Positive Thinking

TheGoblinRoad

I notice a lot of people, myself included, often seem to be in such a hurry to lose the extra weight that we ultimately sabotage ourselves with negativity disguised as motivation.

I'd rather be positively motivated than negatively motivated. I don't want fear to drive me. I don't want shame to drive me, like the way I DID feel knowing that I'd have to wear a tux for a wedding this past weekend, as a groomsman. That fear of how others would see me, and shame for how I looked, didn't actually help me lose any weight.

Seems like the only time I actually lose weight and keep it off is if I both track what I eat and I eliminate the negative motivation. We weren't meant to live our lives obsessing over the calorie content, etc and then guilt-tripping any time we went over.

As I sat at the wedding table at the reception, feeling quite large in my ill-fitting tux, I looked over at my friend with (as he told me) 11% body fat and three times the amount of food. He had zero guilt about chowing down, and rightly so, because he is always an active guy. That's how I think we are meant to live. Enjoying life and also enjoying food--and if we want to eat a lot of it, then we must also be very active people, no guilt is needed.

So, being one to love food, I want to become more active with fun things to do, like disc golf or hiking, not gym trips where I obsess over whether I've burned enough calories to justify having an ice cream sundae.

I think we can shift our thinking, given practice. That's what I'm aiming for. How about you?

TheGoblinRoad

I notice a lot of people, myself included, often seem to be in such a hurry to lose the extra weight that we ultimately sabotage ourselves with negativity disguised as motivation.

I'd rather be positively motivated than negatively motivated. I don't want fear to drive me. I don't want shame to drive me, like the way I DID feel knowing that I'd have to wear a tux for a wedding this past weekend, as a groomsman. That fear of how others would see me, and shame for how I looked, didn't actually help me lose any weight.

Seems like the only time I actually lose weight and keep it off is if I both track what I eat and I eliminate the negative motivation. We weren't meant to live our lives obsessing over the calorie content, etc and then guilt-tripping any time we went over.

As I sat at the wedding table at the reception, feeling quite large in my ill-fitting tux, I looked over at my friend with (as he told me) 11% body fat and three times the amount of food. He had zero guilt about chowing down, and rightly so, because he is always an active guy. That's how I think we are meant to live. Enjoying life and also enjoying food--and if we want to eat a lot of it, then we must also be very active people, no guilt is needed.

So, being one to love food, I want to become more active with fun things to do, like disc golf or hiking, not gym trips where I obsess over whether I've burned enough calories to justify having an ice cream sundae.

I think we can shift our thinking, given practice. That's what I'm aiming for. How about you?

jackeh

Completely agree with you!!! Good post!!



jackie

sgtinvincible

I notice a lot of people, myself included, often seem to be in such a hurry to lose the extra weight that we ultimately sabotage ourselves with negativity disguised as motivation.

I'd rather be positively motivated than negatively motivated. I don't want fear to drive me. I don't want shame to drive me, like the way I DID feel knowing that I'd have to wear a tux for a wedding this past weekend, as a groomsman. That fear of how others would see me, and shame for how I looked, didn't actually help me lose any weight.

Seems like the only time I actually lose weight and keep it off is if I both track what I eat and I eliminate the negative motivation. We weren't meant to live our lives obsessing over the calorie content, etc and then guilt-tripping any time we went over.

As I sat at the wedding table at the reception, feeling quite large in my ill-fitting tux, I looked over at my friend with (as he told me) 11% body fat and three times the amount of food. He had zero guilt about chowing down, and rightly so, because he is always an active guy. That's how I think we are meant to live. Enjoying life and also enjoying food--and if we want to eat a lot of it, then we must also be very active people, no guilt is needed.

So, being one to love food, I want to become more active with fun things to do, like disc golf or hiking, not gym trips where I obsess over whether I've burned enough calories to justify having an ice cream sundae.

I think we can shift our thinking, given practice. That's what I'm aiming for. How about you?

Right on.

jlwhelan1

You are exactly right.

Love the sleazy dude next to the saguaro Sgtinvincible.

pecksun8

lol~love the pic!

I totally agree. Before I never had to worry about what I ate and I did so many different types of activities. It is all a mind thing, and how you think about yourself and what you need to do to change yourself to what you want. I am on a mission to change my life back to the way it was. Unfotunatly I do feel like I am rushed, but somehow that helps me. I have noticed that the harder I am on myself, not in a mean way, but in a motivating goal oriented way, the better I do.