One Foot In Front Of The Other: Mentally Preparing For Weight Loss

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

One Foot In Front Of The Other: Mentally Preparing For Weight Loss

by Erika

I’m a firm believer in natural progression. I believe that there is no single catalyst to force a woman to begin to commit to her health. I believe there is no such thing as waking up and saying, “Yup, today will be the day that I do this thing.” It just doesn’t happen that way. Not resulting in lasting life changes, no. I don’t think so.

Why do I believe that? Because weight loss is complex, overwhelming, and difficult. It’s hard to dive in head first if you don’t necessarily know what’s happening or why it’s happening to you. There’s no shame in that, when there are industries who put forth lots of money to keep you confused. We all know that money outweighs and outdoes everything nowadays. This is no different.

I am an advocate of putting one foot in front of the other… in the direction in which you want to go. As long as you do that, you will always be moving toward your goals.

“Okay, it’s easy to talk the talk, but do you have any suggestions on how to actually do it?”

I hear you thinking it. Of course I do!

First, accept that failure is a part of your growth. Remember that you’re changing a lifetime of bad habits. You’re adding things to your daily routine that will change your life. It doesn’t happen overnight, and you WILL fall down. Even after well over a year at it, I STILL occasionally fall down. I don’t give up, I don’t tell myself that I can’t do it, and I certainly don’t retreat into food – the thing that got me to obesity in the first place – when I feel bad about falling short.

What I do try to do is remind myself of my goals, take a hard look at why I fell short, and try my best to address that “why.” For example. If I promised myself no cakes or candies, and I have a slice of cake at a restaurant, the question becomes, “If I promised that I wouldn’t, why did I do it anyway?” If the answer becomes, “I just couldn’t resist that picture of that cake staring at me throughout dinner!” then I have to rationalize with myself a way to avoid the temptation. For those of you wondering, yes, this was a real issue for me. How did I overcome? I stopped going out to restaurants until I could build up the ability to overlook the pictures, and learn how to say no quickly, and mean it.

Next, accept that you have to make some hard decisions. Not hitting the restaurants? That’s a HARD decision! Please believe I love my On The Border taco salad (1,700 calories, 124g fat, 2,620mg sodium), my Cheesecake Factory Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (870cals, 558cals from fat, 62g fat), and, well… some other stuff we don’t have to talk about here. However, my decision not only saved me money, but saved myself calories, as well. Hard decision accepted, reward gained.

Thirdly, resolve within yourself that the follow-through won’t be easy. If you can’t stop going to McDonalds after work; and you realize that it’s because since you take the shortest route home, you can’t help but stop in to help you suffer through traffic… what options do you have? Better yet, what options do you allow yourself? Sure, you can buy healthy snacks and keep them in the car, but what if that doesn’t work? Are you willing to take the extra 5 minutes in your ride to avoid the McDonalds? Can you do that for yourself, even though it’s hard? It might not be easy to see in the beginning, but you’re teaching yourself a plethora of lessons with that one action:

It’s ok to make difficult decisions for ME.
It’s ok to suffer for my own greater good.
It’s ok to push myself, because I am changing ME for the better.
It’s ok to take the harder route, because I will be stronger in the end because of it.
I am able to do this.

Remember that every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow, no matter how successful the endeavor is or is not. As long as you take something away from the situation, it was not in vain. As long as you take away something from the situation and grow from it, you are putting one foot in front of the other. As long as you’ve learned one more way to get closer to your goal of a healthier lifestyle, you’re well on your way.

Be happy, be healthy!

