It happens to the best of us. We start a weight loss program with the intent to finally make it to our ultimate goal of a healthy weight. Yet soon after the euphoria of watching pounds melts away almost effortlessly, we hit a plateau. Where can you go to find the inspiration to keep going and lose weight when you get to that point?
First and foremost, understand this: You can do this. It’s normal to have days when you feel it’s just not working, or it’s not worth it. However, can you think of anything better than to treat your own body, your own health, with as much love and care as you give to everyone around you?
It’s time to get selfish and get focused on your goals to lose weight.
It’s All Or Nothing
We often give ourselves an all or nothing approach to dieting and losing weight. If we can’t do a full one hour workout, then why work out at all? Or, if we are going to eat a cookie, why not have twelve instead of just two? What’s wrong with this approach when you try to lose weight is you are mentally sabotaging your efforts. If you only have time to take a 15 minute brisk walk around the neighborhood, then that’s okay. If you are following your eating regiment 80% of the time, then a couple of cookies are not going to be the end of the world.
One of the best pieces of advice for inspiration to lose weight is this, “Motivation is something that other people can give us; however, the inspiration to losing weight comes from within ourselves.”
Put another way, the “why” you are losing weight will always be more powerful than the “how”.
For some people, it means they want to be able to play with their kids at the park without getting tired. For others, they want to feel energized in the morning. Still others have the goal of spending quality years with their spouse after the kids have grown and gone. Identifying your own why for a goal to lose weight will keep you going when things get tough or slow down.
Many people, especially females, lose their inspiration and their motivation every time they jump on the scale. You must understand that if you are attacking your belly bulge or other problem areas with a focus on overall health, then you are most likely including strength training into your habits. Muscle weighs more than fat yet takes up less mass. This idea is often lost when you jump on the scale to discover you’ve gained five pounds after a couple of weeks of following your routine with great enthusiasm. Frustrating, right?
But hold on…how do your jeans feel?
Chances are they fit differently, better.
How is your energy level?
Chances are very good that you are glowing from the inside with new vigor and life.
Those kinds of progressive steps don’t appear on the scale. So, to stay inspired, don’t spend so much time jumping on the scale. That number should not determine the quality of your day, don’t you agree?
There is a wonderful quote attributed to Ellen Degeneres, the female comedian, “You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is.”
It doesn’t matter what age you are when you decide to lose weight, and it doesn’t matter how slowly or quickly you start. Just start.
Many people who want to lose weight mistakenly believe that when they take the time or money to take care of their health and achieve a healthy weight, they are somehow being selfish. If this sounds like you, then consider what motivational expert Anthony Robbins has said: “The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.”
Could it be that by not being healthy, you are actually being selfish because you are not giving your full gifts to the world?
If you need help beginning your healthy life, or if you have reached a plateau in your weight loss and fitness levels, then it’s time to reach deep and re-evaluate the importance of your own “why”. The real inspiration to lose weight is always something more than fitting into a smaller dress or pant size. That alone is not going to carry you through the tough times. Dig deep and reach high. Your success for losing weight is worth the motivation and inspiration that will guide you.
