If you’re anything like me, you’ve struggled with weight management your entire life. When it wasn’t intentional, the thoughts of weight, food, and fitness filled your subconscious. Can I let you in on my secret to improving my relationship with weight and food?
It’s actually quite simple, but not easy to do – focus on weight as it relates to health, not vanity.
I was no longer eating to lose weight, I was eating to fuel my body to run at above optimal levels.
When I put appearances aside and focused on putting the most nutritious foods in my body for health purposes, everything changed. I was no longer eating to lose weight, I was eating to fuel my body to run at above optimal levels. When you are striving for function instead of form, your overall health improves, and guess what? The weight loss comes along with it. Get rich quick schemes never work (at least for the long haul) and neither does crash course dieting. Sure, you may lose a few pounds the first few weeks, but you are actually slowing down your metabolism by strictly limiting food intake and depriving yourself of a complete array of nutrients.
Here are the three P’s that have helped me to unlock the secret of weight loss:
Perfectionism: Some people won’t make a change or start a new project until all things align perfectly. This sounds like…”I will start my diet when I….” or “When all these things happen, then I can …..” You get the picture. There is never a perfect time to start anything. Sometimes you need to jump in, put your health first and figure things out as you go. You need to be able to meet yourself where you are at in your current situation. This means that if all you can do for NOW is walk 10 minutes, then do that. Walk 10 minutes every day, no excuses.
Trying to find the perfect time will never happen. This shows a need for control. You cannot put your health on the back burner until things align perfectly in your life. Your body is your vessel to get you through life and you should make your health a priority. Change requires adaptability and flexibility to grow. If you are trying to plan every aspect of your life, it will be difficult to move forward and enjoy the process.
Procrastination: We always feel like we can leave things for a later time. This sounds like, “I know I need to lose 25 pounds, but I can do it later. I am too busy. I’m tired, I have kids. I need a break, etc. This can be because we aren’t giving the issue on hand its importance, we may be afraid of failure or lack of motivation or it may be simply not knowing where to start. Some people procrastinate because they think the task at hand will be difficult and they don’t want to put in the effort to do the work. Nothing worthwhile ever comes that easy. Also, it’s important to remember that the reptilian brain will find excuses to stay in its comfort zone for survival. Sometimes all you need to get going is someone to hold you accountable.
Sustainable long-term health requires effort.
Prioritization: This sounds like, “I’m so busy”, “I am overwhelmed with kids, work, etc”. These are all important and noble causes. The truth is, if you don’t have your health, you cannot do all of the things you wish to accomplish on a given day. Sustainable long-term health requires effort. If you are having trouble with prioritization, you may be doing all of the things to keep you “busy”, but probably not the things that keep you moving towards your bigger goals. We can stay busy without moving toward our goal.
…when the pain becomes unbearable, we change.
Why do we do this? Because of fear! Fear is more motivating than rewards. We have all these fears and we won’t change our course until the pain of not changing is greater than the pain of our current experience. In other words, when the pain becomes unbearable, we change.
There you have it – the big secret to weight loss and the 3 P’s, the stepping stones on your journey. If you would like to create a personalized weight loss plan that puts health at the forefront, call my office. I would love to help guide you through your health journey. (602) 926-1711