Weight Loss
Butch Hamilton
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Goals
This is the perfect time for an encouraging article on keeping your weight loss goals. Nearly half of all people in North America make a New Year's Resolution to change something in their life. The most common commitment is to lose weight. Second is to exercise more. Third is to stop smoking.
Within a few weeks the number of people sticking to their resolve declines dramatically. Given the importance of improving our behavior, an encouraging word from an ally may be just the thing we all need to keep our resolve!
Mechanics of weight loss
Let's review the best advice for weight loss that we have gathered from expert sources over the last several years.
- How: Reduce your calorie intake to match your BMR (basal metabolic rate). BMR represents the number of calories your body needs at rest; in other words, your body burns these calories through basic functions. Click here for a BMR calculator (labeled Basal Metabolism). So, BMR represents the ideal number of calories you should eat in a day. Additionally, increase your activity to burn 1–2 pounds of fat per week.
- When: Never eat within two hours of bedtime. Morning exercise is a bit better than evening exercise. Never consume more than 400 calories in an hour.
- What: Eat according to an organized plan. For example, South Beach, Ornish, Mediterranean, etc. Do both aerobic and resistance exercises most days of the week.
- Why: Your sense of purpose will dictate your actions step by step.
Speed bumps
Somewhere along the way you are going to experience discouragement,
disappointment or despondency. It may be when you hit a weight loss
plateau. It may be when you see others doing what you used to do and
the old habits pull at your heart. It may be when those inner voices –
I call them my "counsel of critics" – start to tell you lies about
failure and success. What do you do when you hit a speed bump?
The answer to this question does not lie in the "how – when – what" of weight loss. The answer lies in the "why." Your personal "why" gives you energy. It inspires you, motivates you and drives you to complete your goal.
Remember to let your desire fuel your action; let your actions harmonize with your sense of purpose. Simply be resolved to live a life of purpose and you will have the energy to get beyond the speed bumps.
Common setbacks
- Lack of support – Losing weight with an uncooperative family is very difficult. In fact, diet failure is far more common with kids at home than among empty-nesters. A great solution is to turn those sources of distraction into cheerleaders. Recruit your family into your support group. Ask them for help and you may be surprised how helpful a supportive family can be.
- Social functions – Parties and family gatherings are another trigger for setbacks. Food and a festive environment are catalysts for overeating and skipping exercise. Careful planning in advance can really help with food selection and an exercise schedule. And if you do overindulge, remember the "calories in, calories out" rule and increase your exercise for a week or two to burn off the extra calories.
- Emotional issues – Depression, discouragement and despondency are also common triggers for diet failure. Remembering the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness can be a good antidote. For instance, Essential #6 teaches us that we need to Give and Receive Love for excellent health. Love moves us to make commitments, committing ourselves to a life of purpose. Purpose is the reason for action. Therefore, love can help us balance autonomy, commitment and purpose with fear, shame and doubt.
Conclusion
When we commit ourselves to such noble pursuits, they deserve our very
best attention. We need to define our purpose as the foundation for
success. Purpose is an important motivation to help us reshape our
thinking. Purpose is the antidote to self-sabotage.
Ponder over each of these life-changing rules for healthy living. You will soon see that each of these gems reflect the light you need to see beliefs that no longer serve your best interests. You can confront self-sabotage and slay the dragons that keep you from reaching your goals. Also, learning and living the 10 Essentials provides you with powerful tools to reshape your attitudes into the very ones that can help you to reach your goals, live the life you want and fulfill your purpose.
Butch Hamilton-TriVita Director
Independent TriVita Affiliate 13097187
TriVita.com
Join TriVita Here