I awoke excited because it was the kids first day of school.  While I was excited for them I was very happy for myself and looking forward to the extra time I would have to invest in my own self – care. I decided I would add a morning meditation to my routine starting today and grabbed my phone and found the Shedding the Weight, Mind, Body and Spirit meditation I had saved.

Meditation

As I started to listen to the preamble of the first meditation and relax to Deepak Chopra’s calming voice, he shared a very alarming statistic.

Only 2% of dieters will lose at least 5 pounds and keep it off for five years.

My meditation practice was ruined at that point because my mind was absolutely stuck on Deepak’s statement.  How can only 2% of dieters lose at least 5 pounds and keep it off for five years? That just seems crazy.  Isn’t America always on a diet?

Why Me?

Instead of my mind floating with the meditation music, it filled with questions. First, how was I so fortunate to be one of the less than 5% who has lost over 60 pounds and kept it off?  I flashback to what my life was like before I lost the weight.  I was tired, uncomfortable, in pain, and suffering from migraines multiple times a month. What did I do that was different than the other 95% of dieters that allowed me to break free and shed the weight? I brainstormed for hours because I wanted to give you a profound answer, but I couldn’t muster an insightful one up.

If someone asked me what I did to experience the weight loss success I have experienced thus far, and I had to answer, I would simply say this:

I just kept trying

Common Characteristics of Successful Dieters

I spent the morning in pursuit of a more profound answer and after hours at my computer decided I might as well be asking someone the secrets of life.  I did find the following commonalities that are worth sharing.  Successful dieters:

Find exercise they enjoy

Become addicted to their weight loss efforts

Prepare food in advance

Know the power of power walks

Strength train and weight lift

Have a positive attitude and believe they can lose the weight

Share their goals and plans with others

Involve others (work out buddies and fitness groups)

Visualize success daily

So, how about you?  Which of the above characteristics of successful dieters have you mastered? Which do you need to work on?