Losing Weight is a Lifestyle Change

Why do you want to lose weight?

In order to make significant changes in our lives, such as losing weight, we need a strong, compelling “why”. Typically, the more intense the pain and suffering, the stronger our desire to change.

When you compare two people with different motivations to stay healthy, one being someone that wants to live and be in their children’s and grandchildren’s lives for as long as possible, and have the energy to spend time with them, and another person that wants to lose a quick 20 pounds before their reunion to impress their classmates; who do you think will succeed in the long term? The person who wants to live.

When you have a strong why, you’re going to make sure that your weight loss goal is going to make you healthier and more productive because there’s a lot of fads out there, and these weight loss diets are very dangerous and are not encouraging healthy weight loss.

Quick weight loss is not healthy weight loss, and the best you can do for yourself is embrace long term healthy habits that you can utilize for the rest of your life.

Weight loss is not a true goal, it’s a process, and you need to have a deep-rooted motivation, otherwise you’ll quit in no time. Let me give you a quick blueprint to digging deep and finding the motivation to stick with your weight loss journey.

Trust the process

You didn’t gain all your weight overnight so you can’t expect to lose all your weight overnight! You may also be dealing with some underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, or autoimmune disease which can take months or even years to overcome and medications can also interfere with your ability to lose weight. Your focus shouldn’t be on losing weight, it should be on getting healthy enough to lose weight.

Weight loss is just a part of a larger puzzle, a puzzle that needs to be broken into smaller pieces.

Once you are clear on the vision, you can begin to find the pieces and put them together.  And the more pieces that come together, the better you begin to feel. That is the journey.

Successful weight loss is the sum of the lifestyle habits you create for yourself, and your commitment should be based on the action steps that will create this new result. Once you become clear on your process, it will become easier to commit to the required consistent action.

Another powerful aspect of having clarity and trusting your process is that when you are clear on the health or the life you want to achieve, circumstances will fall in your favor to help you achieve it, and the steps no longer feel like an uphill battle; You will begin to embrace the challenges instead of allowing them to defeat you.

Note:

“When you are committed to losing weight, lifestyle changes are required. It takes new habits in order to get a new result and this requires time and consistency, there are no quick fixes.”

 -Dr. Leona

To change your health, begin to learn how to live differently. Several things in your normal routine need to change. You may have to wake up earlier to fit in your new exercise routine. There are things you may need to omit from your diet or lifestyle. You may have to learn to prepare your meals at home instead of going to the drive-through every night. You may learn that you must make special accommodations for travel and special outings.

Many of the new things you learn may be confusing or challenging at first, but at this stage, you give it your best effort, because you want to feel better. It’s about progress, not perfection.

A healthy person has healthy habits, and an unhealthy person has unhealthy habits. If you’re struggling with weight loss, you cannot reverse the problem with an unhealthy habit or mindset. It was your lifestyle choices that brought you to where you are today, so if you want to succeed, you must be willing to take different actions in order to get a different result! This journey is not about focusing on the results. It’s about focusing on your why and your vision and the process it will take to get you there.

Change the mindset that is sabotaging your health

Are you a procrastinator? Do you lack self-confidence? Are you hiding behind your excuses? You may be struggling to reach your goals, because you allow yourself to hide behind your work obligations or your family obligations. I get it. I used to hide behind my children as reasons why I couldn’t accomplish my weight loss goals as well, but I turned that around and my biggest excuse became my biggest motivator.

You must get honest about where you are in your life and the mindset that got you there in the first place, because once you get real with that, you will begin to learn from it and finally move from it. It’s hard to move forward if you are not willing to let go of those thoughts and actions that have been holding you back. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable as you begin to move from your old self to your new self. Focus on your why, your goals, your vision and the weight, and everything else will take care of itself.

Everybody needs help

I can’t say enough about how beneficial a good support system is when you are making some big changes in your life. Most people quit because they get tired of waiting, or the program doesn’t meet their expectations in the time they want. As a result, they end right back at square one, frustrated, and believing that what they were doing was not working.

The sad truth about this is that in many cases, when you feel impatient and ready to quit, you may be closer than you think to your breakthrough, and you may not ever get to experience freedom if you give up too soon. In your journey, you should seek a community that will support you, keep you engaged, committed, and encouraged. It can be very difficult at times to stay motivated, which is why you need that support.

No matter what exercise program you do, or supplements you take. If you’re not taking consistent action, you are doomed to fail, and inconsistent action leads to inconsistent results. No matter where you are in your journey, you can always benefit from having people cheer you on and lift you up when you’re feeling down.

Takeaways 

• Get clear on your why and your vision
• Break your bigger vision into smaller goals
• Monitor your progress as you make adjustments along the way
• Take consistent action towards your vision
• Seek a community will keep you accountable and cheer you on
• Be patient and trust the process

Let’s talk about how I can help you get to your ideal health destination. Request a free 45-minute Breakthrough Call. CLICK HERE to get on my schedule.

Download your free Food Shopping Guide and don’t forget to check out The Heal Deal Podcast for more valuable insights into your journey to healing.

Until next time, go out there and achieve more freedom in your health and your life!

Dr. Leona