You are fat. Chunky, round, stout, heavy, hefty, stocky, beefy, corpulent, chubby, blubbery: fat. You see it in the mirror, in the size of your pants, on that awful scale. Maybe it snuck up on you one burger or French fry at a time. Perhaps you have been big all your life. No matter what, you have decided that today is the day. Your road to weight loss starts right now. But how? There are of course the common answers. Good diet and proper exercise. Of course, you reply. I knew that already, and I knew you'd tell to do it. But really, how do I do it? Where do I begin? What diet, which exercise? What happens if it doesn't work? Well, you are going to be fat, just the way you are now. The hardest part of losing the weight will not come to you in the gym. Sweating will not be your demise. Your downfall will come slowly. You will be excited at first, but then the doubt will set in. Or the worry, or the time constraints. What can you do to circumvent all of these things? What is the miracle answer behind finally dropping the weight that has been holding you down too long? The answer is so simple. The road to thin just got a little less treacherous. The single most important factor to ensuring a successful weight loss is this: determine your why. Why do you want to lose the weight? Of course you want to be healthy or look attractive, but what truly guides your desire. Think deeply: envision yourself thin. What are you doing, where are you going, what are you wearing? This is your answer. Write it down. Flesh it out until it is exactly, precisely the moment you are working toward. If you want to be healthy, feel attractive, and keep up with your kids, your why might be "to play tag wearing short shorts in the park." Make it as real as it is going to be. Put it down on paper. Give yourself ten good whys. Now you have them and they are cement. Use these as little reminders to self that will keep you motivated to keep going on. Is it a vacation you are after? An image of the small seat on European public transportation will remind you to stay on that treadmill. A Macy's clothing catalog in the take out menu drawer will magically remind you how to make a salad. Your weight loss journey and the motivation it takes to be successful are very personal, but your 'whys' shouldn't be. Share your 'whys' with the people closest to you. Telling other about your goals will give you just one more incentive to do well. Regardless of what it is, your answer lies within you. Your reason why will ultimately be the driving force behind all that you do in your life. In this particular instance, having your why will be the force that forces you to act (or not act) in order to achieve your goal. Your why will get you up out of bed or off the couch. It will lace your trainers. Your why will make that salad look great and the sore muscles feel victorious. Armed with your own personal secret weapon, your success is all but guaranteed.
To make things worse, some people believe they are not disciplined enough to stick to any kind of diet so they never start. You might have been told that you have a slow metabolism so you lose hope. If any of these describe you - then you should also be aware there is help for you.
It is not your fault that losing weight is hard. We are constantly bombarded with images and smells of fast food. Many foods, even so-called health foods, are filled with chemicals that actually create addictions and cause you to store fat. Trans fats and high fructose corn syrup are only two popular food additives that have these effects. Read labels and you will see a lot of things you don't recognize. But here's the good news...
Your can speed up your metabolism, and you can achieve a level of self-control to help you through difficult times. You can eliminate food cravings and after an initial "cleansing" period, you will not have to have such strong will power because you will naturally adjust to a new way of eating.
That's right - when you start eating healthier with a weight loss program, you will eventually lose the taste for the junk foods that you have cut out. When you do eat junk food, you will feel how tired, or cranky, or bloated it actually makes you feel. You didn't feel these effects before because you were used to it. But after being on a healthy eating regimen for a period of time, you get healthier and you can feel how junk food affects you. This factor also helps you to stay on your healthy eating path.
However, you must take the first step. It may seem easy to start, but many weight loss programs are hard to stay on. It seems no one can bypass this aspect of weight loss. There will come a time when it becomes difficult. It is now that it becomes important for you to win this part of the challenge. Here are some tips to help you get through these hard times.
Tip 1 - Buy a workout CD and use it each morning. If you can't do the whole thing, at least watch it - it can be very motivating. The next day watch it and do just the warm up. The next day vow to do 20 minutes. It will get easier as you get more fit.
Tip 2 - Purchase a diet book. These are good motivators. They help reinforce why you should lose weight, and usually will explain why their way works. Some even have before and after pictures that are very motivating. Most books are good and do work - remember there are many paths to weight loss. So choose one that you will enjoy reading.
Tip 3 - Join a gym or health club. This is a good place to go with friends and exercise. Many gyms have racquetball courts and even juice bars. Gyms or health clubs can be great places to hang out instead of a night club or bar.
Tip 4 - Visualize your goals. Top athletes do this before workouts and before competitions. They visualize the results they want. They do this because it is a proven system that works. Many times we give up because we believe we could never reach a goal. Visualizing your goals makes them more real, therefore more attainable. The key to getting results is consistency (you must do it every day) and using the right technique.
It does take practice to sit quietly and think about your goals. During this time you have to attempt to use all five of your senses in the visualization. See what you want, feel what you are doing, smell the room you are in, taste something like gum, hear what is going on around you. Practice this each day and it will get easier.
Tip 5 - Make a plan. Plan which weight loss program you will use. Then plan your meals and write them down. Plan your grocery list and stick to it. Plan what extras you will use to enhance your weight loss goals, such as exercise or visualization. Write out a schedule so you don't use "not enough time" as an excuse. Make your plan in writing and stick to it for a better chance at success.
Losing weight can be a challenge. Be sure you are eating healthy, don't try to lose too much at once or it will backfire on you, and try one or two of these tips. They can be a great asset so you can win the weight loss mind game.
Both Dorthy Weatherbush & Cindy Papp are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dorthy Weatherbush has sinced written about articles on various topics from weight loss secret, Health and Fitness. This and many other articles on the subject of weight loss were written by Ms. Dorthy Weatherbush, and expert in the science and psychology of successful weight loss for women. She has reviewed the Medifast diet and others and discusses their effectivenes. Dorthy Weatherbush's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Cindy Papp has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Fitness and Metabolism. Cindy is a Certified Nutritional Counselor and has been helping clients lose weight for 15 years. Learn more about