Obesity expert Mohammad Emran, MD, has seen people try everything under the sun to lose weight. In his new book, Fast-Track Your Health-The Four Keys to Successful Weight Loss, he shares what he’s learned about what people need to do to achieve and maintain weight loss.
“It all comes down to four things,” he says. “If you do these four things, you maximize your chances of weight-loss success. There are no fad diets or over-the-top exercise routines, just steady, constant progress and the mental tools that will enable you to set your goals and achieve them. I’m convinced that anyone can do it.”
Emran began to focus on weight loss after seeing friends, family, and many of his patients and their families struggle to deal with obesity.
“I used my medical training to find the factors that are common among people who lose weight successfully,” he says. “As a pediatric surgeon in charge of an adolescent weight-management program, I’ve been dealing with the weight challenges of extremely obese children with significant health problems. I’ve worked with a team of experts to address these problems through education, coaching, supplementation, and even surgery.”
Emran developed the Four Keys through years of research in which he and his team identified what enabled people to lose weight and not regain it.
“Those who understand and apply these ideas consistently lose weight,” Emran says. “Those who don’t, don’t.”
The doctor’s research shows that people who succeed at losing weight and keeping it off over the long term commit to doing the following:
1. Set Specific Goals and Specific Deadlines.
Goal setting helps you identify where you want to end up. Your goal must be specific. You can’t have a goal of simply “losing weight.” It’s too vague-you can’t buy a ticket without a destination. Instead, you need to decide how much weight you want to lose and by when.
2. Exercise Regularly-No Excuses!
Newton’s second law of motion for objects can also applies to people: Namely, people at rest tend to stay at rest, and those in motion tend to stay in motion. You have to get moving and stay moving. You need to set goals for exercise and build a habit of exercising on a regular basis. This might not be easy to start, but once you have the habit, you’ll miss exercise when you don’t do it.
3. Keep a Food Journal. That Means Everything You Eat.
It’s vital to create and keep an honest tally of everything you eat, drink, and snack on and how much. By keeping the journal we get rid of the imaginary diet we think we eat. Just like goals, writing it down makes it real. How many of you have heard or said, “I don’t eat that much,” yet the pounds won’t come off or keep adding on? Your journal creates personal awareness, which is the first step to fixing the problem. By writing down what and how much you eat, you establish a measure that you can then change. This establishes personal accountability both in keeping the journal and recording what you’re actually eating. People who keep a food journal are much more likely to achieve their goals and maintain their weight loss.
4. Regular Follow-ups. Make those Appointments to Keep on Track.
Regular follow-up with your doctor, dietitian, weight-loss specialist, and/or support group offers you many important benefits. Keeping these appointments creates a sense of personal responsibility, a habit that will extend beyond the visits and help you be responsible when you’re choosing a diet, exercise, or medical treatment. You know you need to meet certain goals by a certain time. You feel accountability to yourself and your team members when you make these visits.
“Everyone is looking for external solutions to weight-loss problems. There aren’t any. Don’t give yourself excuses for not achieving. Instead, set plans of action to achieve, and have a sense of urgency when a deadline is looming,” Emran says.
This article was adapted from information provided by Direct Contact PR.
Ideas expressed are those of Dr. Mohammad Emran, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by Amplitude Media Group.
This article is for informational and educational purposes and is not meant to substitute for medical advice from a qualified medical professional. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning any weight-loss effort or program.