't ride my bike. Let exercise sneak up on you. Begin with short sessions or only one day a week. In the beginning when I did the two-minute sessions, they were only three days a week. My forty-minute sessions are now five days a week, and I add swimming, walking and riding horses on the other two days. The fourth step is to ensure that the choices you make are done so with total clarity. Have you had days when you've eaten everything in sight and couldn't remember at day's end what you'd consumed? Eating, both healthy and unhealthy choices, has to be a conscious choice not remote control. Use the STOP plan. STOP before taking the first bite or before turning on the television instead of going for a walk or going to the gym. THINK about why you are about to make the choice you are. Are you truly hungry or just reaching for food to bury another emotion? Look at your OPTIONS. You can knowingly choose the comfort food knowing you will slow down your weight loss or you can choose to relieve your stress in another way. Whichever you choose, PROCEED with caution and deliberation. You rule your eating and exercise. Caroline Miller encourages clients to use support groups. Whether your group is virtual, and therefore anonymous, or you attend meetings in your area, working with others in your situation can be a tremendous boost for success. According to Caroline the number one consideration in lasting weight loss is the desire of the person to change and the willingness to work at it. The reason for the changes must be personal. You will not achieve success if you are trying to please someone else or fulfill another's image of what is healthy for you. Decide why you want to lose weight and if the answer is to please yourself, to feel better, or to be healthy, follow the steps outlined here and you can achieve permanent, painless weight loss. Sign up for our interactive virtual class "Losing Weight the Intelligent Way" Kathleen Wells, Ph.D., is the author of "Lifestyle Sculpting, The Key to Permanent, Painless Weight Loss." She teaches classes on the subject, including a virtual class for BlueSuitMom.com, and continues to maintain her own 80-pound weight loss by using these steps.