The shift from “What’s wrong with me?” to “How can I create a plan that works FOR me?” can transform not just your weight loss results, but how you feel throughout the entire process.
As a physician who struggled with my weight for years, I know exactly what it’s like to feel completely stuck.
I’d look at myself in the mirror and think, “I KNOW what healthy eating looks like. I counsel patients about this every day. So why the hell can’t I stick to it?”
Sound familiar?
Here’s what I finally realized after years of frustration: The problem wasn’t me. And it’s not you either.
You Are Not Broken: The Truth About Why Physicians Struggle
You are not a problem, you do not need to change. Regardless of how big your goals feel, probably all that really needs to change to see a drastic difference in your eating and weight are a few tweaks.
When you think everything needs to change for you to be successful, it makes it harder to get started, harder to keep going and harder to recover from setbacks.
The weight loss industry has conditioned us to believe we’re failing because:
- We can’t stick to restrictive plans
- We don’t have enough willpower
- We’re emotional eaters
- We don’t make time to exercise “properly”
But here’s the truth: none of these make you broken or indicate you need to fundamentally change who you are.
Why Most Weight Loss Plans Fail Physicians Like Us
Most weight loss programs are what I call a “fixed menu” approach – someone else decides what’s best for you, and everyone gets served the same meal regardless of their preferences, schedule, or lifestyle.
As physicians, we’re juggling demanding careers, families, and endless responsibilities. These rigid approaches are setting us up to fail before we even begin.
I remember trying to food journal consistently during my busy clinical days. I’d start strong in the morning, but by afternoon, I’d be seeing patients back-to-back and completely forget. Then I’d beat myself up for failing – again.
I really believed that the only way I would be successful was by making myself food journal. After years of struggling and failing – I shifted my focus. And this shift made all the difference.
I decided to stop trying to food journal and instead figure out how to reach my goals without recording my food. And it worked!
From Fixed Menu to Personal Chef: The Approach That Changed Everything
What transformed my relationship with food (and has now done the same for hundreds of physicians I work with) was creating a plan specifically tailored to ME.
I started to ask myself:
- What foods do I enjoy?
- What foods do I dislike?
- When do I need my meals?
- What are my family’s preferences?
- What seems to work best for MY body?
- How much time do I realistically have for exercising?
This “personal chef” approach transformed my relationship with food and weight management, and I’ve seen it do the same for physicians who previously felt completely stuck.
Building Your Own Personal Weight Loss Menu
Food Approach
Instead of forcing myself to follow a strict low-carb plan exactly as prescribed, I asked:
- Which style of eating gives me the most energy?
- What healthy foods do I genuinely enjoy?
- What modifications would make healthy eating more sustainable in MY life?
- How can I adapt my approach for busy call days versus days off?
For me, I found that a modified low-carb approach works well, but I needed to find low-carb foods I actually enjoyed rather than just trying to white-knuckle through life without bread.
Physical Activity
Rather than forcing yourself to do exercises you hate:
- What ways of moving your body do you actually enjoy?
- When can you realistically fit movement into your schedule?
- What activities make you feel good afterward?
Movement doesn’t have to feel like punishment. The most effective form of exercise is simply the one you’ll actually do consistently.
Tracking and Accountability
When I realized food journaling just wasn’t working for me, I stopped beating myself up and asked:
- What alternative methods might work better with my schedule?
- Do I prefer daily weigh-ins, weekly, or focusing on how clothes fit?
- What type of support helps me stay consistent?
The Freedom of Hundreds of Options
There are HUNDREDS of different ways to approach weight management – not just the two miserable options your brain is offering you.
Viewing your weight loss journay as a personal chef style menu where you get to select only to pieces that work well for you liberates you from the “all-or-nothing” thinking that derails so many of us physicians.
Why This Matters Especially for Women in Medicine
As physicians, we face unique challenges:
- Long, unpredictable hours
- High-stress environments
- Limited time for self-care
- Perfectionism
A personalized approach acknowledges these realities instead of pretending they don’t exist.
Taking the First Step
Start by asking yourself: “Am I creating my weight plan from the center, based on who I am and what works for my life? Or am I standing on the outside looking in, trying to change myself to fit someone else’s system?”
Be sure to listen to the podcast episode with many more details and suggestions here.
If you are a physician & want more support building a customized approach, I offer specialized coaching through my Thrive Academy for Physicians program, designed specifically for the unique challenges we doctors face.
Remember: You’re already amazing exactly as you are. Your weight loss plan should adapt to YOU – not the other way around.
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