My twitter buddy Trish was having a tough time this week. She felt she did all the right things and yet she gained 2 lbs on the (*%#@^^!!) scale!

Trish’s blog

Here’s my answer to her:

I’ve had to work through many frustrating situations in my weight loss journey. Since I’ve kept my weight loss for over 10 years now, I’ve learned a lot. You might not like what I’m going to say, but you asked “what would I do?”

1. I would DIVORCE myself from the victim place. When we think our body is doing something to us or resisting us, we become a victim. Victims never win, they just blame some thing or someone for their lack of success or make up excuses to explain their failure.

2. I would FOCUS on actions, not numbers or the scale. We cannot possibly know every event or process (including many healthy ones) occurring in our bodies that can affect the scale. There are many reasons exercise can translate into extra pounds on the scale when it’s not fat gain. If we are taking care of our health and ourselves, that’s the end of the story. Diet mentality focuses on the scale but it isn’t as important as long-term, positive sustained behavior.

3. I would LET GO of “due dates.” We don’t know how long it will take to lose a pound, or fifty. Anyone who says weight loss can be predicted is lying, or they are ignorant about fat loss v. weight loss and the difference between the two processes.

4. I would OBLITERATE the word “failure” from my vocabulary. I know that word doesn’t exist, unless I decide to entertain it or focus on it. As a professional coach, I often have to teach my clients the concept of “There is no failure, only learning.”

What can YOU learn in the tough places? If there wasn’t something to learn, it wouldn’t be tough. So turn it around, tough places are good! And they are there for a reason.

That’s how we turn diet mentality into permanent weight loss – by meeting EVERY twist and turn along the weight loss path, and NEVER backing down.