Losing weight can be a tough battle to win. Once you’ve picked a diet and exercise plan, there are five more things you can do to help guarantee success.
Know Your Why
There’s an old saying in the world of peak performance: “Without knowing why you’re doing something, the how doesn’t matter.” This applies especially when you’re tackling big goals like becoming fit.
My personal why when I was losing weight was to take back my life, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
[Tweet “You need to know the reason you’re engaging in this weight-loss venture”]How about you? You need to know the reason you’re engaging in this weight-loss venture and then you’ll fight more soundly when it gets rough. Once your why is answered, thehow will follow.
Write about Your Body Vision
Just like you would write a business plan to ensure success in your career, you need to write a business plan for your body. It doesn’t need to be 50 pages long, but it does need to include the details of the image you want to create.
[Tweet “This will keep you motivated when the going gets tough.”]It might include describing the way you want your six-pack abs or legs to look as you shape and sculpt them through exercise, or how big you want your arms to be. Make sure you describe the way you will feel when you reach your goal. This will keep you motivated when the going gets tough.
Embrace The Discipline
Something is fundamentally motivating about being on the path to success. The fulfillment the warrior feels wen she is fighting the war is unique and unlike any other form of pleasure.
[Tweet “Look it straight in the eye. “]It’s a deep psychological satisfaction that accompanies fighting the good fight. Being successful on your diet is no different. Don’t just endure the discipline; embrace it. Stare it down. Look it straight in the eye.
When you feel those late-night hunger pangs and cravings, experience them fully. Think about the way it feels in your stomach and your mind. That’s the feeling of victory telling you if you can do this, you can do anything.
Instead of fearing the pain or avoiding it, embrace it and the discipline required to continue. You’ll start looking in the mirror and seeing the person you really are and were always meant to be.
Accept Reality
The power of psychological delusion in the weight-loss process is formidable. Looking in the mirror and seeing the image you want to see instead of your real self creates a disassociation between fantasy and reality.
It’s easy to avoid reality because it can be harsh and even cruel, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s real. It all boils down to the way you want to spend your life.
Do you want to live in the real world or fantasyland? Stop pretending you aren’t overweight and that being fat doesn’t matter. Decide to wake up and see the world as it is and yourself as you actually are, instead of mentally medicating yourself with childish fantasy.
[Tweet “Do you want to live in the real world or fantasyland? “]Pay The Price
We all know everything in life has a price, and losing weight is no exception. It’s your body and your battle to fight. No one can do it for you. For some, success comes quickly. Others will endure a long, drawn-out battle.
Whichever experience you encounter, you’ll have to pay the price. Think of it this way: You’re already paying the price for being overweight, and if you stay that way you’ll be paying for the rest of your life. Pay the price one time to become successful and reap the rewards permanently.
The choice is yours: continue just dabbling around with your diet or really embark on your weight loss journey and conquer it once and for all. Start taking responsibility for your habits, actions and behaviors and see how good it feels to finally win this fight.
[Tweet “The Choice Is Yours.”]Identity Magazine is all about empowering women to get all A’s in the game of life — Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.™ Every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the above article. As a team, we hope to inspire and motivate ourselves and inspire you to get all A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? What are you still working on accepting?
I’ve accepted that I’m different than most people. That I don’t really fit in. I’m still working on accepting that I’m 51 years old because I feel like I’m just getting started.
2. What have you learn to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? What are you still working on to appreciate?
I appreciate my ability to focus in on what I want and persist until I get it. My complete lack of interest in sporting events, festivals, and social events in general. I don’t need many people around me to be happy.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? What makes YOU most proud? What goals and dreams do you still have?
Building a successful company and becoming financially independent. I’m proud that I started out with a dream and zero money and made that dream a reality. My current dream is to donate $100M dollar to charity.
4. We all have imperfections, so we think. The truth–we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? What imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
I can be impatient. I want things to happen now. Sometimes I focus more on the future more than I do on the present. I’m a dreamer, and figuratively speaking, sometimes my imagination writes checks my reality can’t cash.
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to express and appreciate all the positive traits that make you…well… YOU! Sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (we assure you!) Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my ability to create my own happiness without having to rely on anyone else.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
