The Word on Weightloss

The truth is this: In order to lose weight you need to have the conviction, motivation, drive and desire to be successful. There is no magic pill or easy diet...it takes hard work and dedication to your weight loss plan, fitness regime and a change in lifestyle.

Start your weight loss program with a journal and dedicate the first four pages to these four words as they relate to your goals for losing weight and becoming healthier:

• Conviction
• Motivation
• Drive
• Desire

Take some time, ask yourself some questions and write your thoughts. Do I have the conviction to do this? What is my motivation? What’s going to drive me to be successful? What is my desire – why do I want to do this? Understanding these pieces of the puzzle and how they work together will help make what might seem impossible, possible. Answering these tough questions will help clarify your weight loss goals for two reasons:

1. Losing weight is challnging and can be difficult.
2. You have got to be realistic.

Conviction
Inevitably during your weight loss program, whether at the beginning, middle or close to the end, you’ll probably ask yourself – Why am I doing this? This is a question that could make or break your weight loss plan, so it’s important to know the answer before you ever begin. This is conviction: the belief in yourself that you can do this and that you want to do this.

I always recommend that it’s important to answer this question at the beginning when you're assessing your weight loss goals, so take some time to think about this. You absolutely, without a doubt have to believe in yourself and your abilities to stay focused and muster through your diet. After jotting down a few ideas, keep the journal nearby and refer to this page when you’re feeling less than excited to work out, stick to your diet plan and ready to have that chocolate chip cookie. 

Motivation
What is your motivation? On the hardest days, where you’re ready to quit you’ll need motivation to pull you through. Believing in yourself is one thing, but finding the courage to get through the hard days of dieting or working through a diet plateau, is quite another. It’s so easy to fall off the wagon too, so how are you going to prevent this from happening? Think about it now, even if you’re in the middle of your weight loss plan, get out your journal and write down what motivates you to lose weight.

The answers to this question can be simple, but they must be personal. For example, you might want to lose weight so you can keep up with your children and regain the stamina to play with them all weekend long. Write about the moment that you realized you needed to lose weight. The more personal the reason, the more likely you are to stick with your weight loss plan.   

Drive
Nobody but YOU is going to make sure you reach your diet and fitness goals. You can’t count on anyone else but yourself to achieve weight loss success. You have to be your own driving force. Once you realize this you’re half way there with the right mental attitude!

In order to find your drive, you need to mix motivation with conviction and set it into motion. Think of drive as a verb – the wheels of which you ride every day to meet and even exceed your weight loss goals.

• What will your wheels look like?
• How will you ensure that they never ever go flat along the ride?
• And if your wheels do get a flat along the way, how do you plan on repairing and moving forward along the same path?

Think about these questions and write them in your journal. Use this section as a refresher, and refer to it as often as you need.

Desire
For many of us on a weight loss plan, there was a end-all moment that made us "just do it." Maybe we became disgusted with eating habits, we couldn’t fit into favorite clothes, or we received a wake up call from the doctor about the state of our health. No matter the moment, use those feelings and carve them into the desire to see yourself through your weight loss plan.

Every time you're about to reach for that second glass of white wine, or before you roll into the fast food drive-through ask yourself – is this really worth it? Think back to how you felt when you set your desire in motion to achieve your weight loss plan. Recall the memories when you were at your lowest, feel the desire to improve and make the better decisions. 

Goal Setting
Now, after you’ve spent some time writing through each of these key points, review your thoughts and set a goal. Your goal should be the number of pounds you want to lose and the date by which you want to lose them.

• Remember, of course my first two points from the beginning: Weight loss is HARD and above all else, be realistic. Write down your goal and keep a log of weigh-ins along the way.
• If you have a great deal of weight to lose, set mini-milestones and attainable goals along the way to your ultimate goal.
• Celebrate your successes, brush off your stumbles and keep going!

Nobody is going to keep you on track toward your goal better than you. You must prepare, set goals, and reward success.