Keep your Focus
After so many years of counselling people on weight loss, weight maintenance, fitness and life balance, it's apparent that when we get off track with our eating or fitness it's because we temporarily lost sight of what it is we want to accomplish.
Believe me, this is HARD mental work. Since we are in an environment of plentiful food, T.V, computers, lots of socializing it is very difficult to remember the path we want to stay on, and then develop the firmness of character to stay on that path. For instance, you are invited out to friends for dinner, and not only are there a lot of pre-meal snacks; the supper itself is plentiful and tasty with a large desert. The emotional side of you will want to indulge, especially as others around you might be doing so. Yet the path you have chosen is one of weight loss and improved fitness. It is at those times our focus must be razor sharp. You can give in to the temptations of food, but it's very important you pause and think about where you are going. Is the amount of food you want to have more important than improving your blood pressure, your sore joints or your low energy levels? Not likely. In point of fact most of us inherently know we'll wake up in the morning and think: "why did I eat so much?” So, choose the food wisely, eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied.
Similarly, when we arrive home at the end of a long work day, all of us feel tired. This is rarely a physical fatigue; it is emotional fatigue. Surprisingly, the one thing that will GIVE us energy is the one thing we avoid: exercise. It's also a time we make excuses. We give in to the fatigue and justify the extra snacking as necessary for energy, or simply an emotional gesture to wash away thoughts from the day. Again, keeping focus on what you want to achieve is important. Don't allow your mind to become numb or dull, because you will just become more tired. If necessary, before you mindlessly snack, sit down and re-write 5 reasons you want to lose weight. Focus on these things; pause and wait. Don't give in to emotional cravings. Have a small healthy snack and that is it. At supper, again eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied. Be mindful of the difference between satisfied and "too full.”
We also know that to be successful at long term weight loss and maintenance, somehow we must work in regular exercise on most days of the week. Waiting for that ‘motivation' to exercise never works. Starting is the cure for lack of motivation. Do something. Try not to make excuses. All of us can do 10 to 15 minutes of walking or strength work every day as a start. As this becomes part of your daily routine you will find you won't back away from it. It never takes as long as you think; at the end of a short burst of exercise you will have more energy.
Losing weight does take effort to focus on your goals; then the hard part really begins. Because now you have to continue to watch your portions and do regular exercise for the rest of your life. Is it hard? Actually not, simply because you will have more energy, feel much better about yourself and are much less likely to develop all of the chronic diseases that excess weight might bring.
Stress, lack of sleep and unexpected events in your life will always challenge your ability to maintain that focus you want for yourself. So work on it daily such that when an unexpected challenge is thrown your way, you continue to eat well and exercise until that challenge is solved or resolved.
You can do it. Never give up – no matter what happens, always push forward. You can and WILL achieve your goals!
Dr. Doug