The problem isn't that you don't have enough will power to achieve what you want. You have will power, but it's not will power you need, it's want power.
You have to first want
You must want to change your habits, want to lose some weight, want to give up your evening snacking before your will comes into play. Once you want a thing badly enough, you will do whatever it takes.
If you think you want something (to make a change in your eating habits perhaps), but then find it difficult to follow-through with your plans, most likely you simply want your current reality (your current habits and patterns) more than you want your goals (less weight, better health, etc.)
I can hear you all the way over here, telling me I'm wrong: "No, that's not right! I want this more than anything, I just don't have any willpower!" Round and round you go, but the truth is, you will get what you really want. Think back, has there ever been a time when you really wanted something? A certain piece of clothing, a certain house, car, job, spouse? Hum... Yes, we go after what we want, if we really want to acquire or achieve it we do. Nothings going to fall in your lap, you've got to go get what you want.
What's Going on?
Put another way, you may want to avoid the pain (breaking old habits, avoiding some favorite foods, simply not overeating...) more than you want to gain the pleasure (losing some weight, gaining new habits, eating favorite foods in moderation ...)
Since losing weight takes time, from weeks to months to years, it's easy to fall off the path. It's always easier to get back into our old habits of eating, eating, and more eating. There's always more food. Unless you are too poor to purchase it, there's plenty food in America - in fact, too much food, and so it becomes even more necessary to keep the longer-term goals in mind.
How do you keep the longer-term goals in mind, when the short-term food is staring you in the face? What about all the treats offered, what about the commercials, the billboards, the signs everywhere that say EAT?
Wanting, in fact, is the "W", the first step in the W.H.A.C.K approach. See it in the free e-book, changing beliefs, your first step to permanent weight loss.
Think back to when you last really wanted something. Wanted it more than anything, had to have it, would do just about anything to get it. To want is a mighty powerful motivator, but surprisingly we aren't all motivated by what we want. Some of us are motivated by avoiding what we don't want.
What is your Motivation Strategy?
Motivation comes in two (or more) flavors. You can be motivated towards something (what you'll gain) or you can be motivated away from something (what you'll lose). This desiring to avoid can be confusing. I'm saying you must want something, and you're thinking, but I don't want to be fat. I can't think about my future, only what I don't want. Here is what's going on:
Motivation: Toward
If you are motivated by what you'll gain you find it easy to look ahead and see your future shapely body, you'll see people around you with admiring glances, you'll hear their compliments, you'll smell the good food and feel good knowing you can eat enough to be satisfied, and then say you're full. You've had enough, thank you. You'll be in control of your life. You'll want what you visualize more than anything, and you'll do whatever it takes to get it. If asked what movie to go see, they'll have a few ideas, and tell you why.
Motivation: Away
If you are motivated by what you'll lose you'll focus on what you want to avoid. For example, you want to avoid dying, you want to avoid being too heavy to enjoy playing with the kids, you want to avoid gasping for breath when you climb a flight of stairs. You want to avoid the embarrassment, the humiliation of other people's remarks and rude glances. You don't want any of that anymore, and you don't want it to the extent that you'll do whatever it takes to avoid these things. If you ask them what they want for dinner, they'll tell you they don't want Chinese, or pizza. It can be difficult to get someone motivated this way to actually say what they do want!
Knowing your motivation strategy makes it easier to find methods that support your preferred strategy. If you are motivated toward, you may enjoy cutting our pictures of people in great shape with similar body types to yours. Find models wearing clothes that would look good on you, pictures of swimming pools, holiday places you'd enjoy; the types of things that go into a dream board.
If you motivated away, then make a list of what you want to avoid and elaborate on that list. Why don't you want these things? The more detailed you are, the more likely you'll truly do what it takes to avoid them.
Hopefully these ideas will get you thinking, and much about making changes in our lives comes down to thinking it through. Realizing what we really want can get us past the hurdles of what we already have. To affect change isn't necessarily comfortable, until you've worked at it for awhile, and then suddenly your changed behavior has become your new behavior and the effort is over.
Kathryn Martyn, is a Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, and author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss. Visit changing beliefs, your first step to permanent weight loss to see how she gave up 80 pounds over 20 years ago and how you can do the same.
best cleaning company Lincolnshire ..Many gastric bypass patients report melon to be one of... Read More
No doubt about it, when we feel stressed we want... Read More
Its crowded..really crowded..every other site offers Weight Loss Programs and... Read More
There is no doubt about it; Americans are eating in... Read More
How was it for you? Did you get through the... Read More
When it comes to our weight and the appearance of... Read More
If you have been trying to lose weight permanently, then... Read More
From the book Spider's Big CatchLike many people, I've decided... Read More
Looking for Diet Programs on net is like looking for... Read More
Okay, so you've read some of these articles, done your... Read More
Experts tell us that overweight or obese children have reached... Read More
Have you ever experienced this scenario before?"I have successfully lost... Read More
Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is often viewed as a quick... Read More
Is it easy to lose weight? Yes. Losing weight is... Read More
When Instant Results Take TimeYesterday I decided to "get back... Read More
Natural therapies uphold the importance of minerals, vitamins and herbs... Read More
Are you overweight?Most people are afraid to admit they are.It... Read More
Why was the FDA trying to hide the facts about... Read More
Now I know you're always asking yourself questions.You know the... Read More
Abdominal liposuction refers to liposuction, or lipoplasty, that is performed... Read More
From personal experience I have myself like all of you... Read More
An article published in http://www.inch-aweigh.com mentioned, "If you are eating... Read More
A common question among weight loss professionals...If fad diets don't... Read More
With weight loss comes a lot of dedication and change... Read More
From the moment of birth your first emotional experiences establish... Read More
on demand house cleaning Lake Forest ..The story broke in the international press on October 4th,... Read More
The importance of drinking water is mentioned in almost every... Read More
You can overcome the desires of your sweet-tooth by incorporating... Read More
How's the practicing going? Are you spending time each day... Read More
There's a dirty little secret in the diet industry. The... Read More
Let's face when it comes to overweight and obesity there... Read More
More and more people are starting to recognize that they... Read More
Maybe you've heard about body dysmorphia ? it's a mental... Read More
Self-acceptance and body love can be tough concepts to grasp... Read More
Have you ever wished for a diet where you ate... Read More
1. Start Exercising first thing in the morning.As soon as... Read More
Reducing childhood obesity in the U.S. needs to be a... Read More
You may have read the old stories about how much... Read More
As a Master swimmer I am made painfully aware, each... Read More
When most people begin a Weight Loss program or diet... Read More
Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat.... Read More
Trash Your TV! is pleased to announce the easiest weight... Read More
I had lost nearly fifty pounds before anyone mentioned my... Read More
According to the BMI chart, if you are overweight, you... Read More
In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More
Whole grains and weight loss have a definite, scientific, and... Read More
The cost of gastric bypass surgery and other bariatric surgical... Read More
Believe it or not, losing a little or a lot... Read More
If you have recently found yourself fretting over your child's... Read More
The purpose of this article is not to scrutinize, vilify,... Read More
Weight Loss |