Monday, May 16, 2016

Impatience and Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, I've always been impatient. My heart tells me to take it easy, it can't be done overnight, it's a slow process to keep it off, and a eat-style change to maintain it.
By the way, I like the term "eat-style" better than "life-style". Losing weight does not mean that you need to change EVERYTHING about you. It's a separate choice to change your hair, make-up (if you're female...or not), style of clothes (okay, granted, losing weight will give you more choices on style of clothes - you just don't have to change your "look"), what you read, where you go, what movies you watch....etc., etc., etc.
Okay, let's jump back in the "subject" box. Losing weight is a slow process. The further away from your target goal on the scale, the longer it will take to lose. Impatience and weight loss go hand in hand, and it's more intense as life goes on; mostly because of the idealogy of people changing over the generations. I grew up with the idealogy, "I want it now". That concept progressed through the years to "I want it yesterday". Now, everyone wants it "last week". 
This idealogy does not fit into any weight loss program. Losing weight takes time, and there's no getting around that fact. There will definitely come a time when that impatient you will start justifying certain things. Things, such as, "If I skip this meal, it's just less calories and faster weight loss" or, at the other end of the spectrum, "If I eat this item (unhealthy or weight gain sugary/fat), I have lost x amount of pounds already it won't make a difference". First one, no, it won't; second one, yes, it will.
Changing your eat-style means you have to know yourself. Liken it to a person with a serious alcohol or drug problem. Ask yourself honestly, "Can I eat just one cookie? Slice of pizza? A couple potato chips? If you can't - drop them from your eat-style, permanently. 
I have a major sweet tooth. And my sweet preference is chocolate. I can't sit and have one chocolate chip cookie. I will eat half a bag - with a glass of whole milk. Does that statement make you want some? Make you hungry? Than both you and I need to dump that from our eat-style program. Forever. Because if we don't, it's a tunnel that leads to Justification Land for eating other foods that is high cal, high weight gain addiction. Believe me, it's not that you can't stop. It's the fact that you justify not stopping. 
Why do I paint such a silly picture of food addiction? Because that's what I use to avoid it. I will look at Keith's bag of cookies. I focus a picture in my mind that I'm walking through that tunnel. And I picture in my mind sitting next to a chocolate river in Justification Land (think Augustus Gloop), eating chocolate cookies, cakes, pies, etc. Who cares if I lose weight? I'm doing it for me, after all, not for anyone else? I want....I want....I want.....
Yes, you are doing it for you. Only you can accomplish your weight goal. Only you can prevent a setback. Only you can avoid the depression of falling back into eating the wrong stuff. 
And what is to gain from not falling back? Oh, let's see, now......health, feeling better, looking good, more energy, not being looked at like you are some type of disgusting alien from another planet.
Anyone who has been or is overweight can attest to this fact. Being treated as if you don't belong because of your weight is a common, every day occurrence. I know, I've lived with it all my life.
Some people embrace and accept their "overweightness". That's fine, to a certain extent, they are accepting themselves. But it does lead to an unhealthy state....always.....sooner or later.
So, I paint this absolutely silly, ridiculous, and stupid picture in my mind to remind me WHY I am doing this. 
I want to be able to walk around without having to sit down every few yards. I want to feel good, have energy, accomplish simple tasks without sweating up a storm because of the weight I carry around on my body. To have a better choice of clothing, than just limited items that hide my size or attempt to make me look thinner. To not have people give me that "look" because of my size. To discover another part of me I never knew before.
That's what reaching my goal means to me.

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