Recently, I had a client weigh-in, and something positive happened: They gained weight. You may look at me weird and throw a book asking, “You think that’s great? What kind of trainer are you?” Well, I ask you to answer this question before you throw said book: Should we complain about a rose bush because it has thorns, or rejoice because it has roses? That’s a question posed by President Lincoln; it’s from a famous quote of his.
High attrition rates are common in weight loss programs. There are a multitude of researched reasons on why individuals drop out. Here we have a study where 940 obese patients go into various weight management interventions, and if they drop out, they get phone interviewed on their reasons why they left. Multiple reasons were given, but today, I’d like to talk about two of them: unsatisfied with results and loss of motivation.
There is a reason I am picking the two (hint: they’re related). Imagine that you are striving to achieve something important to you, and you keep failing. Would you lose motivation? Would you be unsatisfied? Would you give up? I’ll give you two thoughts in this scenario: “I’m a failure. I’m never going to make it,” and “It’s alright, it’s just another bump. I’ll get there.” Which would lead you to greater success? One is optimistic, the other pessimistic.
As a trainer who specializes in weight management, I’ve noticed that my successful clients are optimistic and motivated, regardless of failure. They can cope with the stress. Personally, I feel that weight management programs need to look into ways to prepare their clients for failure and make it a positive experience.
The client I talked about in the beginning of this blog was in tears and about to quit. I could smell her negative self-talk. She had gained around four pounds since her last weigh-in (about seven days ago). I questioned her, “Tell me, how possible is it to gain four pounds in a week? Wouldn’t that be an excess of 14,000 calories?” She told me, “Not very likely.” She also described how she was dealing with constipation issues because of new medication. Sure enough, a week later she weighed in five pounds less, one pound lighter than her first weigh-in.
With a negative mindset, we are putting ourselves in a losing game. She could have quit right there, then went on with some other program. There is research to support that optimistic thinkers are more geared to being successful, happier and healthier. There is also research to support that your belief of a false belief can lead to its fulfillment; in essence, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In your weight management program, ensure that there are elements in place to keep people thinking positively. Examples include having them critically evaluate the negative situation (what if the weight gain was water or muscle?) and having them think on the bright side of failed situations. It may not only keep them in for another week, it may just keep them in for life.
Jamal Thruston is a certified personal trainer in Louisville, Ky., who specializes in weight management, behavioral change and health coaching. For questions, e-mail Jamal at jamalthruston@gmail.com or visit www.jamalthruston.com.
