While reading a NerdFitness article, I discovered that there was a study by King’s College London, who said : « the chance to returning to a normal weight after becoming obese is only 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women over a year ». If the person is seriously obese, chances are reduced.

What is this bullshit !?! Let’s look the study deeper .

The study

« Of 278,982 men and woment, the study found that only 1 % of people who were obese at the start of the study were successful in losing weight AND maintaining the weight loss ».

What is highlighted is : « count calories, eating less calories than normal and exercise dutifully » failed 99% of people after 10 years.

When I read that, I see two things :

• Once we’re obese, it’s almost impossible to have sustainable results.

• Current strategies of conventional medicine to fight against obesity fail to help the majority of obese patients lose weight.

FUCK THE MATRIX ! You don’t have to follow Matrix’s advice. There are other ways to have a better health in the long term.

There are a huge number of study that confirms and validates that eating fewer calories than you burn (calorie deficient) gives results for weight loss for most people.

This Matrix’s study has given advice to 278,982 patients based on a strategy to be successful in the short term. The Matrix has only given a part of advices, that’s why they failed.

As Morpheus says to Neo, « There is a difference between knowing the path and walking in the path ».

Here’s what the Matrix didn’t tell to the 278 982 patients :

• Understand how habits work (and behavioral psychology).

• A good state of mind

• An environment created for success

• Understanding how sugar can be addictive

• Having a support (family, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.)

• And more

Instead, modern medicine advises people to move more and eat less and don’t say the rest. It’s obvious that this is a strategy for failure : when your environment is against you at home, when the society do everything to make it difficult to eat healthy and when your social circle is against you, of course only 1% of people succeed.

It’s possible to succeed, just need to adjust some things to make it work for us instead of against us.

The tools

Having habits to have long terme success

Once you understand how your brain work to create new habits, you can change your bad habits to create good habits and develop them.

We start with small changes with we can live with and then changes become bigger. « I just need to try harder » doesn’t work, you need to understand HOW to try and then try smarter.

Diets don’t work

Temporary diets doesn’t work. Explain me, for 9 months you eat the « junk food » and for 3 months, you eat healthy food. With this strategy, your body is healthy all year ? No, and it makes sense.

Aim the long term. We’re making efforts to change our lives and a life isn’t short term. This is a fundamental adjustment in how we make decisions every day to achieve, day after day, our success.

Building a positive environment

We’re the product of our environment and we’re affected by all that surrounds us every day. This is why all heroes have theirs headquarters. The headquarters is an environment that is designed to relax and achieve goals.

Adjust your environment to avoid having « junk food » at home, avoid roads where there are fast food, sleep earlier, prepare healthy meal for all the week, etc.

The support

Going on war alone, it’s too hard. Why not create a team ? We need people to help us and inspire us to have a better health. Surround yourself with people who care about you and want you to succeed, don’t sabotage your efforts.

Knowing food

Eating 600 calories of cookies isn’t a solution in the long term compared to 600 calories of chicken, fish, avocado or vegetable.

The majority of processed food we eat today is created for a part of our brain is dependent on this food. The processed food transforms us into junkie who wants heroine. Junkie = Junk food.

This study creates two camps :

• I know, that’s why I can’t lose weight. I’m condemned to stay obese, go to McDonald’s

• Ok, it’s clear, it doesn’t work. I need to try something different. I have to be smarter than the Matrix.

Which camp do you choose (red or blue pill) ?

-Steph