Let’s Explore a Few of Those 8 Weight-Loss Questions to Ask Yourself
Jodi Davis
| 3 min read
Are you serious about losing weight? I recently asked for you to answer eight questions regarding this matter. In order to help you decide whether or not you’re serious about shedding your excess weight, I feel you need to focus on your responses — and they need to be truthful.
Please don’t answer any of these questions the way you feel I want them answered. You need to really think about each and ask yourself if you are ready. It took me 25 years to become ready even though I had assumed I was ready years before then.
I now realize that each day I was ready to lose weight, but I wasn’t ready to make changes in my daily life in order to do so. Every change I made during those 25 years was only a “temporary change.” I later discovered that the changes would need to last a lifetime. Then — and only then — would my weight come off and stay off.
Today I want to help you with a few of the questions that I asked you to consider.
Do you feel you need to change some of your current eating habits?
Most likely you are nodding your head “Yes!” If you had asked me that when I was morbidly obese, I would have immediately answered yes, also. But I didn’t really desire to change my eating habits, I only knew that I needed to. Wanting towas an entirely different story.
But in 2001, I faced the fact that I needed to stop eating anything and everything I wanted. I changed my eating habits by taking smaller portions, no longer taking second helpings at mealtime, consuming healthy snacks instead of my favorite high-fat items and keeping my daily calorie intake around 1,200. It wasn’t so bad, especially since I also changed my attitude. I stopped the “Poor me, I have to diet” attitude and started the “This is my new life and I love it!” attitude.
Are you willing to eat differently than others when attending social gatherings?
When I ask you this, I really want you to think of how you will react when the time comes that you notice others enjoying everything on the buffet table. Will you be jealous of them? Or will you ignore their feasting habits?
I’ll admit that I was jealous for years, wondering why other people could consume these foods and seemingly never gain a pound. But then I found a motto that worked for me: “One bite tastes the same as 20.”
I could consume food at these gatherings. I didn’t deny myself and was willing to realize that one bite of each item was enough. My focus was more on the social gathering itself and not what I was eating or what other people were eating.
Can you make small changes in your food choices and meal preparation methods?
I have a hunch you are already thinking to yourself: “Sure I can. I have done it before, but then I stop.”
It’s difficult to make changes in your daily routine or habits. We are at ease with our habits and changes can often cause discomfort, even though we know that new habits may be better for us. Small changes are easier to make and often lead to bigger changes later.
My advice is to start at the grocery store. Really think about each item before you place it into your cart. Check the calorie content and the nutritional information of the items you are in the habit of consuming. If you find they are unhealthy, full of fat, sugar, sodium and calories, then don’tput them in your cart! You can’t eat them if they aren’t there, right?
It worked for me, it can work for you… if you’re seriously ready.
Photo by tomkellyphoto.
