Anytime you are trying to change a behavior or lifestyle you first need to really take a moment and dig deep down and change your current mindset. I also like to call it “find your click”. I believe when I first started on my journey, I was ready to make the change and embrace this new lifestyle journey and because I knew the amount of weight I wanted to lose, I needed to be 100% committed. There was something that was driving me to be so determined that I found “my click” and it has been on ever since. Now, I want to also note that you will want to remember that your journey is about progress NOT perfection!! If you get caught up in the fact you need to be perfect, you will get frustrated and potentially be derailed.
Ways to Keep Your New Mindset
I found that by writing down positive statements on note cards and keeping them in my daily journal, they were then available to me whenever needed. Again, try to remember that you do not need to be perfect but do work on keeping your motivation and determination. The following are some bullet points that I’ve written down to help me not only get started and/or keep going:
- What is important to you
- What do you need to be successful
- What steps do you need to take to remove barriers (clean out your cupboards; clean out your refrigerator; have a family meeting to share your goals and give them ways that can help you )
- One statement that I would repeat is “nothing tastes as good as thin feels”
Keeping a journal can also really help you with exploring your emotions through the process. There seriously is so much more to losing weight than just calories in and calories out! In the past, if I would have a few cookies, I would beat myself up so much that I would say screw it and just eat the rest of the sleeve of cookies. In these past 19 months, I have really worked at listening to my body, really thinking about everything I consumed and then enjoyed and savored what I was eating, thinking about how it is nourishing my body and to really think about what I’m going through emotionally.
Life Happens and How to Work Through it
Throughout the last several months, learning how to cope with life and not turn to food was a big step for me! In November, 2019, I had surgery to remove my gallbladder and just as so many others across the world experienced stress and loss due to the pandemic, I lost my dad to a heart attack during this time. I was devastated and at a loss during such a sad and stressful time. Normally, I would turn to food to soothe the emotions and “help” me feel better but through my coach at Profile and talking to my husband, I was able to find other ways to channel my emotions. I would go for a walk, clean out a closet, journal, brush my teeth, anything I could do to not turn to food. Learning to listen to your body and mind is so crucial to your success. Really take the time to listen before grabbing that cookie, chip, extra brownie or whatever it is.
As you continue to go through your own journey, remember how important it is to accept yourself and give yourself grace! You are in charge of your own destiny, no matter what happens.