Lisa Campbell lost 100 lbs 3 years ago at Camp Rhino and kept it off. How? She used the 6 Week Challenge to develop new habits that she loved. Then, she kept doing the 6 Week Challenge over and over for accountability for a whole year. It’s been almost 3 years since her first challenge and she has kept the weight off. She enlists in nutrition accountability periodically to check back in, stay on track and log her food again. She signs up for Spartan Races and has made friends in her boot camp class who help her stay excited about showing up to class. Lisa said “It was never about losing 100 lbs, it was about becoming healthy one step at a time and just continuing on.” Watch her video at the end of this post!
We have had many of our Rhinos lose 100 lbs and keep it off. We have been spreading the word far and wide in all of our member meetings that the secret is following a program you love and sticking to it. If you make it about the weight, once you reach your goal you are likely to slide back into old habits. Anna the Rhino Nutritionist has been collecting data from all of her meetings and has some wisdom and tips for you.
<3 Julie
Stay Accountable to Yourself
Written by Anna Gingrich-Bardis, Camp Rhino Nutritionist
For many, the goal of weight loss comes with an end date. “I just want to lose 20 pounds.” Okay! Let’s say you lose those 20 pounds… but, then what? Odds are, you will go right back to what you were doing before.
Get this — a whopping 95% of individuals who lose weight end up gaining it back during the subsequent months and years. Oftentimes, the weight comes back even faster than the time it took you to lose it. So why is it so easy for us to gain that weight back?
A lack of accountability. Consistent, long-term weight loss and healthy eating habits can only be maintained when we use accountability tools to keep us on track long term. Without accountability, we don’t have that little voice saying, “make the right choice, you will be happier later.”
Accountability can come in many different forms. Using several of these will help you to stay on track toward your goals.
1) Ongoing nutrition coaching – While a 6 Week Challenge or one month of nutrition coaching helps to get you started, it is important to continue with monthly coaching to ensure that you remain on track. Ongoing nutrition coaching grants you access to regular checking of your food log as well as help with working through your specific challenges. Your nutrition coach will also guide you to make the right choices on a regular basis.
2) Updating your goals – Once you’ve reached your goals, short or long term, what do you do next? Revise your goals so you always have something to work toward.
3) Accountability partners – Find someone who shares your similar health goals! Make it a point to check in with each other regularly so you don’t feel alone in your process.
3) Periodic biometrics – Monthly or bi-monthly biometrics allow you to make sure that what you are doing, is working. If you’re losing weight, but most of the weight is muscle mass, this isn’t beneficial to you. We want to be losing fat mass and building muscle mass. Luckily, our Fit3D scanner at Camp Rhino allows you to keep track of these important details so you know you’re on the path to success.
4) Food logging – Keeping track of what you eat allows you to draw more awareness to the things you are putting in your mouth throughout the day. It helps you learn what your own body’s needs are and get to that next goal. Even once you’ve met your goal, tracking is imperative to your success. It is okay to treat yourself. Just make sure you continue to log your food so that you do not go overboard.
We preach this religiously here at Camp Rhino — weight loss alone should never be the end goal. Keeping the weight off, continuing to build muscle, and feeling good overall can only be maintained with these accountability tools. If you’re looking for an easier way, each one of these accountability tools is achieved through our own nutrition coaching program. So the real question here is this…
How are you going to keep yourself accountable?
Anna Gingrich-Bardis
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