What motivates you? This is an important question, because most people do not have it within themselves to simply will themselves to succeed in weight loss. You need to find what motivates you, incorporate it into your life, and use it to propel you forward. Here are just a couple of suggestions:
Media - there are movies out there with inspirational speeches, scenes of people giving their all, etc. Go to youtube.com and do a search for inspiration or motivation. You will find movie scenes, speeches, etc., that will put just a little more hunger in you (no pun intended) to achieve your best. I throw in a Rocky movie every now and then to watch Stallone exercise, and to see the results. I listen to the speeches the coach makes from "Facing the Giants".
Pictures - for those of you who have just a little bit of weight you want to lose, pictures are probably not going to be very motivational. But if you are wanting to make a change in your appearance, there's a couple of ways you can use photos to your advantage. If you have a picture of you at, or near, the weight you want to be, pull it out and put it somewhere where you will see it often. Another way to use the camera to your advantage is to keep a picture record of where you start at, and take a new picture at significant points during your weight loss. I had my starting pictures, and then one at 50 pounds down, and my most recent one is at 80 pounds down. Keep the new pictures side by side with your old picture, and you will be astounded at the difference. There's something about looking at yourself in a photo that is significantly different from looking at yourself in a mirror.
Your health status - many people who are trying to lose weight are doing so to improve their blood pressure, cholesterol, or some other indicator of quality of health. Have your numbers checked regularly, and watch them come down as you live a more healthy lifestyle.
There are other ways to motivate yourself, such as posting relevant scripture verses or motivational sayings around your environment. But there is one type of motivation that we do not want you to do, and that is to reward yourself with food. Many people, after they have had a good weigh-in, will go and "treat themselves" to some off-limits food that they are wanting. Not only do you have the potential of wrecking your diet with a cheat (even a little one), but you are reinforcing the behavior that assigned an emotional attachment to food, and that emotional attachment is what got many of us into this place to start with. Food should neither be a reward nor a punishment; food is the fuel your body needs to burn off excess fat, and to continue functioning day-to-day. Until you change your mind about your food, you are not likely to make permanent changes in your lifestyle.
No comments:
Post a Comment