CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WEIGHT LOSS

Weight loss can be difficult and require more from us emotionally, physically and psychologically. We may not always look forward to the process; however, we find that if we change the way we look at the situation, the situation we are looking at will change. It’s all about how we choose to look at it – because we do have a choice.

The choice has to be intentional. With weight loss, you will have to choose not to think about all the things you can’t have and instead think on all the things you can have.

It requires effort to make things better. It requires planning, dealing with difficult emotions and maybe even re-arranging our lives. We often even know we will be much better off if we do change, because of what it is doing to our lives.

Don’t focus energy on fighting the old – meaning, on all the things we have always had or can’t have now, but rather on building the new – meaning what it looks like to create a new lifestyle and a better future.

Learn to look at things differently than we have in the past. We have to think differently about what we are trying to change, because something as simple as changing your thinking can change your life. We have to be proactive – to be intentional.

Real, sustainable weight loss is a lifestyle in which you actually learn how to eat real food. It’s a process. After all, we have done things our way for decades, so it can be a hard habit to break.

Some of us aren’t very good at giving ourselves permission to make it a process either. We want it fast – we want it now. It doesn’t matter that it took a long time to get where we are, that we have been at a certain weight for a very long time, or that the inflammation, disease and internal damage done to our body (even from repetitive dieting) is significant.

We have become unrealistic in our thinking about how healthy eating should affect our weight quickly. We need to understand that, while on this journey, we are going to have good days and not-so-good days.

We may have to take small steps before we can walk or run, if we want to make our change happen. We just can’t give up or be passive about it.

Show up each day! Don’t feel like prepping or cooking your meals? Do it anyway. Don’t feel like taking a walk at some point in your day for some exercise? Do it anyway. Don’t feel like planning your meals for the next 3-4 days or even a week, drinking your protein shake or eating clean for lunch when everyone else is eating out and indulging in unhealthy choices? Do it anyway. That “I don’t feel like it” attitude didn’t help before – and it won’t help now.

You can’t let your feelings dictate your actions. Your actions will eventually dictate your feelings, if you just show up to do the best you can each day. It will build confidence and put you in control, and you will begin to grow a little at a time.

With regard to change, there was a famous American author, speaker and consultant by the name of William Bridges. He was well known for his approach in understanding what he referred to as transitions as being key in relation to achieving success in making changes. He said that a transition is the “psychological process of adapting to change.” Learning how to adapt is a psychological process. He also said that change comes more from managing the journey rather than announcing the destination.

Embrace some change in your thinking to the level of your ability, and don’t throw in the towel just because you had a setback or didn’t go as far as you thought you should. Enjoy your journey. Don’t look at it as punishment or denial. Change your thinking from looking at all the things you can’t have, to all the things you can have and can do. If you simply change your perspective, you will win every time.