Changing the Paradigm

Presented by Seth Margolies of Weigh2Win

Seth had surgery in 2003 and lost 188 pounds. From the beginning, he said, he understood that there was a high failure rate because people fall into old habits. For him, failure was not an option.

His belief is that unless you create a partnership, you will not have long-term success. You have to change the way you look at your lifestyle. Surgery alone will not keep you thin or in shape, but most surgical facilities don’t offer a fitness component so it falls to the post-op to become accountable for their own success.

Find ways to add activity to your life beyond your structured exercise time:
-Throw away the remote and get up to change the TV
-Get up and walk during commercials
-Take the stairs
-Walk the dog

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of cardio per day and two days a week of strength-training. Yet only 15% of the U.S. population follows this guideline. The health benefits of three 10-minute spurts is just as effective as one 30-minute session.Seth is a firm believer in strength training because it improves the overall appearance post-ops and can reduce the need for cosmetic surgery. Women who do an hour twice a week of resistance training have less abdominal fat. Strength-training also increases your metabolism and keeps it elevated for longer periods of time.

If you’re inactive after surgery, your ability to eat more food kicks in. And if you fall in that, then you’ll start gaining weight back and be right where you started.

“Surgery is not the end of your battle with obesity," he said. "It’s the beginning of you starting to deal with it. And if you’re lucky, you’ll go into remission.”

Exercise improves mental health.
A Duke study took two groups of clinically depressed patients, gave one batch antidepressants and the other exercised 30 minutes a day. At the end of the study, both groups had 60% of its participants no longer depressed.

Workout tips:
-Start slowly
-Slowly increase the time spent and the intensity
-Set realistic goals that are measurable
-Visualize what you’re going to do
Track your progress
-Wear comfortable clothes

Don’t forget to mix up your routine to curb boredom and also to help your body break through its natural instinct to plateau. Think about variety. Think outside of the box when it comes to exercise. It doesn’t have to be just about going to the gym or following a fitness tape. Some like going to the gym because it’s a social experience. Others hate it because they are embarrassed or overwhelmed. Most people hate exercise because it’s boring, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make a fitness program out of cleaning house, if you do it to music and don’t take breaks. You can walk to run your errands instead of driving.

Losing weight and maintaining weight loss is as simple as calories in vs. calories out. Each of us burns calories at a different rate. Seth says it takes him three hours of exercise to maintain his weight when eating 2,000 calories. Start looking at food in relation to the amount of time required to burn it off.

It’s important to find something you love doing and do that as your exercise. If you like bike riding, make that your routine. If you like skating, then make time to skate regularly. Take dance classes. If you’re having fun, you’re more apt to keep it up.

We’re never going to be perfect, but we each have to do the best that we can and accept that’s our version of success. Changing the paradigm is amount loving yourself enough to put yourself first. Love yourself enough to give your body a break when you need one. Eat nutritious foods, because the better the food is going in, the better your body will run. Love yourself to invest in high-quality food.

Support is important. Surround yourself with loving, supportive people. Don’t waste your time with those who are negative.