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I see the same thing happen time and time again. Somebody FINALLY gets excited about wanting to lose weight and is rip-roaring ready to go with diet in hand and expectations galore! They buy some diet books, read up on the Internet, and go to Wal-mart to buy a brand new scale to get started right.
So they begin their own great adventure towards Thinville with all the best intentions, motivations, and desires to be added to the list of the cherished weight loss success stories only to find themselves quitting for good after only a few weeks or months.
What the heck just happened? Where'd that gung-ho spirit go?
Unfortunately, this is the ruthless cycle that millions of people put themselves through year after year and I think I know why it continues to happen more times than not. I have a working theory about this issue, but I think it applies. See if you agree.
When you begin on a weight loss program like low-carb, the prevailing thought is that the diet will automatically take care of shedding the pounds for you without any effort on your part. And, to the credit of this way of eating, it does indeed work REMARKABLY!
But...(and you knew there was one of those coming, didn't you?)
The thing I see most people forgetting to do when beginning a new journey to lose weight and get healthy is the whole experience of it all. As cheesy as that may sound, think about it--you are on the verge of changing not just your physical appearance by shrinking, but also your mind, heart, and soul, too.
Unless you have lost a TON of weight and seen this happen for yourself, then you can never know what I'm talking about. For me, it all came down to soaking it all in and simply enjoying the experience of losing weight.
Say what?! ENJOY! What's to enjoy about going on a diet?!
Ahhh, now we're getting somewhere. From some odd reason, the conventional wisdom regarding ANY weight loss plan is that it is going to be hard, dreadful, and probably won't work anyway. Why do we beat ourselves up like this before we even get started?
And yet it happens.
If that's you, then let me just impart a little experience I have learned while going through this process of losing weight. No matter how you feel at any given moment about your weight loss journey, you are already a success. Tell yourself that and think about the good things that are happening to you.
When you dwell on the negative, it's no surprise your thoughts will turn that way, too. Break that cycle by focusing on the positive changes that are happening to you. Do you think NOTHING good is happening?
Try these other benefits of the weight loss journey on for size:
- Are your clothes getting looser?
- Do you feel like you are getting healthier?
- Have you started resisting temptations?
- Can you get out of bed in the morning refreshed?
- Has your life gotten a little less hectic?
How'd you do? Did you answer YES to any of those questions? If so, then you may just now be realizing how very blessed you are to be traveling on the path you have chosen to shed the pounds and get your life back.
ENJOY the ride and learn to have fun with it. Come up with games and challenges to push you to that next level because they really work. I used to set a goal to lose 10 pounds and would push myself to hit that goal. When I did, I'd celebrate with the happy dance and begin another 10-pound goal.
Watching that scale go down day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month was what allowed me to remain so positive about my progress. I didn't put any needless pressure on myself to lose a certain amount each day or week because even a small weight loss was STILL A LOSS.
Perspective, perspective, perspective. I cannot emphasize that enough for people who want weight loss so bad they can taste it. Don't let those little demons in your head convince you to fail. If you think you can't lose weight, then that's exactly what will happen.
The flip side is you can take charge. Beginning RIGHT NOW, if you are on a weight loss regimen and want to be successful, then do this. Take it all in, have fun by golly, enjoy the experiences you will go through, celebrate what is happening to you even if others don't join you, and never lose your focus on the prize that awaits you at the end of the race--amazing weight loss success, stunning health improvements, and a brand new lease on life.
Don't believe it? I'm living proof of it! If this former 410-pound gargantuan of a man can cut his weight nearly in half and keep it off over the long-term, then there is indeed hope that YOU can lose the 10, 25, 50, 100, or 200 pounds that you need to get rid of as well. Take heart in knowing you WILL prevail when weight loss is no longer dreaded, but instead it becomes a lifechanging experience you'll LOVE.
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