This is the final installment of the three part series devoted to the three aspects that I believe comprise a successful weight loss program. We started off with calories. Last week’s post was all about exercise. Today’s post will deal with accountability. The introductory post that started it all off can be found here.
Accountability, accountability, accountability. Whether or not we accept it, accountability is a part of us. We hold people accountable for the things we do, and vice versa. Accountability sometimes makes all the difference in our decision making process.
Every one of us knows that person who never delivers on what they say they’re going to do. We’ve all probably been let down by him at some point. And let’s be honest, you probably don’t think very highly of him. If you’re not that person, accountability is one of the things that probably makes you different from him.
If you’re not motivated by what people think about you, then maybe the angle of this post isn’t for you. But I do care what people think about me. And because I do, accountability has played a huge role in my weight loss success. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m perfect in the accountability department. But if I say I’m going to do something, I try my darndest to get it done (sorry I haven’t finished painting the hallway honey).
Since this post is about weight loss and accountability, let’s explore how accountability has helped (and hurt) me in my weight loss journey.
Accountability To Family And Friends
Family and friends are the two most important things in my life. Without them, I would have nothing. I can’t think of anything worse than not having anyone to share my life with. But friends and family usually come with something that didn’t help me lose weight–unconditional love. They love me whether I weigh 300 pounds or 165 pounds. This is something I have always known and have taken advantage of through the years. In fact, it may have significantly contributed to my weight problems. I’m not trying to blame anyone for why I got fat; no one shoved those cookies and cakes down my throat. But knowing that somebody out there will always love me no matter what I look like sure does make it easier to justify those extra calories, inches and pounds.
For some reason, even though my friends and family are the most important thing in my life, I’ve never held myself accountable to a weight loss plan when pledged to a family member. I knew that they wouldn’t hold me accountable because they had to love me. That’s a total cop out, and I’m aware of it. It’s kind of backwards that it’s more difficult for me to keep a promise to my loved ones and to myself then it is to keep a promise to total strangers. Nevertheless, I feel that this is a common occurrence for over weight people.
What Worked For Me
Now that we’ve seen what kind of accountability doesn’t work for me, let’s take a look at what kind of accountability does get the job done. First of all, let me say that it doesn’t really matter what holds you accountable. Also, what holds me accountable to my goals is probably different than what holds you accountable to your goals. The trick is to find out what it is that makes you want to be successful because that’s ultimately what will keep you on target to meet your weight loss goals.
Get Fit Slowly has had a tremendous effect on my weight loss success. I’ve mentioned it before, I don’t like to let people down. I feel terrible when I do. By stating my goals in a public forum, I’ve basically forced myself to achieve them. I may have gotten side tracked from time to time, but I haven’t ever lost sight of the prize.
Not wanting to admit defeat, or break a promise to you guys, or look like a person who lacks integrity plays a huge role in how I live my life. At first, I needed you guys to cheer me on, pick me up when I was down, or kick me in the rear when I was slacking off. I needed the blog to keep me accountable for my every day actions. But now that I’m at my goal weight, and three weeks away from completing my marathon goal, I really want to use Get Fit Slowly as a way to help you guys achieve your fitness and weight loss goals as well. I really do try and live the life that I write about here.
And it all starts with accountability. You may not need a blog, but getting fit and losing weight is much easier if you do have something that holds you accountable for your actions. Here are some ideas:
- Make a bet with a friend
- Have a biggest loser contest at work
- Enter an athletic event and then train for it
- Spend (don’t waste) money on fitness
- Seek professional help
So remember, one of the many tricks that you can use to be successful in your weight loss endeavors is to find something that holds you accountable to reaching your goals. Have you found what works for you yet? If you have, why don’t you share it with us? If it works for you, it may work for others as well.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Mac.
I wonder if I should just stop saying Excellent post, because they are all excellent!
Hear’s the nugget of truth that spoke to me:
“what holds me accountable to my goals is probably different than what holds you accountable to your goals. The trick is to find out what it is that makes you want to be successful because thatÂ’s ultimately what will keep you on target to meet your weight loss goals.”
As you know by reading my blog, I’ve been struggling with accountability especially when comes to nutrition and eating less calories.
What has worked for me on the fitness side is creating some sort of competition? I used to love participating in sports. I’m recreating the competition now by training for a Triathlon. It’s really helped me with generating the need to exercise.
Also, what has helped me is I have decided that I NEED to exercise everyday. Exercise being as simple as stretching or as difficult as 2 hour bike ride. Regardless, the inertia created is imperative for me.
I’m still looking for the accountability when it comes to the eating side of things. Of course, I’ll report what I find.
My opinion about accountability though, is you can’t just say you are going to do something be it on a blog or to a person. It is an important step, but one I think that must be paired with action.
?? How much of your recent nutritional accountability do you think is attributed to your working with a personal trainer?
