I am regularly asked why weight loss plans fail. I can simplify it by saying it is all in the mind. Eating certain foods or doing certain exercises just for weight loss is unsustainable. The reason being, once you have achieved the number on the scale, or your body looks a certain way, the motivation will dwindle. If you do not like what you are doing, or you are forcing yourself to live a certain way, then your attitude is wrong. Your reasons are not strong enough and you are setting yourself up for a fall, and a lot of guilt and frustration.
The dinner party scenario
It is a bit like preparing for a dinner party for special guests. You clean the house from top to bottom, windows shined, flowers in vases, best dinner service ready to go. There is no stone left unturned in making sure your visitors are suitably impressed and enjoy a great experience. The next day arrives, the relief is great, but so too is the exhaustion. The event has passed and you want to recover. The days go by and the house starts getting untidy, the bathrooms need a clean, and the motivation just isn’t there. You want to have friends over next week but the thought of what you feel you need to do in preparation seems too much like hard work.
So what was the point? Would it not be better to keep the house in order for you? To be able to have friends in any time because you are keeping on top of things and can produce nice food any day of the week? And, most importantly, that you feel content because you are consistently getting the balance of housework and leisure time right for you? See your life as the dinner party, not a one off event that comes and goes.
Good processes
Your choices affect the present moment. You do not have to wait until you have lost a certain number of pounds on the scale, your choices should offer a positive each time you make them. Working on good processes is a healthier way to enjoy satisfaction and personal growth. Processes are the skills and habits that we develop and stick to because they make us feel good straight away.
Choose lifestyle
It is sad to think that people put their lives on hold to be a certain weight or a certain size. That outcome should be merely a side effect of the process, a process which should be fun and rewarding. Finding exercise that gives instant gratification by making you feel strong, healthy, energised, and positive every time you do it is the reason you will stay motivated. You do not need to conform, anything that floats your boat and gets you moving regularly is the best thing for you. Joining a gym for people who like the outdoors is a waste of time, in a short time you will not go. The same for the food you eat, if you like certain flavours, find easy recipes that whet your appetite, otherwise you will feel deprived.
Be happy
There is no one size fits all approach, take the fundamentals and tweak them to work for you, then there is no let down, no remorse or anger at the diet letting you down. Do things for the right reasons, make choices just for you so that you enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
Contact Motivation Weight Management, Corporate Park, Claregalway, phone 091 480160, or see www.motivation.ie for more information or to arrange a no obligation assessment.
