Why do you want to lose weight? Is it because your doctor said you should? Is it because you’re scared of getting heart disease or diabetes? Or is it because it is truly something you want to do in order to improve the quality of your life?
The reason behind your decision to lose weight will very much determine the reason for your success.
The reason for this is because if you are trying to lose weight due to fear of illness or because you know that’s what everyone else thinks you should do, you are going to find it very difficult to maintain motivation. You don’t really have your own compelling reasons to lose weight at all.
On the other hand, if you feel like your weight loss is going to bring you so much more like feeling better, having more energy, being able to play with your children, or the ability to do something you’ve always wanted to do (like run a marathon or climb a mountain) then you are going to find it a LOT easier to keep your motivation going! You are working towards something wonderful and not running away from something not so nice.
We all know that being overweight comes with many disadvantages, but with over 50% of the population still overweight, logic tells us that the scare campaigns out there telling us of the horrors we will face if we don’t do anything about it aren’t working.
So what does work?
Firstly, the reason behind wanting to lose weight must come from within. The reason must be yours and it must be something you really, really want to do.
Your reason must include the rewards you will get for succeeding. For example, if you want to run a marathon, then your reward will be running across the finish line – something that will give you a huge sense of achievement!
Now, your reason doesn’t have to be huge like running a marathon. It could be just that you want to look great in whatever you wear! You want to look in the mirror and like what you see – no muffin tops allowed!
What is your reason for wanting to lose weight?
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