Beyond Dieting: Transformative Weight Loss Through Behavior Change and Self-Discipline

Can lasting weight loss truly be achieved without traditional dieting? Join us as we uncover the transformative power of behavior changes and self-discipline in this enlightening episode. We share our recent experience with a weight loss support group, where individuals who have undergone weight loss surgery reveal their journeys and triumphs. Hear the inspiring story of a woman who shed over 165 pounds and proudly showed off her old jeans, symbolizing her remarkable transformation. This episode is filled with rich insights and practical advice that shift the focus from conventional dieting to sustainable habit changes.

We'll discuss the crucial role of personal accountability and the importance of food preparation and physical activity, even on the go. Discipline and consistency are key themes as we share personal anecdotes and client experiences, emphasizing the impact of keeping a food diary. We also delve into the complexities of exercise and nutrition, recognizing the unique motivations and fears individuals face. Plus, we address intriguing questions about fueling endurance sports post-bariatric surgery, underscoring the need for clear, evidence-based guidance from health professionals. Tune in for a compelling conversation that offers real strategies for achieving your health and wellness goals.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to. There's a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell, I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works, most importantly, why it works and why things don't work. Hence the name Method to the Madness.

Speaker 1: 0:28

Today I'm going to talk about a great experience I had last night speaking to a weight loss support group and what I learned, what were my takeaways, and I believe that you will find it interesting and helpful in your own lives. You will find it interesting and helpful in your own lives. Before I get to that, let me thank our very first and loyal sponsors, jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales and they have the reviews to back it up. Give them a shout. 386-451-2412.

Speaker 1: 1:08

So last night I spoke to a weight loss support group for people that have had medical surgery to help them lose weight and it's done out of Dr Burkardale's office, who I know he has done a vein surgery on me years and years ago back when he was doing that kind of surgery and he's a phenomenal surgeon and, uh, he just did a great job. And I got talking to him a little bit way back when because he was into doing endurance sports and I'm in the field that I'm in, so, uh, you know we had stayed in contact a little bit through the years and, um, I had sent him the copy of my second book you cannot run a poor diet and he really enjoyed it and I really appreciate like the notes he wrote me back, um, telling me like what he agreed with and you know a couple of things that we might differ on a little bit, but he loved it, gave it a glowing review, which I really, really think is awesome, and from that he wanted me to come and speak to his group and that was a while ago and then I got sick and then I was out of town. But, to make a long story short, I finally was able to get out there last night and you know it was a great experience and, as I told Vanessa, who works there and coordinates the events and stuff, you know I truly do want to come back. Like I don't look at any of that as drudgery. You know, I'll speak at the Rotary Club, thanks to my friend John Guthrie and others, and I enjoy it. Like you know, it's funny, it's like the, the I wouldn't say the one time, thank God, but it is, you know, one of the times that I get completely engaged with what I'm doing and I don't, like you know, feel the tendency to check my phone or feel bored. It's like when I speak and do that, like I really feel engaged, you know, I just feel useful, so I liked it.

Speaker 1: 3:09

So it was a great group, I think some around 10 people in total, with two of the staff who were absolutely phenomenal and sounds like they're just so on their game with allied health and helping these people get where they need to be. And I told a little bit of my story as far as, like, how I got into doing what I'm doing, and then I just spoke a little bit about the rules of my book, how it's mostly like behavior changes and habits versus, like you know, diets or whatever, and habits versus, like you know, diets or whatever. And, uh, you know, they they knew that already because they've already been educated on that going through the medical processes that they have been through, and uh, you know, then I kind of just um, opened it up to some more casual conversation and questions, which I really always like. I really like questions. I just feel like when people have specific things that they're looking for, I hope to have the answers rather than just droning on about something that maybe people aren't interested in With a lot of groups. They're just not. I mean, I don't know what it is, maybe it's just the lot of groups, they're just not. I mean, I don't know what it is, maybe it's just the uh, the groups you go to, the interest or whatever. But like it's hard to predict how that's going to go. But you know, a lot of times I'll say, okay, so do we have questions? And then there won't be a lot of questions and I'll think, oh geez, you know. Like, so what are your interests? Like, what do you really need? Like I really do want to be helpful, but I don't know where to turn.

Speaker 1: 4:45

But that was not the case with this group. Like they were so engaged, like the hour flew by from five to six and then, you know, vanessa had to do her job and it was on Zoom too, so she had to shut that down and tell everybody. You know, the time was up and you know the people were going to come in and clean the rooms or whatever, and but we were still there for like six till 620 because people still had a few more questions after class, you know, and that's an engaged group right there, you know. That tells me they care and they care about themselves Like they care about their wellness, they care about getting better.

