It’s the ongoing battle many of us face – establishing a heathy lifestyle and eating plan that naturally eliminates excess kilos and sets us up with a healthy body and achievable eating plan. And social pressure, fad diets and boot camp style weight-loss shows don’t help.
“We live in a world of convenience foods, packaged meals, diet shakes and reality weight loss shows on our screens,” explains Magic Barclay, an emotional eating specialist and the best-selling author of Stop being FAT: Love yourself Skinny. “And yet, obesity statistics are the highest they have ever been. We are in the grips of a pandemic, a juggernaut in our media, in our health system and in our lives.
“This beast is jovially referred to as ‘the battle of the bulge’. Perhaps, we should see it for what it truly is: a modern condition that is merely a by-product of our never-ending quest for ease and time management.”
According to Magic, every story has its villain. “In this case it’s the kilograms that tend to join us in our lives without invitation,” she explains. “But for every villain, there is a hero: You.”
Magic says that following four simple steps can help you gain control of your weight with a healthy approach – and keep it off!
Identify Who You Are
But Magic says before you kick your four step plan into action, the most vital thing to do when losing weight and keeping it off is to identify who you are. “How many times have you heard someone say ‘I’m fat’,” asks Magic. “Everyone does it. The issue is that you are identifying yourself as fat. What you should be doing is saying ‘My name is Magic and I’m carrying some extra weight for now’. This not only makes the weight gain a temporary matter in your conscious mind but separates the weight from you as an individual in your subconscious mind.” Once you’ve identified yourself as an individual separate to the weight, Magic says you can go about dealing with the situation with minimal trauma to your self-esteem. “One of the most common triggers to weight gain is a lowered self-esteem,” she explains. “It is imperative to stop this cycle of psychological trauma and weight gain before other health issues arise or deepen.”
The 4P Challenge: Plan, Pre-empt, Perform, Prevail.
Magic says one of the biggest weight loss saboteurs is the avalanche of information – a lot of which is incorrect. “When you hear about weight loss, you are overloaded with advice, research and fads,” she points out. “Many of them are about diets and exercise. The most achievable approach to permanent weight loss is to take the 4P challenge. The 4P challenge encompasses two segments. The first segment of the challenge is to Plan and Pre-empt. The second is to Perform and Prevail.”
Step 1. Plan: Make a plan of your day
“Allow sufficient time in your day to rest, work, sleep, eat and exercise,” suggests Magic. “Include exercise opportunities (no matter the scale of them). When deciding what to eat to support your weight loss, include preparation time for healthier foods. Do your best to avoid convenience foods and other fads. As tempting as they are, there is little to no nutritional value in them. As Hippocrates famously said, ‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’. Foods deficient in nutrients cannot and will not sustain weight loss, optimum health nor recovery from illness.”
Step 2. Pre-empt
When planning your day, pre-empt any obstacles that may arise. “Feeding a family, attending functions and running out of time in your day are all common obstacles that you may face on a daily basis,” warns Magic. “Envisage your most difficult day, allow for every eventuality to ensure success in your weight-loss.”
Step 3. Perform
When setting out to lose weight, lofty ideals can be par for the course. “At no point should you cut corners,” advises Magic. “Perform to the best of your ability. Allow yourself to make mistakes, allow yourself to overcome them and allow yourself to learn from them.”
Step 4. Prevail
Celebrate each win that you have, no matter how small. “Reward yourself along your journey, keep a gratitude journal to reflect on in tough times,” she suggests. “Success breeds success. When you create a reward system for yourself (not food based), you will strive to succeed rather than revert to old patterns.”
And Remember: Always Hydrate & Refresh
“The one piece of the weight loss puzzle that is paramount is to hydrate yourself adequately,” says Magic. “Weight loss can release toxins within the body. Hydration will aid cleansing in your body and allow you to feel well, not resentful of your new path. For sufficient hydration, try to drink a litre of water for every 22 kilograms of body weight that you are. Making hydration a part of each day will help your body refresh by eliminating all toxins and regulating your hormones.
Our preoccupation with what greets us on the scales each morning has become alarming. The good news is that following these four simple steps will give you back the control of the situation. You have the ability to halt the kilograms from piling on, you have the ability to regain your life and your health.”
ABOUT MAGIC: Magic Barclay is an Emotional Eating Specialist and the best-selling author of Stop being FAT: Love yourself Skinny and a contributing author in Scott Krywulycz’ The Complete Health Series Vol II. Magic works with people from all walks of life in helping them to lose weight naturally by addressing the root cause of their weight gain. Magic has lost over 76 kilograms to date and supports her clients with understanding that stems from her own experience with weight loss.
