45 million Americans will go on a diet each year, yet 70% are overweight or obese. Dieting seems to be a vicious cycle for most Americans. There are months of indulgence followed by guilt and half-hearted goal setting to redeem the weighty feelings. So, what is the key to lasting health and progressive weight loss?
First, let’s discuss why you gain weight. There are several factors that cause weight gain. Whether you gained five pounds or 50 plus, everyone’s weight fluctuates throughout the year to some degree. The degree of fluctuation depends on three things your habits, your self-discipline, and your lifestyle. That’s it! Understanding your participation and behavioral patterns related to these areas is the very first step in achieving progressive weight loss.
Let’s break these three things down. The first is your habits. Habits are daily consistent and repetitive behaviors that produce outcomes (good or bad). If you have good habits, you will certainly get good results. If you have poor habits, you will get poor results. Replacing a bad habit with a good habit for a long enough period to yield desired results is especially important in the transformation process. But a habit has to become habitual—repetitive to get results. Psychologists say a habit often happens subconsciously. That means you do not even have to think about it anymore. It is an automatic behavior. This means your conscious mind will have to really get involved to break these unconscious behaviors. How can you do that? You will need to pay attention to your thoughts and actions and how, why, when, and where they occur. You will need to investigate your behavior a bit. Let’s start now. Get a pad and pen. What are three habits you know are keeping you from losing weight? Write them down. Are you ready to give these up and replace them with a new healthier habit? What is that new healthy habit?
Experts offer this perspective about establishing new habits. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit and 90 days to create a new lifestyle. This is where the second factor comes in–self-discipline comes in. Discipline is hardly ever something easy. No one really likes accepting discipline, but it is usually always for our benefit and it helps us grow in some way, or become better. That is exactly what self-discipline does for us. It helps us become better. It isn’t easy to do, but it becomes easier when we focus on the reward. There’s a measure of hope that comes along with self-discipline. Because we put our hope in the achievement of certain results it can be a bit easier to discipline ourselves. The key here is to see your results before they happen. Keep them in your mind. Firmly know, you can do this! You may have never lost the weight you want to lose. You may have never ever imagined you would allow yourself to become overweight, but know that despite those feelings, you absolutely can get back to where you want to be. Do not let negative thinking drive you back to the viscous cycle of eating then guilting yourself then setting half-hearted goals. You need to believe you can do this. I know that you can. The power is within you. You just need to spark it and let it ignite.
Now, let’s talk about the third component that pulls it all together—Lifestyle. Your lifestyle is ultimately a compilation of habits and self-discipline. You can change your lifestyle at any time. Remember it only takes 90 days (just a few months) to develop a whole new lifestyle. There are many factors involved in lifestyle. There are sleep habits, association, nutrition habits, stress levels, relationships, emotional regulation, environmental factors, your job, your level of activity, etc. These are all factors that make up your daily habits. Which areas need the most attention? Write them down. Where do you need to improve to make your lifestyle a healthier one?
Evaluate where you are. How did you get there? What habits contributed to this outcome? Where do you want to be? What is your plan to get there?
If you need help setting health and fitness goals, I can help you gain the awareness you need to empower a transformation. Schedule a wellness consultation today. The first visit is $165 for a Zyto scan of your organs, organ systems, and glands. Learn your weakness and strengths (physical and emotional), so you know where to begin. Email me at ivyvitality@gmail.com
