The Turtle And The Hare

My heart always goes out to those who begin the Optifast program thinking they will lose a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, only to find they are losing their weight much more slowly than they anticipated. We've got a few people in my clinic and on the Facebook Optifast Chat Support board struggling with this right now.

Oh, do I understand this, because as you know, I went through this myself and I am all too aware of the frustration this causes. I wanted to quit the program my second week, when I found I lost nothing. Of course, I'm glad I didn't. But seeing that scale not budge that initial week was so deflating. I had worked so hard to be compliant, and I was on an Optifast 70/800 combo plan that limited my daily caloric intake to 640 calories. Why wasn't the scale moving -- dramatically? It wasn't fair.

But let me remind those painfully struggling with a slow loss rate of the classic story of the race between the turtle and the hare. The hare was swift, whereas the turtle was slow. When the race started, the hare immediately took the lead, and it looked as if he would easily win the contest. The turtle moved slowly, plodding along at a very slow pace, whereas the hare moved quickly, in leaps and bounds. It seemed like a no-brainer that the hare would win. But he did not. The turtle did. And so comes the phrase we all know so well: "Slow and steady wins the race."

Many have argued -- and in some respects I agree with them -- that those losing, say one or two pounds a week have a far greater success rate in keeping their weight off for the long haul. In my case, I lost an average of 2.2 lbs. a week, which would put me in that group. Now, I wouldn't classify myself as a "success" just yet. I'm barely into maintenance and I've got years ahead of me. Will I keep the weight off? Honestly, at this point in time I don't know.

But I do know this: My slow loss rate gave me the opportunity to fully engross myself in research and reading about weight management; to attend numerous Optifast clinic classes outlining maintenance strategies, exercise fundamentals, and the tools to manage emotional/behavioral eating habits; and to engage in numerous discussions with the outstanding nutritionists about the things I need to do to keep my weight off for good. I was handed the time to absorb everything I could, to take full advantage of everything the clinic offered. This was and is critical.  

I know when you are in the midst of the program, and struggling with disappointing weigh-ins, it's difficult to keep this in mind. But I urge you to not forget the turtle and the hare. That tale is so popular, so wise for a reason. It's true. Hang in there and don't give up. Shake by shake, soup by soup, bar by bar, you will get to goal. I promise! Slow and steady. Oftentimes, it's the best way to be.