Today I'm here to tell you that weight loss is not an event…
It's not something that happens just one time. I'm here to tell you that weight loss is a lifestyle. Probably you know that but I'm going to give you details about it because it's especially important that you have this information.
I have a client that was struggling to lose weight in the past, but now she has been very successful. She has been training with us for a year and a half and the first thing that she noticed is that this is a lifestyle. She figured out what she wanted and started transforming her life.
There's going to be many events in your life, so you need to figure out what you want from life. I know you want to be happy. I know that you want to be successful. I know that you want to have a nice body; you want to have a happy family. But the one thing you must understand is that you have to pay the price.
The first thing you need to think about is what you are going to do every day to get there. There are a lot of distractions out there, the Internet, Facebook, spending time watching television, hanging out with your friends and just wasting time. I'm not saying all that is bad, but it’s going to take you away from the goals that you have set for yourself.
Weight loss is only a part of life…
You should not be focusing only on weight loss and just putting all your energy there because you need to think about other areas of your life, such as finding out what career you want to pursue, what you want for your family, what hobbies you like, find out how you want to grow in your personal development, find out how you want to grow your profession. Once you find out what you need to do, then put it all together and work toward that goal every day, every single second, minute, hour, day, week… put your energy towards your goal and that will help you reach it.
There is no reason for you to actually drop your weight loss program if you are having a difficult moment in your life…
If you are going through a divorce, if you need to complete a couple of courses, to get another degree or to learn something because you need to change careers. Whatever it is, you can still focus on your weight loss because it's only part of your life. It's not the only thing that you focus on. The same thing with your career, your family life or your finances. All these things you have to make room for and manage every day.
Life is going to continue happening and you can’t stop moving forward with your weight loss. Let life happen and continue with your goals.
So that's the first thing you have to learn that weight loss is not an event...
it's something that you need to do every day. Once you develop healthy weight loss habits, everything is going to become easier. It’s just like driving a car with a clutch. Back in the past when I learned how to drive a stick shift, I remember how difficult it was for me to think about the stick, the clutch, the brake, the acceleration, the mirrors… There is so much to think about in the beginning; I would stall the car many times. I needed to learn all the patterns. Right now, I can drive a standard car, no problem.
And the reason why is because my body has mastered it and knows how to do it. So every single time you do something new your body needs to master it for it to become easier. At first you have to think about it every day to master it. It’s going to take time. The first couple of weeks, the first month, maybe even the second month is going to be difficult for you but once you master it, once you have a plan, once you do it every day, it becomes automatic. This is how your new healthy weight loss habits will become automatic.
This is going to lead me to the second point that I want to talk about, controlling your thoughts…
We know a lot about positive thinking about controlling our thoughts. We know about what is in your mind is what you create and what creates you, who you are is your mind, your thoughts, your beliefs, and your standards.
One thing to remember is that just like your brain is a muscle, when you are lifting weights or when you're learning to drive, or when you are learning to do anything, it takes time for you to go from one level to another. For example, if you're lifting 15 lbs and you want to go to 25 lbs, you're not going to do it right away. You need to build that muscle to be able to do it gradually until you get there. The same when you're learning how to do something new as I just explained. You need to learn step by step how to get there. And little by little it becomes easier.
The same thing with your thoughts, if you have negative thoughts, you're not going to be able to control them overnight. Those negative thoughts are going to come out. They are like weeds in a garden or like when you clean your house, you don’t just do it once. You clean it each time it gets messy. We must continue to put things in order. It’s like removing those weeds from your garden, doing those things daily, it becomes natural. The same goes with your negative thoughts. It will become natural, but you must train your brain to overcome those negative thoughts. You need to be aware; you need to be conscious of the fight you are having internally and it's ok because in the beginning it's going to be just like lifting weights or just like doing something new. It's going to be tiring and you will want to give up because it's not easy, but if you do it every day, it becomes easier.
Now, if you are a very negative person, you're going to notice that you are in the habit of telling yourself negative things and as soon as you catch that, you need to replace it with something positive. Here is an example, today if you say to yourself, “I'm so tired; I can't do this,” so right away tell yourself, “I can do this.” Each time you do that, replacing the negative with the positive, you will accomplish whatever goals you set for yourself.
When you have those negative thoughts, you need to fight them…
In the past I was a very negative person, but I can tell you right now I am very positive. People around me noticed that and it didn’t happen overnight. I wasn’t born this way. I would have negative thoughts many times every day. Now it’s very seldom that I have negative thoughts. But when they do come up, the secret is that I need to stop those negative thoughts. Let them know that you are more powerful than they are and each time you do that it will become easier. Start looking at the positive side of your weight loss and your life in general. Think about all the rewards you will enjoy and not how painful it is.
In summary, remember weight loss is not a one-time event, make it a lifestyle. Enjoy it. Control your thoughts. Start controlling those thoughts to overcome difficulty and remember that everything that you do in life, always do your best and do it with love. Not only will it contribute to your happiness, but at the same time others will notice it and it will fulfill your life.