Recently Oprah revealed that she had put on 40 lbs and now weighs over 200. She explained, in disgust, that she doesn’t know how she let that happen, since she thought she had everything under control. While I have never had a true weight problem (I’m always trying to lose 2-3 lbs), I have worked with many overweight clients on the emotional and psychological aspects of their losing weight. I want to share with you what I’ve learned from these clients and from Oprah’s struggle.
1. You need to secure your motivation. Ask yourself, “WHY do I want to lose weight?” Is it for health reasons (high BP, diabetes, knee problems), a smaller clothes size, a school reunion coming up? Be sure that the reasons are very strong so you can overcome obstacles with a reasonable explanation for your sacrifice.
2. Realize that motivation changes as you lose weight. You will find that your health improves, your clothes fit better and people are noticing the change. What will keep you determined to lose the rest of your weight? Therefore, revise your motivation as you go along, because your original reason may not be as important to you down the road.
3. Conscious eating must become a behavior that is internalized. In other words, it should become what you naturally and automatically do. My clients are taught to read labels for fat, calories, sugar and salt content and to stay within their prescribed guidelines. They use exercise to counter any deviations from their routine. They always go back to following their pattern of eating and don’t let setbacks, set them back emotionally.
4. If exercise doesn’t become part of your weekly routine, you are missing out on an important factor in helping you lose weight. If cutting back on your carbs doesn’t make sense to you, you are setting yourself up for cravings and overindulgence. It’s important to allow yourself some leeway to splurge, but only if you promise yourself to get back on target.
It’s not about dieting; it’s about lifestyle changes. It’s about feeling good about feeling good. It’s about passing on the chocolate cake because you want to, not because you have to. There’s no doubt that food is a comfort for many and that it’s hard to say NO. But you can do it by staying conscious of your food intake, by exercising regularly and by maintaining strong motivating factors that keep you committed and on track.
For more inspiring information on Motivation, check out my ebook, “Distress-Free Aging: A Boomer’s Guide
to Creating a Fulfilled and Purposeful Life”. Just click on http://www.bummedoutboomer.com/distressfreeaging/index.html
on Jan 23rd, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Solid advice!
As a trainer, I can attest to the importance of being in the right place mentally to achieve health and fitness goals. My clients often ask questions like, “do I have to eat in such and such a way.” My answer is always, “absolutely not.” Not only can I not force someone to eat or exercise in a certain way, if I try, it will backfire.
There’s an old saying that goes something like, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” When someone is ready to make a commitment to lifestyle change, the pieces will fall into place. Aligning motivation, self-examination and behaviour is key.
Great article.
Cheers,
Adam
on Oct 19th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Oprah, tell them about the XBfit secret. Helps in weight loss diet