47: Why Maintaining Your Weight is Worth Celebrating

Maintaining your weight isn't just a stagnant phase in your health journey; it's a powerful win that deserves recognition. We have just had to navigate the holiday period–and part of what I really work with my patients on is that I want them to have whatever they perceive as a “normal” or “healthy” relationship with food. 

Part of that might be that over the holiday time, you indulge in freshly baked cookies you made with the kids, or have a meal out with family because it’s something that is important to you that you want to do. Sometimes, that can mean that you're not continuing to lose weight during these periods. But it’s not a problem, and it’s certainly not a failure. In fact, it’s an integral part of living a balanced and fulfilling life.

I always say that life consists of seasons where you push forward and periods where you sit still. It's unrealistic to expect constant intensity and perfection. I often encounter individuals who embark on a journey with boundless energy, eager to overhaul every aspect of their lives simultaneously. While this enthusiasm is commendable, it's essential to recognize that this "push energy" is not sustainable in the long run. Just like in football practice, where pushing against resistance is only a small part of the training, life requires a variety of approaches to maintain overall well-being.

No one can be in push energy all the time. And there are two things that I think of when people are constantly in that type of energy: cancer growth and mental health mania. Cancers grow unobstructed and will kill everything around it in the name of growth–that's not normal. And with mental health, when someone is truly thinking that they're on top of the world and they don't need sleep and they can accomplish everything, it's actually dangerous and is called mania. 

Those are not normal scenarios yet when it comes to working on your metabolic health, somehow everyone thinks that there's always going to be perfection, but this is simply not true and not the reality.

It's crucial to understand that periods of maintaining your weight are not setbacks but significant successes. Contrary to what society might say, maintaining a stable weight is a commendable achievement. The scale may not always reflect the intricate changes happening within your body, and that's perfectly okay.

It’s important to diversify our focus beyond the scale. Obsessing over a single number can lead to overlooking other essential indicators of progress. For instance, body composition is often more relevant than a mere scale reading (the InBody scale is a very useful tool for analyzing body composition results). Even if your scale weight is going down, it could be happening at the cost of muscle mass, which is why it’s so crucial to interpret those numbers.

I encourage you to look beyond the scale and consider factors like inches lost, overall well-being, and the joy that you’re getting from your health journey. A patient recently shared that, while the scale remained unchanged, their inches are going down. This highlights the importance of looking at the bigger picture and understanding that success in health isn't solely determined by a single metric.

If the scale stays the same, that does not mean that you’re a failure. We've got to start realizing that it's not normal for your body to constantly be releasing weight. It just means that you've achieved a level of balance that works for you at the moment. It's actually incredibly hard for people to maintain their weight. So this is a great accomplishment that shouldn't be overshadowed by society's relentless focus on constant weight loss.

Celebrating periods of weight maintenance is key for fostering a positive and sustainable approach to health. Recognize the victories in your journey, appreciate the equilibrium you've achieved, and understand that maintaining your weight is not just a phase—it's a triumph worth embracing.