Speaker 1: 5:21

So one of the women there she had lost, well, she started a little bit over 300 pounds, if I remember correctly, I know it was over 300. It could have been 305 or 310 or something like that, and she's now 135 pounds and towards the end she asked me if she could pull out like her old jeans she used to wear and hold them up. I said, you know what, absolutely, and I want to take a picture of that and I did and you know it could. It could fit two of her in. Now, you know, and it's just such a great thing to do, by the way, when you've lost a lot of weight is to keep the old clothes because it is a reminder and that doesn't matter if you've lost like 165 pounds or whatever, like in her case, or 30 pounds, like your old clothes will be a great reminder. You go to put on those clothes of when you were 30 pounds heavier. You go to pull them jeans up and you're like, ah, these won't even stay up. It's like, yeah, to pull them jeans up and you're like, ah, these won't even stay up. It's like, yeah, that's how much you've lost, you know. And so that was really cool.

Speaker 1: 6:32

And but what I want to share with you today is what I learned from them, and it proves, you know, what the science says, and it proves what I've been preaching for years. So they've all been successful in their own right. I mean, you know, the fact that they went through a procedure and the fact they didn't give up and the fact they're going to support group is success right there. I mean, you know, I heard one of the assistants state and I didn't get her job title exactly, but I know that she is a medical in medical somehow, some way, and she's, she's phenomenal and she cares, and she was great.

Speaker 1: 7:08

She seemed to have a great rapport with them, but she kept saying, you know, work in progress, work in progress, you know, and it is like none of this stuff is ever perfection. You know, whatever our troubles are. I mean, you know, if you're battling, say, uh, substance abuse of any kind, whether it be alcohol or any different drugs, whether it be illicit drugs or prescription drugs, like, whatever it could be like like, it's a work in progress. Once somebody gets better like you're never, you're never fixed Like, and people that have recovered know that you know. And people that have recovered know that you know. That's why they say I'm recovering in whatever they're recovering in, because they could easily slip back. So it's always a work in progress.

Speaker 1: 7:54

And if food has been the issue to the point where somebody becomes morbidly obese, where it's impacting their health and you know they're overeating, and a lot of that, if not all of that, is emotional and habit. So it's a work in progress to break those habits too, you know. So what the one lady stated very early on in the meeting was that and I think it was when I was talking about portion sizes she brought up how, like to this day and it's been seven years now that she has kept the weight off, which is great and that absolutely is better than the norm. I mean, the norm shows that most people put their weight back on within a year, you know, in five years? Absolutely the fact she's made it as far as she has. She probably based on science, won't, and keeps going to support groups, won't. But she talked about how, to this day, she still puts all of her serving sizes, all of her servings, in little ziploc bags ahead of time, you know, takes out her.

Speaker 1: 9:02

I think she mentioned what kind of cereal did she like? I know she said Raisin Bran, maybe, and another, maybe a Cheerios, you know something like that which it's funny. People. Oh, it's not healthy food, it's like Sure it is if you eat it in moderation. I mean, that's what I try to teach people. It's like sure it matters what you eat, but we can go to extremes on that, and it absolutely matters how much we eat.

Speaker 1: 9:31

And if somebody is eating, say, a controlled amount and it might not even have been Raisin Bran, I know it wasn't like whole oats, though. I know it wasn't like whole oats though, but if somebody's eating a controlled amount of raisin bran, I'd rather have that person than the person who thinks that they can eat 14 bowls of oatmeal in the morning, right? I mean, it's going to come down to portion sizes and we know that and how much we eat and habits. So she said she measures out the serving whatever the serving is that she needs, based on her activity level, and her doctor, whatever he says, she puts it in there and she puts the other kind of type of cereal in a bag and she measures everything and on the bag she even writes down the grams of carbohydrates and proteins and fats. So she's well aware before she makes any choices, like the choices become easier because she's done the prep work, and I think everybody needs to hear that, because when you are successful, you have done the work and that is important to understand. I don't care how you go about it, you know, understand. I don't care how you go about it.

Speaker 1: 10:45

You know everybody can be extremely judgmental as far as how people lose weight, whether it be you know they go on in a diet, which you know I don't. I'm not an advocate of fad diets by any means. Is it a way to weight loss? It can be. If the person does what they're supposed to do and keeps doing it, then of course that works. The problem is a lot of people don't, or maybe people go the medical route one way or the other and does a surgery. People are like, oh well, they should have just done this. It's like it's easy for anybody to say but I can promise you, if somebody is having health complications and they want to live, and they want to live and be healthy, then they are making the right choice doing what they're doing and that could work if they put in the work, like it's not just going to stay that way.

