One way to start a plan of action toward the goal of losing those unwanted pounds is to first identify just what your most serious eating problem is.
After such a mild (and short) summer that lacked the intense heat that usually drives my appetite away and sweats out whatever’s left, I found myself in a conversation with a close friend about how we were going to reach our goal of losing some unwanted and stubborn weight. We both declared we were going ‘hardcore’. We were really going to stop the excuses that constantly allow us to give way to our cravings.
My friend said her problem is she indulges in too much of the ‘wrong’ foods while I stated my problem is and always has been portion control. What doesn’t help is the fact that I do not dislike anything.
I often say that I’m lucky I am so active because if I wasn’t, I’d be the size of a house for what I am capable of consuming, even if it is mostly healthy.
We had this conversation the weekend of Labor Day with the intent to start getting serious right after the holiday. So far we’ve stayed pretty true to our word. Although we haven’t lost any more than a couple of pounds, we feel better and recognize that since we are not seriously overweight, the weight will come off much slower.
This tends to be the root of the problem for most people who try to lose weight. They see changing their diets as needing to drastically change something in unrealistic ways that usually leads to them giving up.
Weight loss must be gradual if you intend for it to be permanent. And that permanence includes eating habits you are willing to change for a long time.
If you make it too drastic, you will give up too soon and fail. This is why identifying your most serious eating problem is important.
In my friend’s case, she advocates healthy eating anyway so giving up some of those not so healthy things is a realistic and long lasting goal. In my case, I’m already eating mostly healthy food, I just have a hard time with the amount.
So finding the willpower to push away the plate sooner or get up and walk away is something I find easier to live with each time I realize how good it feels to not be stuffed and bloated. This means that for both of us, rapid weight loss is not necessary, nor is it realistic and this acceptance helps us to stay put.
Now I’m just wondering what to do with the holidays around the corner. Hopefully we’ve given ourselves enough of a jumpstart to leap right through the next few months with our new attitudes…or we can switch roles for awhile. I’ll indulge in all the wrong foods/goodies and she can eat all she wants until she feels as stuffed as Santa. Being human, it will be difficult.
