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Motivation
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Weight loss is not fun.
It's like quitting smoking. It's emotionally painful and mentally draining. I know with absolute certainty that I will never have to quit smoking again. Hallelujah! Remembering how hard it was to quit reminds me to never, ever go back to my old bad habit. I don't know if I could conjure up the mental strength to go through that again.
When I finally quit smoking, I had a mantra to keep me going. It was "whatever it takes!". I was so sick of being a smoker that I didn't care what it took, I was going to succeed. It actually took me a lot - way more than most people. I used the nicotine patch, I got the prescription for Zyban, I attended an eight week smoking cessation support group at McConnell, I belonged to an online forum for 'quitters', I got a Quit-Meter for my computer which counted how many days I'd gone without a smoke (next Friday it will be 12 years WOOHOO), and I carried a survival kit with me that had suckers, gum, a card on it with my reasons for quitting, and stuff like that.
I had tried all these strategies separately before, but that January I finally put it all together. I don't know exactly why I finally conquered my addiction at that time. I know I was sick of failing, I was ready, and I finally made it the most important thing in my life.
Weight loss can be just as difficult, emotionally painful and mentally draining. It's so frustrating! You can be exercising your tail off and not lose a pound. You can be practically obsessing over calories or points and be stuck right where you are. What is going on here?
I believe that losing weight is like quitting smoking, in that it takes a drastic change in your life to make it happen. If you've done it, you know you don't just put cigarettes down one day. You quit and relapse and quit and relapse. You think about it. You plan. You run from it. You dream about it.
To lose weight, you have to put it all together. You may have finally gotten the exercise part down but your pantry is still stocked with the same foods it's always been. Or you may be counting calories, but are not getting daily exercise for the necessary amount of time in the right heart rate zone. If you talk to anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight, I think they would all say one thing. They changed their lives.
You just don't transform your body without transforming your life.
I talk a lot in my newsletter about gradual, gentle change. I believe that is very important. We as humans are resistant to change so going from one extreme to another and asking our psyches to tolerate that is asking a lot. But we can tolerate step by step. I believe if you get enough step by steps going, you create transformation.
What are the steps? I believe that's specific to the individual, but there are some common ones. Get enough sleep. Drink your water. Take time for yourself. Get organized. Do things that help you feel good about yourself. Be active. Eat your veggies. Eat lots of fiber. Move your body. Lift weights. Stretch. Walk. Work your core. Sweat every day.
If you are stuck, look at your life. Does your day look different now that exercise and activity are a daily part of it? Is the food you order at restaurants different than it used to be? What's inside your fridge these days? Where's your water bottle?
If it seems like you are working hard at weight loss but not getting anywhere, maybe it is time to put it all together. Are you sick of thinking about it enough to make it the most important thing in your life? Are you willing to really change? Can you let go of your old ways and make your days look different? If you are ready, then go for it. Do whatever it takes. It is worth all the hard work. And when you succeed, it will transform what you believe to be possible in your life.
Now get moving.
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