Speaker 1: 11:35

If a person doesn't put in the work or the latest things with some of the weight loss shots right, the Ozempics or whatever it's like look, do I need that? No, maybe some people who just need to lose 30 pounds and they don't want to change their diet and exercise Okay, it's not for me to judge. As a physiologist, I would say you know, try this first, of course. But then there are the people that like really need to do something or they're not going to be around. It's like. So I guess what I really learned listening to people is like we really can't judge how people go about losing weight as long as they're on the journey of trying to lose and then do the right thing. But here's what I know for sure as a scientist that the people who are successful, no matter what route they choose, are putting in the work. There will be people that will have a surgery done, not put in the work after, and it's not going to take. There are people that will have a surgery done, put in the work and it's going to take. And it's the same with the shots. It's the same with exercise, it's the same with everything else. And that's the first lesson, right there is you got to be prepared, like you are going to run into scenarios where you don't have that food that you eat available if you didn't prep first.

Speaker 1: 13:02

Now, if you don't have a weight problem, who cares? Right, but if you do, if you have a weight problem, and I guess maybe it's important to define that. So my first definition is does it bother you? Well, if it bothers you, there's a problem one way or another. And the second definition would be is it causing health problems? And obesity, morbidly obesity, being morbidly obese, does cause health problems. So those are the two definitions. That's how you define it. Do you have a weight problem? Those two things Does it bother you? Okay, then you got to do something about it or not complain about it. And then the second is is it causing physical problems or emotional problems or psychological problems? So if that's the case, you have a weight problem. So if that's the case, then it's only up to you and nobody else to put in the work and be prepared.

Speaker 1: 13:53

So if you know you're going on a road trip, you know the woman who you know I'm going to keep anonymous, of course, here, you know, my bet is she'd have her little baggies written out exactly how many grams and calories and all that and what time of day she's going to eat them, and they would be packed in a big purse or in a little cooler or something wherever she's going. Why? Because she knows she can't rely on fate to take care of her, you know, oh, there'll probably be something edible at the stop. Okay, so we're going to leave things up to chance. That's not very disciplined, and I spoke a lot about discipline in the last podcast. That's not being very disciplined, that's not being very self-aware and it's probably just you're trying to manipulate the situation, right, like you know better, but you don't want to admit it. And then you're justifying it by saying there probably will be.

Speaker 1: 14:49

Well, people who are successful with this and anything really right Control all of the variables they can control. They can control it, all of the variables they can control. They can control it. So I'm going to do it. I'm going to wear this is just a little outside that, then I'll wrap up that part. But they're going to wear sneakers to the airport because they're like you know what?

Speaker 1: 15:10

I'm stuck in an airport. You know we all complain about getting past TSA and then having to wait forever for the plane. I mean, I don't, I walk, I do laps in the airport. I mean, the day we traveled out last week I think we left on a Wednesday Um, was it? Well, whatever, I wasn't able to get in a full workout. I had a real busy morning with clients and then we had a zip out of here and we got to the airport and I'm like you know what? That'll be the day I get steps in, and by the time we left the airport we had close to 10,000 steps each and it was like had you know, remotely zero going into it. So I got in a lot of steps walking back and forth at Sanford airport. So, like those are things that we absolutely can control right there and I imagine that she is going to prepare herself to do that, so we can prepare ourselves with making sure that, if we're going to be stuck on travel, that we at least get our steps in and we can prepare ourselves by making sure that we have our food prepped. So that's the one thing like I learned and it was funny, I spoke and you know the the medical staff who was working there, you know, could totally relate. I could tell by the faces.

Speaker 1: 16:27

But like, we all go through the same thing, when we, when we go to work with people who want to lose weight, like we know what they need to do, we absolutely know what they need to do. And the thing I'll always start with people is I'll say, well, can you give me a meal plan? And I'll say, oh God, you know. To be honest, you know I'll be like, eh, sure, you know, if I don't, if, if I know they're really gonna, like you know, not do anything. It's like you know you fight the battle. You go, sure, here you go. But if I know they're real serious, I'll say you know what? No, are you serious about wanting to lose weight? I'll say, okay, here, take the book, read the book. It's got all the behavior patterns in it that you need to practice first. So that's a given. But I'll say you need to give me a three-day food diary before we do anything.