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Keywords

mentality, overeating, weight loss

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11 Comments

Nov 11, 2009

Gina

It’s a rebirth. A washing away of what you always thought was. So with that thought in mind. Baby steps. It’s a lifestyle change. Genius blog post Erika.
Nov 12, 2009

Tracy

Retraining the brain is one of the HARDEST things to do! Temptation is a BEAST!! It’s amazing how the mind can play tricks on you when you start on the path to a healthier lifestyle. You start craving the most unhealthy stuff in the world, even if you haven’t eaten it in a while. Pictures of damn near everything looks good. Food aromas make your mouth water. It’s easy to fall back into old habits. However, your post is so true. It is about baby steps. You can’t make huge changes overnight. That’s a breeding ground for disaster.
Nov 12, 2009

Kenya

I agree with this completely, the mind can totally derail you if you let it. You are right, you have to prepare for this thing mentally. And it takes time to erase old habits. I’ve been at this thing for a while, and have fallen many times. My falls come when I don’t plan meals and make sure to take food out to cook. Or when I don’t take my lunch to work. That’s when I’m tempted to stop at McDonalds and Taco Bell. It’s all about identifying what triggers you and trying to overcome it. And I have fallen, but the difference is I don’t let my thoughts derail me. In the past, I would eat bad and say “oh okay eff it, I’m already down this path and have failed, this is going to effect my loss so just eff it.” Now, it’s like you know, I fell, but I can get back up and just get back on track. It takes TIME, and that is something I have to remind myself every day. This is very inspiring, I am glad to share this journey, and have these posts to view as I travel this long hard road. Thanks!
Nov 12, 2009

Erika

Gina, I’m glad you agree!

Tracy, some of the information I’ve read – and I’ll have to put this in a post, I see – says that you CANNOT retrain the brain. Think about that for a moment! It’s not about retraining the brain, but more about finding new coping mechanisms, and developing new habits to overpower the old ones. Very important!

Kenya, mental preparation is hard and it’s really neverending. It’s not about will power at all – it’s about developing habits that allow you to never NEED your will power. I know that sounds crazy, but think about it – I don’t keep a single processed food item in my house. Cookies? I make ‘em from scratch. Cupcakes? Scratch. If I can’t make it from scratch (and put in the time it takes TO make it from scratch), then I can’t have it. I don’t have to worry about will power if the opportunity isn’t there, you know?

Gosh, I guess that’ll have to be a post, too! Thanks for the comments, y’all!
Nov 12, 2009

Tracy

Erika, I agree with the idea of making everything from scratch. I CAN NOT WAIT until I get my own place so that I can undertake the task of becoming the Martha Stewart/B. Smith of southeast Louisiana. I have a ton of recipes just waiting to be carried out in my own little kitchen… A girl can dream, can’t she?
Nov 13, 2009

James Anderson

Thanks for sharing your thought..There is no short cut in achieving BMI at the healthy range. Weight loss is gradual process involving lifestyle changes. To lose weight, make sustainable changes to eating and exercise habits.
The amount and type of food taken determines the energy (calorie) intake. Energy in food comes from carbohydrates, protein and fat. There is weight gain when consistently intake of calories is more than the physical activity.
Nov 14, 2009

Nicci@NiftyEats

I just found you through twitter, can’t wait to learn more. Great tips on weight loss too.
Nov 17, 2009

Tanesha

someone retweeted your latest post and im sold. ironic that this topic is my next blog post. i’ll be reading!
Dec 5, 2009

China Blue

This is really interesting. I’ve found that it’s all in the mental mind – that’s half the battle. Getting out there and doing the exercise, making the choices, that’s the other half. The feelgood hormones reinforce the decisions you’ve made, make you feel that the hard work is worth it. The results speak for themselves.It’s a neverending feedback loop.

I have been using NLP – Paul McKenna, actually – to reprogramme my brain. The hardest part is looking at yourself and telling your reflection what you love, rather than what you want to change.

It’s as simple as this: ‘what you visualise, you become’. Getting that part right sets up your journey for success, no question.
Dec 23, 2009

Kym

You’ve said everything I already know, but just don’t need to put into practice. Yes, it’s difficult! I know my triggers and even as I sink my hand into the bread, I can hear my inner voice telling me to put it down and go write or something. Sometimes that voice wins out and sometimes it doesn’t.

I’m working towards more wins.
Aug 9, 2010

Brandi

I found your blog about a two weeks ago from twitter and I am hooked. You are truly an inspiration. I try to read at least two articles a day. I need to lose 90 pounds again. Yes I said again…

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