October 16th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, exercise, motivation
It is a lot easier to stick with a diet plan when you are motivated, but for many, that is easier said than done. Often, it is quite simple to make that first step and become motivated, but if you can’t stay that way, chances are your diet will not be as successful as it could be. While each person needs to find their own motivator, there are some tips that can help you find the right motivation and keep your momentum going.
First, it is important to find a motivation that is based on more than just “losing weight.” This is probably the first motivator that many people turn to, but when faced with deprivation of their favorite foods, and lots of exercise, it’s all too easy to fall back and lose that motivation. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with having this motivation, it may be necessary to break it down a little more than that to help you find a way to keep your motivation going full steam ahead.
One of the easies ways to do this is to look beyond that nebulous “lose weight” phrase and break it down. Why do you want to lose weight? What do you hope to accomplish by losing weight? By breaking it down you can begin to develop weight loss goals that go beyond numbers, and these are powerful tools that can help you stay motivated for the long term. Each time you reach one of those goals, you’ll feel that rush and the desire to stay on track to reach the next one.
Write down everything that you hope to achieve by losing weight. If the phrase “so people will like me more,” or a variant of that crops up, immediately delete it. So many people use this as a motivator and are crushed when they find that they are no more attractive to others thin than they were when they are heavy. This is the time to be selfish – to take everyone else out of the equation. You need to focus on you since at the end of the day, you are going to be the only one holding the Ben and Jerry’s and facing temptation.
Once you are firmly in your own corner and you have your list of goals, you need to place them in a prominent spot. That way you can easily be reminded of what you are striving for, and you will be more likely to keep moving ahead. Cross off each one as you reach it and you’ll find that the desire to get to the next goal increases with every single check mark.
Motivation is a powerful tool and when used properly, it can be the best way to lose weight. Without the right motivation and the desire to meet your goals, dieting is not only unpleasant, but it can be fruitless. Write up your goals today and then start to put into motion your plan to reach them.
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August 15th, 2008 — Book Review, calories, diet, exercise, fad diets, healthy eating, motivation, nutrition
Out of all the diet books we have ever seen, this one simply has the best cover. Nothing gets the point of the title across better than a pie-eyed dog staring at you over a bowl of what looks like very unappetizing cereal. The author of this book is the renowned Bradley Trevor Greive, who is a very big person in the gift book industry. It turns out that Greive is also a pretty big person in real life and he decided to write a book about his journey from 280 pounds to fit.
The sense of humor Greive has makes this one of the most entertaining books on the market. His chronicles of dieting and what he learned along the way will keep you enthralled and most likely, laughing quite a bit. His main premise is that dieting is pretty insane, especially when you're hungry, and he feels that he has found why so many diets just don't work - simply put - they're too mentally difficult to stick to.
As Greive found out, the best way to lose weight, and keep it off, is through an entire lifestyle change. It's not going to happen overnight, but if you keep at it, you will be successful. Our favorite piece of advice though was his best method of dieting - keep your mouth shut. As he put it, that's one of the best ways to reduce your caloric intake - even if it's not always going to work.
The tone of the book is very light but don't let that fool you. There is some really useful advice in here and it is definitely well worth the read. Through his engaging prose, Greive tries to open the reader's eyes to the fact that all of the diet fads and difficult diets in the world aren't going to help you until you make that step to get healthy first, and then lose weight.
Although technically there really was nothing new in this book - we all know how important it is to eat right and exercise - but the author managed to put all of these things into a fresh new perspective. He is a great motivator and we believe that this book has what it takes to actually change lives instead of offering false hope and a hefty cover price. Through Greive's mistakes and his humor, you may just find the inspiration you need to put his advice to good use.
Overall, we found this to be a fantastic read that was well worth our time. Entertaining books are just more fun to read and we were happy to report that we were indeed sad when it ended. This is the measure of a great book, and Greive hit all the right notes. If you're trying to lose weight or if you just want to get a bit healthier, we highly recommend this engaging book.
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July 24th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, body image, motivation, wellness
If you are struggling with your weight and your self esteem, there are many different things that you might find that you are not doing. Whether it’s wearing a favorite outfit, going to a gym to exercise or even just having fun, many of us end up self exiled hermits due to our weight. While this can be a great motivator, for most, it is self defeating behavior that may make it harder to lose weight. Here are some tips on how to start owning your body and getting back into life.
1. Start respecting yourself.
How many times do you avoid mirrors, or grimace at your own reflection? It’s time to stop that self destructive behavior and start finding things to life. It may be difficult, especially if you have spent most of your life putting yourself down. The secret is – when you don’t believe in yourself – no one else will either. You’ve got to start upping your self respect if you want people to respect you. Your exercise is: Find one thing that you like about yourself, such as your eye color, how shiny your hair is, or a favorite body part. Look at yourself in the mirror and declare that you are beautiful/handsome and that you love yourself. Repeat until you no longer feel silly.
2. Start hiding yourself in your clothing.
When you are dealing with a weight problem, your outfits of choice are probably black and not exactly form fitting. You may even develop an attachment to these clothes and use them to cloak your true body and personality. It’s time to break free of that mental block and start freshening up your wardrobe. Although black is slimming, it’s also pretty boring and it gives people the impression that you are overly somber. Loose clothes often make us look bigger instead of camouflaging our weight. Your exercise is: Buy one shirt or clothing item in your absolute, all time favorite color. Now, wear it immediately. No ifs, ands or buts. Put in on and you will probably notice that you collect quite a few compliments that day.
3. Stop hiding and get out there.
Self confidence is the most attractive thing in any human being. If you lack confidence, you’ll project that and as such, people will either overlook you, or worse. You’ve got to start working on building up that self confidence. The first exercise will help you stop beating yourself up, but now you’ve got to take it to the next level. You are beautiful/handsome and you deserve the best right now – not when you lose weight. By adopting this attitude, you’ll find that many different things in your life will start to turn around. Your exercise is: Every night before you go to bed, repeat twenty times: I am confident. Every day when you wake up repeat twenty times: I am confident. You’ve got to fake it until you make it and watch your life start to change!
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