Speaker 1: 17:53

I need to know how and what you eat and how much you eat, and I need you to do it on a regular basis so I'll know right away if they're going to be successful and you know how do they turn it in or not. And you would think, oh, of course they're going to turn it in. It's no, and and I could, I could tell by the staff. It's like no, you know, people don't want to do it, it's like it's just too much work, you know, and, and the excuses, though, is, I can tell you what I eat. I eat the same thing every day. It's this, this and this. Like, oh, really, okay, so you know everything, and that's why you're coming to me for weight loss. But, yeah, you know it okay, okay, you know.

Speaker 1: 18:27

And that's typically not the people, like I saw last night, because they get into situations where it's dire straight and they know they need to do what they need to do or they're not going to live, and that's different, you know. Then they're like okay, I need you to keep a food log, absolutely Already, done it. Okay, like it's different when there's a level of motivation that really cares people are going to do what they need to do. So I'll tell people to start with a food log and I'll see if they're going to do it. And if they do, that's a really good sign, like if they bring it back and it's done.

Speaker 1: 19:00

And then and then the second part is if it's really detailed and done thoroughly, like they literally didn't just write down tacos. You know it's like okay, like beef, chicken, fish, how many three? They just wrote taco. I'm not kidding, this is like what people do, you know, and the people who tell me they're dead serious about losing weight, I'll get a thing back. You know it'll say cereal, then there'll be a big gap taco, big gap fish. Like that's it. Like you know anything with the taco. Like it just means I don't care. Like you know anything with the taco. Like it just means I don't care. Like ah, he wants this, but I know the way already. I'm just you know, I know my way. I just wanted to tell me how to eat people. It doesn't work that way. Like you have to do the work. Like they are writing things down. They are showing their allied health professionals like what they're eating and what they're doing and they're following the feedback given to them.

Speaker 1: 19:56

But it was funny when I was telling those stories about the weight loss. You know everybody's kind of nodding and kind of laughing, because it's just common. Like when people are successful, they do those things, and we all know it we chuckle. And when they don't do it, they aren't successful, and we all know it, we chuckle. And when they don't do it, they aren't successful and we chuckle.

Speaker 1: 20:12

It's like, ok, like when you're ready to get serious, this is what you got to do. You got to put in the work. You're going to have to write your food down. Once you get your meal plan, you're going to have to continue to log it. In school and the 80s, when I was in college, you know, we had to keep a written food log. In a couple of my classes, it's like we literally had to write everything down, go to the glossary in the nutrition book, look up all of the macronutrients, add everything up and turn it in. That took work, you know. And now all we're asking people to do is enter on their phone into a MyFitnessPal where categories are already set up, and it's still too much work, right.

Speaker 1: 20:55

So what I learned was everything I preach is true, the people there extremely great attitudes for, yeah, grateful attitudes for what they're doing and they're doing the work, like I said. So you do this. They're like, yep, so do you track your steps? Yes, you trying to track your steps. Yes, you trying to get more steps? Yes, so, like it was all like what we know to do and it's just really great to see because you see the success and you know.

Speaker 1: 21:23

And then, moving on from that, the other thing I learned is the fact that, like everybody that is invested in their health wants to get better, you know, and it's just harder for some people more than others, and it's really that simple. You know, too many times the people who run a lot, train a lot, whatever and I'll throw myself into that, you know people will say, well, you know, you're so disciplined for doing that. And I'm like, no, don't give me too much credit. Like that's easy for me because it feels good to me, like and I said that last night I said like my main motivation now to get up and run or jog or walk every morning I like to do some cardio, you know, mostly on my feet is because it makes me feel good, like, not during, of course.

Speaker 1: 22:17

Everything sucks during it's supposed to. It's exercise, right. I mean maybe not suck, but it's not easy. But then afterwards I feel great, I feel like man. That's a win. I already got that out of the way. You know, now I'm going to have a cup of coffee, eat a nice healthy breakfast. You know I've. I got my endorphins going like I feel good.

Speaker 1: 22:36

So that doesn't require discipline, right? That that's it'd be. It'd be stupid not to do it Like if you know something feels good and all you have to do is commit 30 to 40 minutes of your morning to do it, or longer, whatever you're into. That's not discipline, that's dumb. If you don't do it Now, other people, they don't get the same runner's high, they don't get those things. So it does take discipline. So for me to sit back and go like why aren't you doing it? It would be judgmental and it's just not very helpful. Because listening to people last night like they have pretty good reasons you know that I try to help them not do it Like some of it's confusion, they don't know.

