Weight Loss and Choices
Weight loss and choices always make, or break our journey towards losing weight. Usually when we start a weight loss journey, we are all gung ho on eating healthy, and doing somekind of exercise. Then something happens, we get tired of eating the same old salad, chicken, and broccoli and we start looking at burgers and fries or some other kinds of foods we enjoy. This is the time we have to make a choice, are we going to stick on our healthy new lifestyle, or are we going to go back to the way we were before we embarked on this healthful journey. I fight with these thoughts all the time. Fortunately for me, my husband keeps reminding me about how far I have come, and it seems to motivate me.
Make or Break Your Weight Loss Journey
Have your ever said something like this, "I have only lost ten pounds in a month" or "I have hit a plateau, and didn't lose any weight this week?" It is important to remember that our weight didn't appear in a week, it was a long process to get where you are now. In the same manner we need to be patient, and commit to a long term relationship with ourselves, and our well being if we really desire to lose weight, and gain the healthy body we crave so much.
Sometimes we think about weight loss as a special sale at the store only available until the end of the month, "HURRY because this sale is only today!!!"
Friends, this is like any other thing in life, we have to work for it, just like we do with any of our relationships. When you have a partner, you know that if you love that person, even if they are not perfect, you’re not going to quit on them. If we are committed to that relationship, we will be patient and we will begin to see the results. Eventually they will stop squeezing the toothpaste in the middle (hopefully). Remember we are not perfect!!
So why should we give up on ourselves. Shouldn't we take the extra time to care, nuture, and treat ourselves like we do for the ones that are important to us in our lives. We are important too!
Inconsistency
Here is an example. I don't weigh in every week because I get home late, and I am very tired, and I just don't have time to do that. Or, I was following my diet, but I got bored, and just quit. Weighing in regardless of whether or not you have, helps you to keep track of your progress. Weighing in weekly also makes you more accountable.
If you find you get bored with the meals, find a new recipe and make it healthier. Try different ingredients, and herbs for flavoring. Make your meals an exciting and healthy adventure. It may sound odd, but meals only have to be consistent in health and content, not in taste or flavor. As long as your meals are healthy, and full of the right quantities of nutrition, you should try to be as inconsistent as possible, so as to not get bored with your food selection. When trying to lose weight you should consistently change the type, flavor and variety of your meals. If a person is always eating the same meals they will lose interest, grow bored and eventually just give up trying to lose weight
Consistency is the best tool for keeping us on the right track. When we are consistent, we can see if our efforts are giving us the results we desire. It helps us to identify our problem areas that are affecting our weight loss negatively. We will then be able to tackle them, and keep moving forward to a healthier us..
Unwilling To Change
I love this one. I want to lose weight, but as a professional, I have a lot of meetings or parties with my friends, and I need to include alcohol in my weight loss program.
Human beings are creatures of habit. We have the habit of brushing our teeth in the morning; we have the habit of chewing our finger nails, or organizing things in a certain way. It is the same with your eating habits.
Sometimes you may find yourself battling within between your should do's, and your want to's. What I realized, especially at the beginning, is that I needed to concentrate on what my association with food was in order to identify the habits I wanted to change.
A great tool is to start a journal. This will help you identify what you are doing right or wrong, and you'll be able to create a plan that will work in any situation that arises..
Remember, when we lose weight successfully it doesn't mean our job is done, and we can go back to our old habits. We have been working way too hard for that, and reverting back to our old patterns of eating would over time, land us right back where we started.
Lack Of Information
I know that you all have heard this: I am following the Atkin's, or the South Beach plan because a lot of people are doing it, but what is it all about? Or how about this one: My mom told me that drinking a lot of water helps to flush out the fat.
Get the information you need to understand what you are doing, and enjoy it. Listen to the right people. Everyone can find a diet guru in their families, or friends, isn't that right? But not everyone has the right information. Be aware of what you read on the Internet because many weight loss web sites only push an agenda to sell you a product, so the web site can make a quick buck. Fad diets are all over the web.
