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Long term weight control starts in your mind. You are at exactly where you need to be.
If you are overweight and unhappy, the solution is not in another diet book or celebrity trainer. If you find yourself always back at the same place every few years (or maybe months), you need to figure out what is holding you back. Weight control starts in your mind. You are at exactly where you need to be. You cannot move pass GO unless you figure out why you are holding on to your weight.
You heard me right. Subconsciously, you are holding on to your weight. Is a shield that you have built up over the years? Is it your connection to your family or friends? Are you using your excess weight as an excuse to avoid other issues in your life?
You are at exactly where you need to be
A co-worker of mine asked me how come I am always so even keel at work. “Things just don’t seem to frustrate you. Don’t you get sick of making your 10th revision on a document?” she asked.
No, I have not discovered the secrets to a zen workplace. But all those self help books I read in my twenties are finally starting to help. I cannot control situations. But I can control how I react to situations. And my choice is to not let frustrating situations bother me. I apply this philosophy is most areas of my life (except when I am hungry, then I am just plain old cranky).
You have the same choice about weight control and your body image. No one can make you feel worthless unless you let them. With three younger sisters all under the age of 25, sometimes I get so angry with how TV portrays women in their age group (nice clothes, handsome boyfriends, size 2 bodies, etc). These TV women are always so poised and looked like they have a secret roadmap of their life in front of them (I know it is call a script).
One of my younger sisters confessed to me that she feels so inadequate and confuse because she does not know what to do with her life. Hello, you’re 19 and in college. You are supposed to have no idea what you want to do with your life. There is no shame in stumbling around until you find something that clicks.
Even at 31 years old I still have no idea what I want to do with my life. I am open to the possibility that I could be doing something different in a few years, but I am content with how things are progressing until it does. You just got to have faith that you are at exactly where you need to be.
Getting rid of mental garbage for long term weight control
I have 5 pounds of excess weight that gives me some concern, but does not give me heartburn. I am 140 pounds at 5’3”. I exercise and eat pretty well majority of the time. I have the knowledge to give myself that extra push to drop the weight if I want to. I dropped down to 136 pounds after 4 months of following an exercise program dvd set last year for my wedding without any modification to my eating, but afterwards I just I didn’t want to continue pushing myself. I am at exactly where I need to be.
I remember my first week at my internship. I was 21 years old and eager to begin my engineering career. Every single male between the ages of 20-50 came by my cubicle to chat with me. I thought they were being friendly until I started getting lunch and dinner invitations.
I was also the favorite at my next job for my work ethics and insatiable desire to learn more about engineering. A co-worker complained to me that “that it is easier to be a pretty young girl.” I can’t help it if he doesn’t take the time to learn the drafting and design software. You don’t just stop learning once you are out of school.
Do you see a pattern here? Can you see why I am holding on to that extra 5 pounds? I am afraid that once I lose the weight, my success at work would be overshadowed by being a “pretty young girl.” I know that I am 31, but trust me, I can pass for 25. Maybe this is no longer a true concern, but in my mind it still is. I am at exactly where I need to be.
Visualizing success
When I get unbelievably frustrated at work, I take a moment to practice some visualization. I imagine that I am standing beneath a waterfall I saw in Maui. I am standing underneath the waterfall, with an upturn face (cheesy huh?). My eyes are closed. I keep repeating to myself “let it all wash away.” I take some deep breaths. Five minutes later and you cannot even tell that I want to kick someone’s gonads.
When my weight creeps past 140 pounds, I practice the same visualization technique regularly. I repeat the same mantra, “let it all wash away.” The water flowing pass me is my excess weight. Within 2 or 3 weeks, I am able to lose the 2-3 pounds weight gain without any modification to my life. I probably subconsciously make better food choices. But I just cannot get below the 138 mark without hitting that mental wall. Until I take care of this, there is no way I can move pass GO.
So what is your story? What is holding you back from long term weight control? Weight loss does not begin with taking a walk around the neighborhood. Weight loss begins when you let go of what is holding you back mentally. Can you visualize success? Can you see yourself making your mark in this world without resorting to using your weight as a security blanket?
Until next time and thanks for stopping by.
Photo by: seanmcgrath.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello!
I like your article, i like things about visualization, same thing for the lax of attraction.
When i have a problem or when i’m depressed because of a situation or someone, i always use visualization to resolve my problems.
Recently, i was in big need of money so i was visualizing everyday that i have already pay my bank and how will i feel after doing that and today, i have find a job and no problems with money.
Visualization is our power but some people don’t know that and keep thinking that they are weak and can’t do nothing, ect…
I have use visualization and low of attraction since a few month.
But i didn’t use it yet for my body, so stupid, i was thinking that we can only change tings which are out of us (situations, people, ect), i didn’t know that we can change the physic. ^^”
Okay, now after reading your post, of course, i will use it for a beautiful perfect body. <3
Thanks for this very inspiring article.
Sushie – Visualization is a power tool for imagining success. If you have used it in other areas of your life, you should have no problem doing so with weight loss. Good luck! Thanks for commenting.
Love this! When we THINK success, we ARE success. I definitely believe it’s all about adjusting our mind and attitudes to take life in stride and work WITH it. I, too, have been “holding on” to a few unnecessary pounds, and I know that it’s because of fear. As I have been letting go of that fear, I am also- slowly- getting back down to the weight that my body is happiest at.
Sagan – It’s good to know that others are also holding on to the last few vanity pounds. Sometimes I feel like I should have it all together since I am writing a health blog. But then again, that is whole point of blogging, letting others know that even the healthy individuals have their hang ups. Thanks for the comment.
I don”t disagree with this, however the mind can learn sometimes to be more helpful if you just do it when it comes to exercise rather than thinking about doing it.
Dr J – I am not trying to say that you only visualize without trying to exercise. That is like watching exercise dvds without actually breaking a sweat. It does not work that way.
Sometimes it is the emotional baggage that is holding us back from completing the last mile, from losing the last 5-10 pounds. If you can”t accept the new healthy person staring back at you in the mirror, eventually you will become the old unhealthy you (unconscious self sabotage).