So, I've realized that I want to lose weight, and I've stopped kidding myself about it. But what now?
You have to have an impetus to start losing weight. You also have to have a reason to cling to when you start getting frustrated, bored, or tired of the effort of losing weight. Eating poorly is so much easier than being healthy. So why is it worth it for you to become healthy and to not give up? Although motivation and goals are related, I don't think that they are the same.
Motivator #1 (also known as My Impetus): Self-esteem: I didn't want to feel bad about myself anymore.
I didn't lose weight for vanity. I lost weight for how I felt. I didn't feel bad when I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were blind to the changes my body had taken. My pants were not. Every day when I tried to put on a pair of pants, they screamed at me: "You fatty, you cannot fit into me. RAWR!!!" and THAT made me feel bad. Waking up every morning to have that message everywhere you turn in your closet. Yikes. I refused to buy a new wardrobe. I decided to make a change in my life and to lose weight, instead of buying a bunch of new clothes. I had busted the buckle off of a pair of jeans. My thighs had rubbed holes into another pair of jeans. My 3rd pair of jeans wouldn't close at all. (I write this post while wearing that 3rd pair of jeans, btw.)
I went through my closet and pulled out all of the clothes that I tried to wear everyday, that didn't fit, and that frustrated me to try. I threw them all down the stairs into the basement. I left them there. I assume my husband moved them from there (thanks honey.) I did this because I decided that I wasn't going to feel bad about myself everyday anymore. I wasn't going to try in vain to wear those clothes anymore. I didn't need to get discouraged anymore. I'd "turned that corner." I was going to change. Not fitting in my clothes was my motivation, but I wasn't going to let myself feel bad for not fitting in them. They had to be out of sight.
Motivator #2: Losing weight made me feel good.
Not only did I not feel bad about myself, I actually felt good about myself. I am in control, and that's powerful. I am not a quitter. I am stubborn. I do not fail. I felt proud that I had made a decision to lose weight, and that I was following through on it. I had accomplished something.
Motivator #3: Health. (Kinda funny that "being healthy" came so far down the list. More of that denial stuff, I didn't realize I was unhealthy. Matter of fact, I never thought about health at all.)
Step 3 is an ongoing process. As I lost more weight, and learned more about health, I wanted to become more healthy. I bought a Tanita scale (hereby referred to as "my fancy scale"). It uses electrodes to analyze Weight, Body Fat, Water Weight, Muscle Mass, BMR, Visceral Fat, Metabolic Age, Bone Weight, and then gives your body a Physique Rating. I was shocked when I used it. My Physique was "Small Frame Obese." What do you mean I'm obese?! I've lost 15 lbs! That was an eye-opener. My metabolic age was 15 years older than my real age. That's terrifying and sad. As I reached my 20 lb weight loss milestone, I stopped seeing results in my measurements. I started losing the weight slower. I'd read enough now to know that there was more to health than one measurement (weight). Now I had other measures of the changes (improvements) I was making to my body. More on this when I get to Step 6: Make Goals.
Motivator #4: Vanity.
My husband's main mode of transportation for the last year and a half has been his bicycle. He has amazing legs. Wow. I like his legs a lot. They are literally hard as rocks.
I hate my thighs. Hate, hate, hate. Always have. Man, I want thighs like his. I WILL have thighs like his. Even if it takes me four years to get there. Luckily, I am a cyclist. I became a cyclist. I love cycling. LOVE cycling. Truely, deeply, honestly. I am in love with my bike. I love it. I think about it all the time. I wish I could spend more time on my bike. Dear Bike, I <3 you.
I also like to look cute. Cycling clothes can be really cute. Do you know what's not cute? THUNDER THIGHS in my cycling shorts. If ever I need a reminder of why I haven't upped my caloric intake yet, put on my cycling shorts. Is that acceptable to you? Nope! Then step away from the pizza menu.
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