When you think about it, the term "lose weight" is kinda silly. When you lose your keys, you go looking for them - right? When you lose your glasses, your kitty, your car in a large parking lot, the only thing you really want is to get it back.
Besides, making a real effort to LOSE anything seems kinda weird. Could you imagine putting this much effort into losing a basketball game or even a game of cards? No matter how you look at it, losing is defeating and most of the time we avoid it like the plague.
Maybe that is one small reason that losing weight is so darned difficult! Our mind is trying to avoid losing! While that may sound silly, it's not. Experts in the field of psychology are now finding that the way we think about difficult tasks has an effect on the outcome. It might just be likely that thinking about losing all the time may not be helping you.
Try this. When you think about losing weight, try focusing on what you GAIN.
HERE IS THE MISSION:
Write down as many things as you can that you will GAIN by losing weight.
Post the list where you can see it every day. Use pictures to illustrate your gains if you want!
Read the list everyday for a week, AND
Try to remember at least one thing from the list when you are faced with a difficult eating situation.
Email me with any insights that you gain from this exercise.
Remember, your excess weight is not at all like your keys, glasses, kitty or car. When you finally do exile (not lose) it, you NEVER want it back! I am sure you want to Lose Weight for Good! and I am here to help you do just that.
Sincerely,
Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu
Lose Weight for Good!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
I had a nurse friend of mine make a very interesting observation about chronic illness. She said that "chronic illness is something insidious that consumes bits and pieces of a person's self-esteem, independence, quality of life and quality of relationships. And most people are not even aware of it."
I see this a lot in my work with people who are trapped in a body that is too big for the life they want to lead. Unfortunately, being overweight is basically a chronic disease and most people are not aware of it until . . . the light goes on.
The light, however, is different for everyone. Most of the time it arises from some kind of discomfort. An extreme uneasiness about where you are. For me, it took an actual diagnosis of per-diabetes. Since my vision of myself included that I was NOT chronically ill, this new (reversible) diagnosis was my light bulb. I don't mind telling you, I was really uncomfortable with the idea of being sick, blind and legless depending on the help of others for many of my basic needs.
The key to making this discomfort bearable is to recall the words of M. Scott Peck- “The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
Often this discomfort is created from getting in touch with where you want to go. Visioning what you want so vividly that you can feel it in your bones. Wanting it so bad, you can't help but to be committed. I mean all-in committed.
Once you have that vision, it becomes like your true NORTH. It is the ONLY magnetic pull strong enough to keep your motivational compass pointed toward your goal. Your vision is what keeps you going in the right direction.
I see this a lot in my work with people who are trapped in a body that is too big for the life they want to lead. Unfortunately, being overweight is basically a chronic disease and most people are not aware of it until . . . the light goes on.
The light, however, is different for everyone. Most of the time it arises from some kind of discomfort. An extreme uneasiness about where you are. For me, it took an actual diagnosis of per-diabetes. Since my vision of myself included that I was NOT chronically ill, this new (reversible) diagnosis was my light bulb. I don't mind telling you, I was really uncomfortable with the idea of being sick, blind and legless depending on the help of others for many of my basic needs.
The key to making this discomfort bearable is to recall the words of M. Scott Peck- “The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
Often this discomfort is created from getting in touch with where you want to go. Visioning what you want so vividly that you can feel it in your bones. Wanting it so bad, you can't help but to be committed. I mean all-in committed.
Once you have that vision, it becomes like your true NORTH. It is the ONLY magnetic pull strong enough to keep your motivational compass pointed toward your goal. Your vision is what keeps you going in the right direction.
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