Lack of Self Control
All too often we make future excuses based on our past actions. An example of such would be "I cannot follow the meal plan because I buy Oreo cookies for my kids, and I eat them all myself." You must learn that you cannot control the future, you cannot control the past, you cannot control the weather, but you CAN CONTROL what you put in your mouth.
Lack of self control is something we all need to learn to cope with on a daily basis, and the only moment of concern is the moment that is right now. Is there a magic cure for this issue? Unless you decide to go to boot camp to be a Marine, self control needs to be dealt with one moment at a time and that moment is only here, and now. All other moments do not matter.
Learn to deal with food in a conscientious way. You can control food cravings by learning to enjoy foods you love in moderation. If you cannot control eating some foods, like junk food, just don't buy them, or put them away to where it is inconvenient to you. At this time you don't need any temptations.
If you have to sit, and eat the entire box, then just leave the box on the shelf at the store. If you can't leave the box at the store then you are planning to be over weight, and if that is so, your weight loss issues run deeper than just eating too much. If you can't leave the food on the shelf then you must accept there are emotional issues that are preventing you from achieving the weight loss you so desire. Emotional eating issues are not bad, once they are recognized, and acknowledged.
Learn to deal with emotions in a positive way. Compared with nibbling, physical activity such as a brisk walk,or a bike ride offers a long lasting calm for your moods. Sometimes even a brief change of scenery does the trick. Relax with deep breathing,or meditation. If you know what triggers your cravings, avoid them if possible.
Try and wait at least twenty minutes before giving into a craving because this is how long they last. Try it and get busy, and often the cravings will pass, then you can prepare to succeed.
We Are Full Of Excuses, Instead Of Reasons
My father taught me that excuses are like belly buttons; everybody has one, and they have no purpose. The problem is that it's never the perfect time to lose weight, and there will always be obstacles, so you need to come up with options to help through those busy, and stressful times.
Look for reasons, and not the barricade! Sit down, and write the reasons why you want to lose weight, and read them every day if necessary. Don't dwell on what cannot be done; think positive. It is like not picking up roses because they have thorns. When you want something bad enough you will put your excuses aside, and will do whatever needs to be done, and you know it.
Lack Of Planning And Organization
Planning your week, and your day will help you to follow your meal plan. Planning can include setting goals that you want to accomplish in six months, or next week. Each week there are things that need to be done in order to accomplish the big goal. Organize your meal plan, your exercise, and what goals you are going to achieve so you don’t have to worry constantly about the rest of the week.
Lack Of Motivation
What often happens when things come up, and we don't follow our plan? Usually most people act like they have failed, or they cheated, and they just throw their plan out the window, and go back to their bad habits. Get back on track, and re-commit yourself to be your healthy best. A dieting misstep is really not the end of the world, and needs to be recognized as such. If you deviate from your goal, just re-focus and move on.
Praise yourself for the accomplishments, even the little ones. Do something for yourself to feel more positive, energetic, and ease your stress. If you're struggling, step back, and take a look at what you are doing. Read or listen to something positive each day. Look for things, situations, or people that can help you stay on the road! Each and every choice you make has the potential of getting you closer to your goal, or taking you farther away.
Eating Too Little
I eat only once a day, and I don't know why I don't lose weight. No matter which healthy plan you are following, eating too little will not help you at all. It is a big fallacy that eating less will help you lose faster. Too little calories, or food will put your body in starvation mode, and your metabolism will slow down to conserve the little energy it is receiving.
Fears
I WEIGH MYSELF EVERY DAY. Fear is the irrational belief about how something will result in negative, disastrous, disturbing, or unsettling consequences for you. Fear is the result of giving power to objects of irrational belief, letting it rule you rather than you ruling it. It is the underlying motive behind many of your actions, and lack of action that blocks your thinking, problem solving, and decision making abilities.
In Conclusion
Weight loss is full of choices and those choices come at us one after another. This was a long article but it could have been much longer. We all need to realizeif we are overweight in this life, it because of the choices we have made. In weight loss, or weight gain this statement is full of truth. If you want to lose weight it will have to be a choice that you make, and that choice has to be ongoing, each and every day. Now you know why we named this web site "I Choose Thin".