Most people when they start a diet or think of their weight set themselves a target of the weight they want to be. So for example it is not uncommon for ladies to want to be ten stone.
Now as a target, that is absolutely fine. With anything you do in life you judge the outcome based on how it makes you feel. If you get to ten stone and don't feel that good about it then did you ever really achieve what you set out to do, and was it the right target in the first place?
The other problem with having a set target weight is that it is impossible to be an exact weight due to natural fluctations in the body. Therefore, you will always bounce around a few pounds and need to realise that. I meet too many people though who step on the scales every day (or multiple times a day!) and if they have lost weight then they have a great day, if they haven't lose weight or have even gained then they have a bad day. Effectively you are allowing a metal gadget with an arrow to tell you how to feel for the rest of that day.
For a lot of people they think that being slim means instant happiness, actually the feeling when you become slim is one of relief, and pride in what you have achieved as opposed to the real you, being happy being you. I truly believe that if you don't like yourself and aren't happy when you are big, then you won't like yourself and won't be happy when you are slim. I know some people will argue that, but the only people I have met and spoken to who maintain their weight long term, without constantly dieting, realised that it was all about their feelings and not the calories.
So how do you measure success? It can of course be in a lot of ways and some common measures would be
1. Weight
2. Clothes Size
3. BMI
4. Waist Size
But as stated above they are all just numbers and figures. What if your measure was feeling good about yourself?
My target was never really a weight, it was actually to be slim and then go on holiday. I had decided that by doing a diet properly meant doing it until a date, then I would be slim. Therefore, I was never obsessed with what the scales said as that was just a figure. It was more about the feeling of being slim and being happy with that.
Definitely have facts and figures but make sure you use them to motivate yourself as opposed to beat yourself up. Make sure you use them to focus on the success you are creating and not what you have left to do.
Is the glass half empty or half full?
Which of these are you!
1. I have managed to reduce my weight already by a fantastic 60 pounds and I am feeling great, and I only have another 20 pounds to go until I am finished and will be slim and can get on with the rest of my life as a super slim healthy person.
or are you
2. I have really struggled and lost a few stone but I still have loads to lose and can't see myself doing it before Xmas as I seem to lose a bit and then gain a bit.
Now they could be the same person with the same weight but it is how you frame your weight and how you perceive success.
For me, success with your weight means when you don't have it on your list of things you even think about any more, you just naturally eat in moderation as you value your health so highly.
If you need to avoid any kind of food, or can't go down the sweet aisle, or have to walk outside when other people eat or sit in the office thinking the cake it calling your name then understand that food is not the answer.
As a close friend of mine said yesterday "How many calories does it take to make your happy?"
Have a fantastic week
Mike :-)
Airport Read!
