Weight
Loss Requires Dedication
Have
you ever been overweight…even by a few pounds?
Has your weight fluctuated up and down like a yo-yo? Have you found yourself one moment all Gung
Ho about losing those extra pounds, yet you throw your hands up in the air in
defeat the next? Let’s face it…successful
weight loss requires dedication!
Dedication
VS Discipline
The
word “dedication” is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “devotion,
surrender, commitment.” In order to
lose weight and keep it off, you must surrender yourself to the task. You must be devoted to eating a healthy, balanced
diet and getting plenty of exercise. You
must be committed to making lifestyle changes and sticking with them!
One
of the common mistakes made when on a weight-loss quest is that we tend to confuse
dedication with discipline. Most of us think
that, without discipline, we cannot lose weight, much less keep it off.
Now,
consider the meaning of the word “discipline.”
In Webster’s New Thesaurus of the English
Language, “discipline” is equivalent to “punishment.” Other words that are synonymous with discipline are “subdue,” “subjugate,”
“restrain,” and “bridle.”
According
to Carol Solomon, PhD, “losing weight with discipline invites perfectionism
and extremism. ‘If I don’t do
this, I am weak—I have failed.’ You
are trying to bully yourself into an act of submission by attacking your own character. Does that sound like a recipe for success?”
Discipline has negative connotations, and it depends upon willpower. Unless you have willpower of steel, you could
be setting yourself up for failure, when you depend upon discipline to lose weight.
A successful weight loss program is focused on the positive!
If
you’re expecting to make successful lifestyle changes that will lead to permanent
weight loss, dedication--not discipline-- is what you need!
Dedication is Clearly the Way to Go!
Losing
weight is no easy task! You may start a
diet program one day, and fall back into your old eating patterns the next. After all, old habits die hard!
If
you don’t particularly enjoy exercising, you may come up with all sorts of
excuses to skip a workout: “I don’t have time to work out this morning!”
“I’m too tired!” “It’s
raining!”
If
you’re serious about wanting to shed those extra pounds and keep them off,
then you need to get serious about your plan to do so.
Once you have devised the weight loss plan that you wish to follow, dedicate
yourself to that plan! Make a commitment
to yourself that you will make every effort to follow the diet that you have chosen.
Surrender to a regular exercise routine of your choice.
There
may come a day when you eat a little too much or indulge in that piece of chocolate
cake that has been beckoning you. Or, perhaps
you miss a workout because of illness or an appointment.
When you are dedicated to weight
loss, you’ll pick up where you left off!
You’ll go back to that diet and/or exercise regimen! You WON’T give up completely because of
one lapse in your weight loss efforts! You’ll
develop a healthy lifestyle and stick with it!
By
Cyndi Schoenhals
“I
HATE DIETS!” Weight Loss Plan
