Did you give up on your ability to lose weight and keep it off? Have you resorted to starving yourself or eating salads and then binge eating (time and time again)? You are not alone.
I survey around three hundred women a year and have discovered that many are misinformed and do damage to their metabolism in the process of losing weight.
It seems that many ladies punish themselves thinking that they need to be strict to lose pounds. Once they step on the scale they realize that nothing has changed, or the weight has gone the opposite direction. Frustration kicks in and they go and muy the sugary cookies or ice cream bucket. This is no way to propel your results.
Better yet: it’s time to dream again, set an actual weight loss goal, and go get your new body! But how do you do that after abusing yourself for years or even decades?
The first thing you will do is forgive yourself. This is a crucial first step in getting your vision back (that will drive you forward today). Keep one thing in mind: if you don’t have a goal or vision for your body you will never meet the finish line. Even pro athletes know this! They don’t just get up every morning and choose to “do their best”. They review their recent performance, they set higher goals and work diligently to get those met. It’s a meditative progress to create a plan.
Think about the last time you punished yourself for not losing weight. What were some of the things you told yourself? What were some of the ways you decided to talk to yourself? Were you mean, calling yourself names (fat, lazy, no-good?). Did you starve yourself and decide that you deserved it? Did you workout too hard or too long and get extremely sore, only to determine that you would never workout again? These are just a few ways women give up and begin the pressure issue in weight loss.
Write down what happened the last time your heart was broken in your efforts. Answer these questions:
Who informed you of that no good program?
What was the program like?
What did it encourage you to do?
Why did you select that particular program?
When did you follow the program?
How did you feel while following the program and what were your results?
How did you feel after the program and how did that impact your self esteem?
Today is a new day! No matter what happened in the past, you CAN and you WILL make changes. Get in board with reframing your past to create a new future. Take one old memory: journal about it. Then look at the bigger picture. Perhaps you were mistaken or maybe over sensitive. Decide on purpose to design a new outcome.
For example, I caught COVID last January. I was ashamed and disappointed that I got sick. I was mad that I lost days at work. I realized that none of that was my fault but I became fearful of the future and decided to use my hard times as a measuring stick. With each passing week I developed the ability to get better and decided to progress daily. I went from being very sick and uncomfortable to gaining my strength and wellness back. I counted the items I could do daily in the progression to moving forward. Before I knew it I was fun way more exercise, eating better, and enjoying life more than before.
Once you forgive yourself you can achieve what you want and when you want it. So stop giving your power to the past. Recognize that you have talents and gifts inside of you and that you can and will succeed. Dream again and go forward towards your goals!
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Nissa Salas