–Scott
Thanks for the great comment, Scott. To answer your question, 70% of my nutritional accountability is attributed to working with my trainer. At the very first meeting, he told me that my goals were based 80% on nutrition, and 20% on exercise. That was a very powerful statement to me. I already knew this though, because I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted by flipping those percentages more in favor of exercise. I just needed a kick in the butt, both financially and physically.
Just to emphasize the arc of your actual experience: you began by counting calories on a website, which was pretty effective, then on your iPhone, which was effective at first but then stopped being effective; it came down to measuring and weighing your food under your trainer’s watchful eye to get you to your goal. In between, though, you were very successful at maintaining your weight without counting calories or doing anything except paying close attention to what you were eating. When I asked you at one point how you were managing this, you told me that you thought about what you were eating constantly. For you, luckily, that was enough. Also, you rejected the suggestion from your readers (that is, me) that you get an accountability partner for counting calories — someone who you called up or e-mailed every day with a calorie count report. But, in the end, your trainer served this function: when your weight wasn’t dropping, he knew it was because you weren’t being careful enough with what and how much you were eating. Out came the food scale and the measuring cups. Your (biweekly?) meetings with him were crucial.
Dan–Thanks for expanding on my experiences. I’m really glad you did it. I had so much trouble with this post. I just couldn’t get the words out in the way that I wanted them to come. I still wasn’t happy with the finished product. But, you made some excellent points by reviewing what worked for me and what didn’t. And more by reminding me about my successes with T, and Brody, and my wife, Pam. These are all things that have definitely held me accountable and helped me reach my goals. Thanks again. Want to rewrite the post on accountability for me?
It’s a well-written post! You may have struggled writing it, but it doesn’t show. You should write a post about the difference between your first experience with a trainer and your second — I was very impressed both with how skilled he was and how seriously you responded to his system.
Accountability has been huge for me as well. My blog has been the largest form of accountability for what I have been doing. It also has provided a crazy amount of encouragement for me as well.
I recently started a weight loss challenge and have been completely inspired by it — not only for me to lose weight, but in recognizing that I can inspire others to lose weight as well and help them on that journey.
Accountability is a must to be successful.
.-= Seth@1010in2010´s last blog ..Good day. Great run. Awesome Motivation. =-.
I so agree with you on family not being good for accountability. I’ve found they are much more likely to enable diversions.
It’s the occasional tough comments I get on my blog that keep me going.
.-= AndrewENZ´s last blog ..Weigh-in #15 2010: Weekend problems =-.
I think the thing that I use to achieve my own personal and professional accountability, is in having a weekly gathering of people where I go and talk/work on day-to-day things that I need their help on. It helps to have other people involved. And, I am not particularly a vey social animal. I just know that this methods gets results. Because you have the support and assistance of others.
.-= Frank Dobner´s last blog ..Lose Weight By Eating Fast Food =-.
Yep. Same here. In some instances, they undermine your efforts.
But having a partner that you’re accountable to is definitely a good pointer. Someone who is pursuing a similar goal. Excellent!
.-= Greg´s last blog ..Can A High Fat Breakfast Be Healthy? =-.
My blog is definitely a big motivator for me too. As you say, my friends and family are great motivators, but they will always love and support me no matter what. If tomorrow I completely fell off the wagon and went back to 280 pounds, they probably wouldn’t say a thing. My blog readers, on the other hand, would probably have more than a few things to say to me
.-= Brandon´s last blog ..Couch to 5K: Week 1 review =-.
There’s no doubt the blog has been an important motivator to you, Mac. But there was a very long stretch — months and months and months — when your blog posts consisted of, “I know I need to get started counting calories again, but I’m not there yet.” It may have been necessary, but it wasn’t sufficient.
Also, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned T here. Am I wrong that not wanting to let her down has been a huge motivator in your continuing to run consistently?
Also, you had two experiences with professional, paid trainers — the first, I think its fair to say, was worthless. The second, on the other hand, was extremely effective. Part of it, of course, was him, but the bigger part of it was you and what you brought to that business arrangement: not just motivation and a willingness to do EXACTLY what he said, but also a very clear set of very specific goals. We should go back and look at the sequence of events that took place with that trainer, because they’re very instructive, particularly the transition from your counting calories on your iPhone to your measuring and weighing your food with measuring cups and a food scale.
Last, Blogland is full of talk about the study which showed that one does, essentially, whatever one’s friends does — if all your friends are smokers, it’s going to be hard for you to quit smoking. In your life, you had a healthy default role model for fitness from which you could never avert your eyes (free line for you there, pal): Pam. I think part of accountability involves getting around people who model the behavior you’re trying to learn and not turning away from the mirror that they hold up to reflect you back to yourself.
Found your post looking for comments on accountability in losing weight. I host a morning call for people wanting to lose weight and encourage setting goals and being accountable. Will be sharing some of your great points this morning and giving you full credit.
Thanks again,
Judi