A contract with yourself

Jthanmyfitnesspal
Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
edited December 21 in Getting Started
Hi!

I keep seeing posts titled "need motivation." Of course, no one can give you motivation, just as no one can police what you do or eat. (Under normal circumstances. Apologies to any incarcerated readers or anyone for whom this is not the case). Our freedom to choose (and the historical low cost of food) is one of the main reasons so many of us become overweight!

Anyway, one way to start is to create a Personal Contract:

You need to challenge yourself big time. I mean, go really big. F these 1-week challenges or even 1-month challenges. Try a 6-month or 1-year challenge:

1) Write out the challenge. Be specific. Don't do it until you mean it. If you want a trial period, do that. But, making a true change takes months.

2) Write your reasons for doing the challenge. Are there negative consequences of this behavior? Again, look for specific reasons you want to change your behavior.

3) Discuss it with people you live or interact with. Enlist a friend, if you can.

4) Pick a start date. Leave some time so you can visualize.

5) Print, sign, and date the contract. Post somewhere you will see it daily. (But maybe out of the public eye.)

6) When the date comes, do it and don't wimp out. If you can do the above steps with a good conscience, this should be no problem.

I've tried this myself with good results and I'm looking to see if anyone else is willing to go this way. If so, let me know!

Replies

  • smoofinator
    smoofinator Posts: 635 Member
    This is a really great approach! Thanks for posting. :)
  • khsh08
    khsh08 Posts: 10 Member
    I didn't write it out - but I started off with a commitment to myself to try to do at least 250 steps each hour for 10 hours with reminders on my fitbit watch. Then it was to hit 8,000 steps a day. Now I can do both of those after about a 3 weeks and thinking of upping my daily steps goal since I'm averaging over 11,000 steps. I don't want to increase anything yet because it has only been 3 weeks but I've enlisted others in step challenges and I have found how surprisingly easy it can be to get in a minimum amount of steps. I just need to think about it! Before I was just too lazy to think I could accomplish it.
  • Dorchi22
    Dorchi22 Posts: 57 Member
    I did similar when I said 'no' to sugar back in April 28th, after feeling very bad about my body. I still eat fruit, and my cravings for chocolate and processed sugars are diminishing.

    I didn't think too much. I just went cold turkey. My challenge is 90 days, so that's end of July.
  • TerriMcElrath
    TerriMcElrath Posts: 7 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Hi!

    3) Discuss it with people you live or interact with. Enlist a friend, if you can.

    I think number 3 is the most important. Speaking our goals out loud seems to me to give our goals more power, and our friends can help hold us accountable. I have a group of friends that are trying to lose 50 pounds this year. By talking about it each week, we don't want to be the one person who didn't lose in a given week. So far I am down 20, and I can see the half way point in my sights.

  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    However, once you’ve made the contract, breaking it down into smaller timeframes - i.e. a week or a month - can make it less overwhelming, especially for those just starting out. This also provides the opportunity to introduce changes (eating differently, adding exercise) more slowly, which also makes it less overwhelming for so e people.
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