|
|
WEIGHT LOSS MOTIVATION GUIDELINES
Winter Weight Loss MagicIf winter hibernation tends to pack on the pounds, take heart. There are some simple steps you can ..... Introduction
If there is one thing that all dietitians and obesity experts
agree on, it is that personal motivation is the foundation of
all weight loss success. No matter how healthy the diet-plan, or
what combination of calories and nutrition it contains, it won't
help anyone lose weight unless they follow it for long enough.
Their willingness to do so depends entirely on how motivated
they are to change their eating and exercise habits in order to
achieve their weight loss goals.
Motivation Advice Hard To Find
The Internet offers a bewildering array of diets and weight loss
eating plans, but advice on motivation when dieting is in
extremely short supply. Given the strong link between
diet-compliance and motivation, this lack of motivational help
is surprising to say the least. It may stem from the fact that
many diets are created by people who lack hands-on experience of
helping people to manage their weight. Perhaps they see weight
loss as a biological rather than a human process. If so, I think
it's a mistake.
Motivating Yourself To Lose Weight
I tell all my clients that starting a weight loss diet is like
starting a journey. And like any journey it requires
preparation. We need to look ahead and plan how to overcome
problems that occur along the way. By doing this we take control
of the process and greatly increase our chances of success.
Unfortunately, many dieters don't plan ahead. Instead, they
take things as they come, and rely upon two things: their
initial enthusiasm, and (when this wears off) their willpower.
But enthusiasm and willpower aren't enough to overcome the
temptations and difficulties which we face when we try to change
our eating habits and lifestyle.
Stop for a moment and imagine taking your family on a camping
trip. Do you rely on your enthusiasm and willpower for food and
shelter? Of course not. In all probability you spend hours
beforehand carefully packing and preparing for every
eventuality, and the whole trip is carefully planned out in
advance.
Yet when you start a diet-journey, many of you set off without
any kind of planning or preparation. It's as if you are
convinced that everything will go smoothly. But let's face it,
what diet ever runs smoothly? Answer: none! So what happens when
we encounter a big problem? Answer: we wobble, and often quit.
We Need To Plan New Thinking Habits
Planning a diet-journey doesn't involve packing equipment, it
involves packing "new thoughts". We need to rehearse and adopt
new ways of thinking in order to overcome problems during our
journey. This isn't psycho-babble - this is plain common sense.
After all, successful dieting is largely a matter of motivation
and attitude. It's about what goes on between our ears!
The Most Common Dieting Problem
The most common problem we face when dieting is boredom. This
typically occurs when our initial enthusiasm for losing weight
wears off, and we become tired of watching what we eat. We
become dispirited, and slightly depressed at the idea of having
to maintain our "sensible eating habits" while everyone else
seems to be having a good time.
Losing Direction Leads To Boredom
We get bored when we lose our sense of direction. So to overcome
it, we need to reestablish exactly where we are going. Remember,
dieting is not an aimless process, it's a journey from A to B.
Here's how we think when we lose direction:
"I'm really bored with dieting, it's such a pain. I don't have
any freedom any more. I can't eat this, I can't eat that... I'm
fed up. I can't share food with the girls at work, I can't eat
at my favorite restaurants, I have to keep saying No to food
when I visit friends, I have to watch my family eating in front
of me, I don't have time to exercise properly, I'm never going
to lose weight and I'm feeling really miserable. Heck! Life is
too short for this..."
This kind of thinking is totally demotivating. It focuses
exclusively on the negative aspects of dieting and signals
complete aimlessness. No weight loss goal is achievable when we
think like this.
A Better Way of Thinking
Now let me show you some better alternatives. Please compare
them with the above example.
Example 1
"Hmm, my diet isn't going so good. But I'm not going to make
excuses. I've wasted enough time making excuses to myself. From
now on, no matter what happens, I'm going to be honest with
myself. So what do I want? I want to lose weight and get myself
into shape. Why? Because I really want that beach holiday (or
other very selfish goal) which I promised myself. I want it so
bad I can touch it! Okay, so I need to learn how to eat properly
- big deal! I can easily do this if I put my mind to it. Heck!
