On July 4, 1976, Congress voted to ratify the text of the Declaration of Independence. While our system of government has been pushed near its breaking point of late, it’s still the gold standard the world-over for how a free nation protects and encourages its citizens.

Why mention this on a blog dedicated to mindful eating and weight loss? Is it merely because we just celebrated the July 4th weekend? Or because I finally watched Hamilton on Disney+? No, and mostly no (ok maybe it inspired me).

The actual reason is because our Founding Fathers inadvertently set forth a major principle of successful long, term weight loss right in the Declaration of Independence : success is possible, but you need to put effort into it.

They didn’t phrase it that way, of course… instead, they famously wrote that we all have the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The last one is the key.  Yes, we have the rights to live and be free.  But happiness? The Founding Fathers were only willing to guarantee each of us the right to pursue that. If you want happiness you have to work for it.

If You Want Change You Need to Act

Those who have communicated directly with me about this, or read other things I’ve written, know I often say that “I don’t feel as if I’ve spent a single day dieting” during my three year weight loss journey.  By avoiding the pitfalls of a deprivation diet, I’ve found that eating happy has only gotten easier over time, not harder.  In the beginning, however, there was a lot of effort and thought required to get my journey off the ground. Even today continuing to focus on eating happy takes work.

So no matter how easy anyone who has lost weight makes it seem, nor how easy any advertised diet plan claims to be, there’s simply no version this that can be done without trying.  When I say “trying” I mean it in all of its common definitions.

So in honor of our Founding Fathers, and in order to help those at any stage of a weight loss journey…  let’s delve a bit deeper into these definitions of “trying” as they relate to our successful pursuit of weight loss happiness.

Trying #1: Get Up and Go For it

The most obvious definition of “trying” is to attempt to accomplish something.  There’s simply no way to lose weight without your committed effort.  Whether you build your own program, follow a diet from a book or a website, whatever you end up doing, unless you’re willing to put your effort into it, success is not an option.

The type of program you choose and whether or not it is well suited for you will certainly factor into the long-term success you have. But that is irrelevant if you don’t have the initial determination to make something work.  You have to give yourself that CHANCE to succeed.  That’s what the pursuit is all about.

It’s easy to spend your time dreaming of what life would be like AFTER you lose the weight. It’s easy to look at every weight loss option and find something wrong with it, so you can continue to live in your fantasy world and never get in the game.  All that does is allow more and more time to pass.  Instead, get up off your couch, pick something, and try. That’s step one.

Trying #2: Be Open to New Foods

Look, it’s very easy to say that you only like five foods.  But if you are unhappy with your weight and want to do something about, then most likely a diet comprised of just those foods you like has not served you well.

This does not mean you have to completely abandon your favorites.  It’s more about realizing the depth and breadth of amazing foods that exist in the world. Some things maybe you think you’ve hated from when you were a kid, others perhaps to which you were never exposed. New tastes, new combinations, new varieties of old favorites even. There’s so much there when you’re open to looking. If you want to learn to “eat happy” you need to realize that there is an amazing world of foods out there you’ve never experienced.

As many people know, your taste buds are replaced every two weeks… and while that is not the only factor in how and why we taste and enjoy something, if you’re looking to rebuild your relationship with food, it needs to start with trying new things. Often.

Ways to Integrate New Foods

A great way to do this is to introduce a new item alongside a favorite once a week.  Perhaps by pairing a food you love with something new you might associate that new food with something positive. That’s also a safety net for those situations where you don’t love the “new” food immediately.

Regardless of how you do it, and what foods are involved — all that matters is that you try. Through trial and error, you’ll end up with a greatly expanded list of weekly menu options, something that will make enjoying what you eat along your weight loss journey much easier. Even the process itself of exploring new foods will connect you to food in a more positive and mindful way than you’ve been in a long time.

Trying #3: Fight Through the Tough Times

A trying situation is a difficult one. Which means that last and most difficult definition of “trying” to deal with is the one that actual means just that.

Without question, you will face trying times in any weight loss journey.  It is at those times when you find out upon how strong a foundation you’ve built your program. If it crumbles at the first sign of adversity, then it wasn’t made to last.  But if it bends but doesn’t break, you’ll hopefully be able to learn lessons you can apply in the future… so that each subsequent challenge becomes easier and easier to handle.

I know that three years into my journey sometimes people might mistake my happiness with how I eat with a claim that what I’ve done was “easy.” Certainly, there are people on social media who present their success in a sugar-coated way so that it looks so simply anyone could do it… why aren’t you?

The fact is, I do honestly believe that what I’ve achieved is possible for other people who want to put in the effort and build their own program.  But the thing is, there is never a guarantee of success.  There is unquestionably a risk that well-intentioned effort may result in failure. I failed the first few times I tried to lose weight.

That’s not a reason not to try. You’ve got to try and when faced with the trying times, push through. And if you can make it to the other side, success awaits. Honestly, the risk of failure, the challenge of it all, is part of what makes the reward so good.

Founding Fathers or Fast Eddie?

So, maybe, we can give the Founding Fathers full credit for understanding that having to pursue happiness makes achieving it all that more satisfying. If you’re looking for a more modern version, Paul Newman said the same in the The Color of Money when he said, “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.”

Either way if you’re looking to build a weight loss program, understand that while there’s no guarantee of success, nothing or no one is stopping you from taking a shot at eating better, weighing less and having more energy. It’s yours to pursue whenever you’re ready.