Successful weight loss is not only about physical activity. It is primarily about the weight gain dynamic and the habits that make you gain weight versus those habits that help you lose it..

Simply put, if you find fun activities that do not involve food, then you will be reducing your opportunity to add food fuel to the fire that is your weight gain and excess energy problem or “fire”. Physical activity is just one important part of weight loss but there is much more that you can and should be doing to achieve success.

Distractions and other things to do are most important. That’s what I mean by activity

What is your weight gain dynamic? Accept it. Address it. One thing at a time. Whatever you try, it has to be fun. Something you will stick to. Sitting around being bored is my recipe for weight gain. I will start snacking and bingeing. Give me something to do, and I forget the food. Going to the cinema is good for me. I don’t associate it with food. Others do. Shopping, walking. See friends. Cooking. It gets you busy and moving. Reading. Depends on how you do it.

I’ve generally lost weight when I have had a lot on, particularly at work. I was so busy with projects I didn’t have time to think about food. You see, I’m not so much a comfort eater. I’m a “boredom eater”. When I’m busy, I forget. So, what are your triggers? I’ve shared mine. Why not share yours? If you have fixes for your triggers, even better. Please share.

What I find important is options and variety. The same thing time and again gets boring, so I have to change it. That’s often the key: not getting in a rut, looking for new fun things to do.

Weight loss is such a widely covered subject I’m not going to reiterate the basic approach. The rules haven’t changed. You need to eat less than you burn. There are hundreds of ways to do that. Either pick a diet off the shelf or create your own. What’s critical, though, is that you make decisions that will last. Losing weight is rarely the challenge. Keeping it off is. Enjoy yourself while you lose weight. That means learning.

It stands to reason that the stuff that makes you happy right now doesn’t help your weight. It doesn’t mean stopping them either, but something needs to change. Either tweak what you do. See if you can make it work for you or try something different, but always learn. You know, the more experience you have with what works for you, the better chance you have to find the right lifestyle for you. When you do, you must keep learning so you don’t get bored. Enjoy exploring.