OverComing Weight Loss Failures
Options
Momwasix
Posts: 664 Member
Have you been finding
weight loss a continuous,
uphill struggle? If you
haven’t been successful in
meeting your weight loss
goals, you need to stop
and assess the reasons
why.
Do you lack Motivation?
Are you ready for lifestyle
changes ? Do you realise
you need to lose weight
for your long-term
health? Can you honesty
say that weight loss it
really important to you
currently?
If you have answered no
to these questions, you
may not be ready for a
lifestyle change at
present. You should,
however, aim to prevent
further weight gain by
following a healthy
lifestyle. Include more
fruit and vegetables, cut
back on foods high in fat
and sugar, and try to be
more physically active
each day.
If you are motivated to
change, you many have
simply fallen into a
temporary lapse.
Encourage yourself to get
back on track
immediately.
What are the barriers
preventing you from
change? Make a list of
everything you can think
of, and beside each one,
note down a reasonable
solution. For example, “I
don’t have time to
exercise daily,” to
overcome this problem
you should think of ways
to build exercise into your
everyday life, by going for
a short walk on your
lunch break, or walking
your dog after dinner
each evening. Check out
my previous article on
How to Increase your
Physical Activity while
you Work.
Are your short-term and
long-term goals
realistic?
We can easily get carried
away when setting goals,
it’s natural to want to aim
for the sky, so to speak.
However, take a look at
your recorded goals
again, as this may be
where your problem lies!
Focus on smaller, specific
goals, such as changing to
a low fat spread, or
walking for 10 minutes
every day.
When you have achieved
this, move on by setting
further goals. Try not to
dwell too much on the
larger issues of weight
loss, as this can become
very daunting, and sap
your confidence
completely. It is also good
to have long-term goals,
however taking weight
loss one day at a time is
the key. Thinking of your
weight loss in
manageable, daily steps
will help you to succeed!
If you haven’t set weight
loss goals, this is an
important step to
achieving dieting success.
Take a look at Getting
SMART with Goal Setting,
for tips on how to set
realistic goals.
Do you have a Support
Network?
Can you rely on your
family and friends to
support you through this
time? To avoid feeling
isolated, it is a good idea
to enlist the help of those
close to you. Why not
encourage them to eat
healthy too by inviting
them around for dinner?
By serving them a healthy
meal they may even see
how important your new
lifestyle is to you, and
hopefully will offer to
help you where possible!
You should also ask them
to get active with you,
whether it’s walking,
swimming or joining a
fitness class, having the
support of a family
member or friend, will be
encouragement for all of
you to keep going.
You may want to join a
local walking group,
healthy cooking class,
slimming group, or a one-
to-one support program,
as this will encourage you
to continue. Try to find
out what is available in
your area, and choose
something that suits you
best. Being surrounded by
like-minded people is a
great way of staying
focused. Also, think about
what you’re reading. Try
to read health related
books and magazines
regularly, as this will give
you further tips and
inspiration for staying
focused.
Keeping a food and
activity diary is also a
good way of monitoring
your successes and
difficulties. If you do
experience problems, or
set-backs, try not to think
of them as failures, they
are merely short lapses,
which you can easily get
back on track from! When
you do experience
problems, note down how
you plan to cope in that
situation in the future,
this will mean that you
have thought about the
solution, and now have a
plan of action for the
future.
There’s no doubt about it,
weight loss requires lots
of effort and motivation.
However, it is important
that you begin to enjoy
your new lifestyle, try to
find out what works for
you, and stick with it.
weight loss a continuous,
uphill struggle? If you
haven’t been successful in
meeting your weight loss
goals, you need to stop
and assess the reasons
why.
Do you lack Motivation?
Are you ready for lifestyle
changes ? Do you realise
you need to lose weight
for your long-term
health? Can you honesty
say that weight loss it
really important to you
currently?
If you have answered no
to these questions, you
may not be ready for a
lifestyle change at
present. You should,
however, aim to prevent
further weight gain by
following a healthy
lifestyle. Include more
fruit and vegetables, cut
back on foods high in fat
and sugar, and try to be
more physically active
each day.
If you are motivated to
change, you many have
simply fallen into a
temporary lapse.
Encourage yourself to get
back on track
immediately.
What are the barriers
preventing you from
change? Make a list of
everything you can think
of, and beside each one,
note down a reasonable
solution. For example, “I
don’t have time to
exercise daily,” to
overcome this problem
you should think of ways
to build exercise into your
everyday life, by going for
a short walk on your
lunch break, or walking
your dog after dinner
each evening. Check out
my previous article on
How to Increase your
Physical Activity while
you Work.
Are your short-term and
long-term goals
realistic?
We can easily get carried
away when setting goals,
it’s natural to want to aim
for the sky, so to speak.
However, take a look at
your recorded goals
again, as this may be
where your problem lies!
Focus on smaller, specific
goals, such as changing to
a low fat spread, or
walking for 10 minutes
every day.
When you have achieved
this, move on by setting
further goals. Try not to
dwell too much on the
larger issues of weight
loss, as this can become
very daunting, and sap
your confidence
completely. It is also good
to have long-term goals,
however taking weight
loss one day at a time is
the key. Thinking of your
weight loss in
manageable, daily steps
will help you to succeed!
If you haven’t set weight
loss goals, this is an
important step to
achieving dieting success.
Take a look at Getting
SMART with Goal Setting,
for tips on how to set
realistic goals.
Do you have a Support
Network?
Can you rely on your
family and friends to
support you through this
time? To avoid feeling
isolated, it is a good idea
to enlist the help of those
close to you. Why not
encourage them to eat
healthy too by inviting
them around for dinner?
By serving them a healthy
meal they may even see
how important your new
lifestyle is to you, and
hopefully will offer to
help you where possible!
You should also ask them
to get active with you,
whether it’s walking,
swimming or joining a
fitness class, having the
support of a family
member or friend, will be
encouragement for all of
you to keep going.
You may want to join a
local walking group,
healthy cooking class,
slimming group, or a one-
to-one support program,
as this will encourage you
to continue. Try to find
out what is available in
your area, and choose
something that suits you
best. Being surrounded by
like-minded people is a
great way of staying
focused. Also, think about
what you’re reading. Try
to read health related
books and magazines
regularly, as this will give
you further tips and
inspiration for staying
focused.
Keeping a food and
activity diary is also a
good way of monitoring
your successes and
difficulties. If you do
experience problems, or
set-backs, try not to think
of them as failures, they
are merely short lapses,
which you can easily get
back on track from! When
you do experience
problems, note down how
you plan to cope in that
situation in the future,
this will mean that you
have thought about the
solution, and now have a
plan of action for the
future.
There’s no doubt about it,
weight loss requires lots
of effort and motivation.
However, it is important
that you begin to enjoy
your new lifestyle, try to
find out what works for
you, and stick with it.
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