Why am I Fat?
It’s likely that you can’t blame it on genes or big bones as people often do. It’s more likely that you learned behaviors from family and friends that weren’t good lifestyle choices.
Why is it hard to Change?
The human body will protect itself. Instinctual responses to stress have kept humans surviving during times of stress for thousands of years.
Intelligence or Emotion
It is a fact that when we become emotionally attached to things, we tend to hold onto them. We are all attached to who we think we are as a human being. You might think you are attractive, cute, thin, or overweight. You have created an identity for your life whether you like it or not. Your upbringing will determine how ingrained you feel about certain things.
What most of us do and what weight loss plans do is to come up with an intellectual plan of action. Don’t eat this and eat that. The underlying assumption is that you just don’t understand what is good for you or bad for you. And, if your intelligence was the main lacking factor, then these plans would work for most people.
The emotional factor of the brain is far stronger than the intellectual side. The mind will go to great lengths to preserve and protect the emotional side from being hurt. Going through any types of change will cause great stress. What most people do is a knee jerk reaction. They protect who they are and how they have lived.
How to Overcome the Emotional Factor
Positive stories about how you will overcome your weight problem will go a long way. You need to convince yourself that you are a thin person that is coming out soon. Tell yourself positive stories and affirm to yourself that your past is not your future. You are a truly thin and attractive person. Positive emotional stories will help to counteract the minds resistance to change.
Friends are also a powerful influence for good. Friends that are optimistic and supportive of your efforts will help your psyche. You need this help, a lot, to make changes. That is why many of the most successful people that lose weight have done it by making friends with people. Making friends makes working out more enjoyable, but more importantly supports your emotional mind and that is what you need. Studies have shown, for instance, that people that go to the Weight Watchers meetings do a lot better than those that go it alone online. There is a relationship between relationships and weight control.
Self Esteem
One of the guys that was on Opra, can’t remember the name, put someone on a diet. He spent absolutely no time on telling them what to eat. Instead, he focused on their self esteem. Why? He was supporting their emotional health by making them feel good. Out of the people on the show, this person lost the most weight.
The bottom line is that self esteem is a big factor. If you feel happy and valued, you will treat your body better. Even if you feel that you are a good person, do you also feel like a valuable person? Once again, positive affirmations and supportive friends can help raise a self esteem a lot.
Optimism
To support your psyche, it is extremely important to be optimistic. People will be attracted to your optimism and you will find that the stories you tell yourself will get better and better. Over time, you will see that you are doing great. People love to support and help people that are truly trying and that are positive. To be optimistic, thank God every day for your wonderful life and for sending people and things into your life to help you.
Details
Details are really about doing the work.
Keep a Food Diary
A lot of losing weight is working out details. You need to keep a diary of what you eat. You will see food trends and be able to make better choices.
Be Active
To be active, you may need to seek out groups to walk with, bike with, run, or whatever you like to do. The details is in going out, finding out, and doing it.
Many people have lost a lot of weight just by keeping a diary. I have also known countless people that try to lose weight that have never kept a diary. Just like anything, you need to be willing to do the work.
Motivation
You certainly lack motivation. Assume I said that I would give you a million dollars if you lost 20 pounds. You would certainly do it. Even people a hundred pounds or more over weight would lose it all for a million dollars. Since this is true for 99% of people, it shows the true lack of motivation.
It may Cost You a Million Anyway
Ok, so nobody is going to give you a million dollars for losing wait. It could actually cost you a million. Suppose you have a heart attack or get cancer and the doctor bills are for a million. You see, you are actually saving yourself tons of money by being healthy and it may actually be a million dollars.
Motivation Story
Acute and severe pain can also be a motivator. Can you learn from others mistakes or do you need some pain. I know of one person that never ate fruits and vegetables and was very overweight. One day they couldn’t walk because of gastrointestinal pain (diverticulosis). After spending some time at the emergency room in pain for several hours this person vowed to change.
He became afraid to eat out of fear of another attack. He lost the wait quickly out of fear and has kept it off. Now, he eats a balanced diet and is his ideal weight. There is nothing like some acute pain to get you to do the right thing.
You Don’t Get Away With Anything
The main point is that you don’t get away with anything. If you are overweight, disease and acute pain are coming to get you back to your senses. It’s the wise person that realizes they should do something now; before a crisis.
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