Discipline YourSELF!
Let’s talk a little more about the fascinating art of weight loss. If
you look around, most of the world around you is pretty shallow, right?
Everybody is trying to figure out, what is the quickest way for me to
lose weight in the shortest amount of time, like it’s some kind of game.
You have Jillian Michaels boasting her athletic prowess on one
website. Then there are the Kardashian sisters talking about toning
their glutes and legs on this channel as you surf for something to
watch. There are so many different weight loss ads, it can make your
head spin. So what do you do in a world that is hell bent on making you
look like the Kardashians and Michaels and you-fill-in-the-blanks of
the world? Discipline yourself!
First of all, in your trek to total body success and results, you must realize these three things:
1. If it took you two years to gain those 30 pounds, what makes you
think that any diet outside of liposuction, lap band, and gastric bypass
is going to make you lose that weight in a week? You won’t believe
some of the extreme things that I have heard when approached with
helping people lose weight, particularly those who have a, ahem,
deadline to meet (wedding bells, anyone???) The scenario goes a little
something like this….”So how much weight are you looking to lose or what
size would you like to see yourself in?” “Weeeeelll, I would like to
lose ummmm, 15…..30….60 pounds!” “And by when? (this question is for
pure amusement, because no one leaves this question unanswered)”
“Ummmm, by the end of the month!” Blank stare…
2. Your genetic pool
is definitely not the same as anybody else’s! You are one unique
entity, so do not gauge your rate of weight loss (or gain for those who
seek to gain muscle/weight) with the next person’s. Doing this will
only set you up for failure psychologically, and once that begins, your
drive to lose weight will either decline, or it will cause you to do
some extreme and usually unhealthy or unsafe things to reach that goal.
3. Use common sense. Okay, I will say this one more time. USE COMMON
SENSE. If said person decides to clean up their lifestyle and become
healthy, however, they decide, “Hey, I think I will have a couple of
cheat days”. Then don’t be mad if you did not reach your goal. If you
are serious about doing something, then nothing, not even a greasy
burger, a mozzarella stick, nor a gallon of sweet tea will stand in your
way. Continuing along the lines of common sense, those celebrities
that you are fawning over have, guess what? TRAINERS, CHEFS/MEAL
PREPARERS, and SURGEONS (helloooo? Duh?), which the average Joe does
not. I mean, if we all had a team of these special people, we would all
be actors and actresses, now wouldn’t we?
But since we don’t and we
do not obviously live in a fair or perfect world, you have to work with
what you have. Back to the discipline thing. Reaching any goal in
life requires what? Discipline. In order for you to get what you want,
including the perfect body for yourself (not for someone else or to
please anyone else), then you must buckle down and discipline your mind
and body to achieve these results. Realize that changing your lifestyle
and habits that you have accustomed yourself to over a period of time
will take some getting used to, and it is no overnight thing, so don’t
expect overnight results or you will be disappointed. Some of the
things that you can do to ensure that you stay on the right track
towards becoming healthy and in shape are as follows:
a. Don’t trust
yourself to push yourself hard enough to get the results you need.
Grab a buddy and make them push you! Workout in doubles or more. And
you pay it forward and push them as well.
b. Clean your pantry and
refrigerator out! If you are serious and sick and tired of looking or
feeling the way you do, because you are not happy with your body image,
then take the steps and change it! And this is one of the ways to do
so. Throw away the junk!
c. Hold yourself accountable for your
actions. Keep a food journal! Many successful people keep some kind of
diary, journal, agenda, to-do list available so they can jot things
down. A food journal is just like this. I can promise you that if you
are aware of what you are eating everyday (because we typically don’t
remember this), you can look back and see where you need to make changes
at in your food intake. It also helps you keep track of your caloric
intake.
d. EAT! You have to eat to lose weight, believe it or not.
Follow the old mantra, eat every couple of hours (like, every 3-4) to
keep your metabolism up and running so your blood sugar levels don’t
fluctuate and cause you to grab the nearest Snicker bar…
e. Keep in
mind that you are who you are! Nobody can change that no matter what,
so work at your own pace. Whether it takes you 2 years or 20 years to
get where you need to be, that is your business and nobody else’s.
With that being said, feel free to comment on what steps you took to
make a change in your life, whether it be weight loss or anything else.