Eating good food isn't difficult. What's difficult is seeing
myself being overweight for the rest of my life. I want
something better. Something a lot better than a fistful of
nachos or a dollop of fatty dessert."
Example 2
"Hmm, my diet isn't going so good. So let me remind myself why
I'm dieting. All my life I've been eating to please other
people. My mom said "eat this", so I ate it. My school friends
said "have some of this", so I had lots. My work colleagues now
say "have a slice of this", so I have two! And my kids say "you
must try this", so I try it. And every time I make an effort to
lose weight, everyone says "forget about your diet, eat some of
this" so I do. Well that's enough! No more eating to please
other people. Today I'm going to start eating to please me. And
what pleases me is the idea of wearing a size (?) dress to my
daughter's wedding (or other very selfish goal). I realise I
need to eat properly, but this is a ridiculously tiny price to
pay for achieving my goal. Heck! Eating good food isn't
difficult. What's difficult is carrying my excess weight around
all day. I want something better. Something a lot better than a
4-cheese pizza or a box of cookies."
Example 3
"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would.
Never mind, I'm sure this is quite normal. I can't expect to
change my regular eating habits without a few hiccups along the
way. Besides, I'm looking for more than the few minutes of
pleasure I get from filling my stomach with junk. I want a
lifetime of pleasure - real pleasure from looking good and being
taken seriously and who knows, maybe finding a great partner. I
know other people see me as a fat person - goodness, at times I
do too! - but this is exactly WHY I want to change. I'm tired of
being fat. Real tired. And if this means learning how to eat
good food, then let's do it! And when it gets tough I'm going to
login to Anne Collins forum and get help. All I know is, I want
to make it happen!"
Example 4
"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would.
This morning I watched my colleagues eat a whole birthday cake -
it looked delicious - and I sat there feeling miserable and
deprived. Then I went for lunch with a friend and chose a tuna
salad while she ate half a pizza followed by two slices of
cheesecake. It was torture! But then I started thinking to
myself "what's more important - a few slices of cheesecake, or a
really lean shape?" And I decided that looking good was what I
really wanted. I know that it's not going to happen overnight,
but if I can persevere and learn good eating habits along the
way, I know I'm gonna make it..."
Example 5
"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would. But
at least it's not a race. So who cares if I have a few wobbly
moments, as long as I get where I want to go. At 26 I'm in the
prime of my life, and I want to make the most of it. I'm tired
of my slim friends getting all the best guys. I want to turn a
few heads myself. I want the attention and I want to be taken
seriously, and if I have to spend 12 months dieting - heck! I'm
gonna do it. Last week I saw a friend of mine in hospital who
lost a leg in a car crash. The doctors say it's going to take
her 12 months to relearn how to walk. Now that is tough. By
comparison, my journey is easy. And as long as I keep reminding
myself of this, I'll be fine."
Points To Remember
1. A diet is a journey from A to B.
2. Feeling bored is a sign we are losing our direction.
3. When we lose direction we need to regain it, fast!
4. The way to regain direction is to remind yourself why you are
dieting.
5. You are dieting because you want something better than a
plate of fattening food.
Getting Help To Lose Weight
Changing our eating habits is much easier when we get support
from other people. So make sure your online weight management
plan includes membership of a forum. Because only people can
offer you the sort of encouragement you need to achieve your
personal weight loss goals.
About the author:
Anne Collins, 54, is a qualified nutritionist and full
time weight management consultant with over 23 years experience.
Her clients range from top celebrities to ordinary people of
every age and shape. Her website, www.annecollins.com attracts 9
million unique visitors per annum, and her weight loss forum is
one of the most active support centers on the Internet.
Anne Collins Site
++ Weight Loss Daily News ++
|
|