Speaker 1: 23:12

One of the people asked a very great question. She said I heard that if I break up my exercise in the segments of 10 minutes and not do it all at once. That that's just as good. Is that true? And I said yes, absolutely Like. The minimum required amount of aerobic exercise per week, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, is 150 moderate minutes. However you get it, and that's why the step counters on the pedometers or on the smartwatches that we all wear have been extremely helpful. So she needed validation of what she wanted to do was working.

Speaker 1: 23:46

Um, I felt bad because, like, she's been on the journey, um, as far as adding in the exercise component since, I believe she said either March or April, and she's been doing 15 to 20 minutes every day on a type of class thing, and she says you know, I'm terrified that I'm going to stop. You know, I said, well, you know that's, that's an OCD thing, like, like all or nothing, I'm going to do this and then I'm going to quit. And I can relate because I have some of those tendencies and you know that's just an OCD thing. So for me to like explain that and go, so chances are you're not going to quit, you know, and if you do, it's not all or nothing. You just simply get back the next day and get back to it, and I'm a big believer in momentum, like if we get into the habit and we start doing it more and more and more, the momentum carries us. That's why it's important to start the habit.

Speaker 1: 24:38

But doesn't she deserve credit for not wanting to stop, like her fear isn't going to do it anymore? Her fear is what if she gets knocked off the horse or whatever, right? And so we have to remember that, like, or I have to remember that like, people aren't doing things for a particular reason, and what we have to do in the allied health industry I want to say injury industry is to help them get where they need to be by, you know, listening to them and figuring it out, and I shared them the statistic last night and there are two, and I explained that as well that there are some stats that say that only 7% of the population are on a sustainable exercise program. I think that one might be a little low, but the other one I've seen is the highest number I've seen is 25%. So only 25% of our nation exercises enough to get benefits. I mean, that's not good, right? So how do we change that? And, by the way, everybody in that room last night who's trying to still overcome their obesity issues and are on the road to it. Exercise, I mean. So it's like it's not them. So like, how do we get everybody to get the full benefits of exercise? So I think it is trying to figure out what really is stopping people is number one, and then what are the solutions?

Speaker 1: 26:04

The final thing that I just want to add to all this is there's still so much public confusion, because there was a lot of questions that I had to field and say no, that's you know, I wouldn't worry about that, or that's not really true, and all that. So there is still a misperception of as far as what and how much is the right exercise for people and eating. There's still a lot of misconceptions out there regarding diet and we as professionals have to do a better job. And I can tell you, as a professional who has looked at most of all the important studies, I could say I mean I want to say all, but that would sound arrogant. So I could tell you that there's probably not too many rocks that I've left not unturned as far as trying to figure things out, mostly because I'm just really interested in it, like it's my hobby and my career and I'm genuinely interested in it.

Speaker 1: 26:57

And so, like, I've looked at it all and I can tell you it's not as complicated as influencers are making it out to be. You don't have to take a cold plunge to get better, you just don't have to. I mean, you know that stuff is really silly. I mean all you have to do is, like, do the simple things in front of you, you know, do the best you can with your diet and eat within your means and exercise every day and stick with it consistently and figure out the best way for you to keep moving. I mean, it is far more simpler than you could imagine it's. It's not complicated whatsoever when it comes to that. So you know that that's the main thing.

Speaker 1: 27:37

And then and then, finally, I want to say that the one question, um, one of the allied health professionals asked me and I thought it was really interesting, and it's like she wants me, when I come back, to maybe have some research on it, and it was talking about, like, after people have had bariatric surgery and they want to do different forms of, say, long distance running or whatever, or endurance sports, then how can they fuel, because they're, you know, they have to take in lesser quantities of food. And I sat and I thought and I'm like, wow, that's a great question. I have not seen a lot of research on that. And that's so true, because they can't consume like a carbohydrate gel, because that's got around 30 grams of carbs and 100 calories and that's just too many grams of carbs at one time for them. And plus you have to consider hydration, so they have to fill up their stomach, you know, with enough hydration. So that's important.

Speaker 1: 28:36

So, really, you know that that's a great question. I love questions like that, so I'm going to think about that. I know you know the obvious answer is they have to take in less, more frequently. But there has to be some more research on that. So I'm going to uncover that stone because I found it to be really interesting. All right, so now let me thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, their premier garage door company in the state of Florida, and we are lucky enough to have our own branch here, owned by Jeff and Zach Hawk, and they can be reached at overheaddoordaytonacom. Please remember to download these episodes because it helps my numbers. Share them to your own social media, send them to your friends and until next time, be max fit and be max well.