Big Successes are Accomplished by Many Small Steps
By Dian Thomas

Weight loss in America has become an obsession, especially at New Years.  Parties are over and everyone is back to the gym, praying that one week on the treadmill will erase all the damage done in the past month.   

For me I had a weight wake up call four years ago when I spent the holidays in New York with a very good friend that I meet at Kraft Foods while I was the lifestyle editor on NBC’s “Today Show.”  We had gone to the Big Apple, the city that never sleeps, which has a month-long celebration that is culminated when millions stand in Times Square to usher in the New Year. 

For more than eight years I had been the lifestyle editor on NBC’s “Today Show,” and for another 17 years I had written food books and traveled around the world learning and tasting the most incredible foods.  My wake-up call came on this trip to New York, when I found myself having major challenges walking because my knee could no long support my 320 pounds.  At my highest, I had topped 326.5 pounds. 

My friend and I took cab most of the time as I limped around in a city were you walk everywhere. 

When I returned home and got off the plane in Salt Lake City, I said, “This is enough.”  I then said to myself, “You must find a way to get into shape and stop eating now.”  If you have read this far, perhaps you know how I felt. 

Here are the questions I asked myself:

1. How could I have let myself get here?
2. Can I really get myself out of this predicament?
3. What will it take, and can I get help because I have not succeeded on my own?  

My thoughts flashed back to three months before, when I was in San Monica giving a speech on “How to Get a Million Dollars Worth of Free Publicity.”

After the speech, a woman came up to me and said, “I can help you lose weight.” Being from the multi-level marketing capital of the world (Salt Lake City), I decided she was going to sell me some magical herbs that would melt the pounds off in just weeks. I graciously took her card.  She later sent me two books that she had written to help me. 

I must say at 320 pounds, I had tried over and over and over to lose weight. I was not sure what to do or how to start.  I turned to Jackie’s books and the other material that she had sent me.  I did call her up, and she said that she would help me. 

I learned that the first step to weight loss is to decide that you want to lose the weight so bad that you are willing do what it takes to stay on course and never give up.  Jackie did become my personal coach, and in the past four years I have been able to lose 80 pounds and keep it off. 

What I have learned is that for me it has been a slow process.  Sometimes I take three steps forward and two back, then three more forward and one back.  What I have learned is it is not the speed but the direction, and that it is not a diet — it’s a lifestyle change.

Last month I took some time to reflect on my journey to successful weight loss.  Success is in many small steps.  It is not just with the food or with exercise; there are many things that have to line up to make it a permanent accomplishment.  Today I would like to share with you the steps that I took to accomplish my eighty-pound loss.  I am still on the journey and working on the next 50, which will take me to below 200.  I have not weighed less than 200 pounds since 1982. 

My Eight Steps to Successful Weight Loss

1. Food:  I eat about 1800 calories a day.  I use a basic food plan that you can find in Jackie Keller’s books, which can be found at http://www.nutrifitonline.com/.  You can order them by calling 310/473-1989 or 800/341-4190.  Tell them Dian Thomas sent you.

2. Exercise: I work at having a variety of exercises that I can enjoy.  Right now I go to the gym and work out 3 times a week doing 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights (upper body one day and lower body the next).  I also do three water aerobic classes.  And as of this month I have returned to the ski hills, which I have not been on for more than 15 years. In the summer I love bike-riding and have ridden more than 5,000 miles in the past three years.

Dian returned to the ski slopes after a 15-year hiatus.

3. Emotional:  I do the best when I keep the high stress, fast pace out of my life or at a minimum.  This takes lots of organization and planning, and many times I say, “No, I will not be able to do that right now.”  No might be a new word in your vocabulary, but right now my health is my priority.  So for now I have to take more time for myself.

4. Planning:  Planning and organizing are such essential steps to success.   I like the old adage, “If you fail to plan you plans to fail.”  I plan my meals and buy my groceries and prepare them one day for the week.  When meal time comes, it takes little work to prepare a delicious and nutritious meal.  In a family situation you may need to call on all your family members to help in the preparation as my mother did. 

5. Preparation:   This has become a huge key to my success.  I pre-measure everything but the “lite” vegetables like celery, lettuce, and broccoli.  When I fail to do this step, I usually get tripped up by eating too much.  For me, portion control is paramount to pre-measuring my food, putting boundaries and limits around the food so that I do not do “recluse eating.”

6. Water:  I drink a minimum of eight glasses of water daily.

7. Accountability:  Find someone that you can check in with once a week.  Identify your weight goal and then identify that steps that you will take to accomplish that goal.  Email can be a great way that you stay in touch with your support person. An excellent thing to do is to write down every piece of food that goes into your mouth.  Many times we are not conscious of what we put into our mouths. 

8. Enjoy the journey and never, never give up. I look for ideas, foods, and activities that help me be successful.  Losing weight is a change of habits and lifestyle.  It is a process — not an event.  It is the most challenging experience of my life and also the most rewarding. 

      Start NOW and never look back or ever think about giving up.

I do know that for some people weight loss is tough.  For some people, it may be impossible, due to medical factors.  It is good to get a medical check-up before you start a weight program. 

Take small step day by day, and you will see big success at the end of the year. 

Would you like to get in on Outdoor Cooking and Camping Tips from Dian Thomas, “Queen or Outdoor Cooking?” She will share with you her creative and fun ideas. Go to www.CampingWithDian.com and get started today! © 2008 by Dian Thomas.

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During the past 25 years, Dian Thomas has delivered more than 5000 media appearances. She is the author of 18 books, including the New York Times Best Seller Roughing it Easy, which has sold more than a million copies. She was a network reporter — for eight years — on NBC’s Today Show. Tom Brokaw, NBC’s news anchor, said, “Dian made her network television debut on NBC’s Today Show and quickly became one of our most popular featured performers. Dian has some of the most spectacular ideas you can possibly imagine.”

She appeared on the NBC’s Tonight Show as well as several times on ABC’s Good Morning America and then went on the make weekly appearances for six years on ABC’s Home Show. She is now joins Meridian as a regular columnist. Watch for her features every Thursday.