There is not another subject on the planet more confusing than weight loss. There are literally thousands and thousands of books written on the topic and each one disagrees with the next. But, there is a secret to permanent weight loss and it is simple.
The real secret to permanent weight loss is
The ability to sustain the daily practice of healthy, moderate eating and exercise habits long enough to attain the results you desire, and then continue performing these habits in order to maintain your results for lifelong success!
There is it. I know, it sounds simple but it is not! We live in a fast food, everything-should-be-easy, bigger-is-better society. Gluttony and instant gratification are the norm.
I believe there are three obstacles that thwart our ability to practice the healthy, moderate eating and exercise habits necessary to attain the results we desire, they are:
1) Getting most of our pleasure in life through the food we eat
2) Lack of long-term self-discipline in the areas of health and fitness
3) Lack of long-term self-motivation in the areas of health and fitness
Let’s take a closer look at each of these.
OBSTACLE ONE
Most people are so busy day-in and day-out that the food they eat is their greatest pleasure. This is a true danger that prevents permanent weight loss. If you’re burning the candle at both ends, rushing from one commitment to the next all day long, when you sit down to eat you want it to be extra good, because you deserve it.
SOLUTION ONE
Find ways to get more pleasure in a day. Have ten minutes of quiet time everyday reading your favorite book or magazine, spend a few minutes with a friend on the phone, or begin a new hobby that is fun. It doesn’t take a lot of time; just find other ways to load up on pleasure so that you don’t have to load up on food.
OBSTACLE TWO
Most people do not have the chip in their brains that allows for joyful self-discipline in the areas of health and fitness. Most of us have to be disciplined to get to work on time, meet deadlines, follow traffic laws, but not to limit food or exercise regularly. Some rationalize that since they have to be so disciplined in other ways they don’t want to be when it comes to their food and exercise.
SOLUTION TWO
To establish long-term self-discipline you must focus on the joy of the reward you will get at the end of the road, not the challenge of the journey. So make a list of the top ten rewards you will gain when you lose weight. You must also ask yourself what it costs you to be overweight. Does it cost you your self-respect? Your joy and aliveness in life? Has it cost you a relationship or a job? Remembering the rewards and the cost makes practicing self-discipline a lot easier.
OBSTACLE THREE
It’s easy to be motivated around January 1st, but what happens to all that motivation around March 1st? Or the first time a brownie passes by? Believe it or not, most people are not the master of their own motivation. They think just because they want it that it is motivation enough, and it is not.
SOLUTION THREE
You must reinvent your motivation every day. To do this write the top ten reasons you want to lose weight and keep it off. Also, make a list of the people who motivate you to want to lose weight and why. Review these lists, along with the ones you created above, in the morning and in the evening. Your motivation is ever evolving so what motivated you last week might not be motivating next week. So revise your lists regularly.
When you overcome these obstacles you will lose weight because over time, you will find other ways to get pleasure in your life, you will practice positive self-discipline and learn to live on less food and love it, and you will reinvent the motivation everyday to keep it all going.
Alicia Ashley, M.A. is the Founder of the Warrior Weight Loss Program. She is a psycho-therapist who has specialized in working with men and women who suffer from eating disorders and obesity. She personally uses all of the skills and techniques that she recommends in order to maintain her own healthy weight and active lifestyle. You can find out more about her weight loss program at http://www.WarriorWeightLoss.com and you may contact her at Alicia@WarriorWeightLoss.com.
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July 05 2008 | weightlossprograms.servicesite9.com | No Comments »
Sitting on your shoulders is a loaded gun. A weapon. A part of your mind that is itching for you to grab its triggers and start gunning down cravings, bad eating habits and stress. A part that will lead you to healthy weight loss. We’ve all heard of this part of the mind before. It’s called the subconscious. But it’s a mystery of sorts. Something that we know exists but we just can’t put our finger on. We’re not sure how to access its arsenal. Not until now that is. The best part of all, once you begin to use this “mysterious” subconscious of yours it won’t seem like a mystery anymore. And, you won’t need to diet and yo-yo anymore. Instead, your discipline, motivation and self-control will emerge and you will discover the key to natural weight loss. So how do you go about using your subconscious, you might be wondering? Read on.
Your subconscious mind is something you use constantly. You just don’t realize it. In fact 90 percent of all that we do is governed by the subconscious and it’s actually quite easy to access. There are just three things you need to do to make it work for youespecially for losing weight.
1. Relaxation: Relaxation pretty much summarizes what subconscious thought is. Whenever you are relaxed, your brainwave activity naturally decreases. This is reminiscent of being in a trance state, a subconscious state. It is here that the mind is most receptive to new images and stimuli. Unlike your conscious mind, your subconscious is uncritical. It does not analyze or critique. It just accepts. Now there are numerous ways to bring about deep levels of relaxation, or shall I saysubconsciousness. One that I use with my clients is called progressive relaxation. Progressive relaxation is much like meditation and involves scanning the body from head to toe and relaxing each part. When you do this, your mind naturally drifts into a deep trance-like state, making it super receptive to what you tell it and leading you towarrd easy weight loss.
2. Imagery: So how do you instruct your subconscious to make easy weight loss a reality? One effective way is through imagery. Your subconscious can’t tell the difference between what is real or imagined. Let me give you an example. Have you ever read a Steven King Horror or a Mary Higgins-Clark Suspense? Did you ever get frightened or feel like you had to hold-on to the edge of your seat? Sure you did and these reactions were very real. Yet what caused them is not real, it’s imagery. You see, any time you’re reading a book or watching a movie, for example, your mind drifts into a light, trance state, making it super receptive. Essentially, you react to something that isn’t real in a very real way. This is exactly how this stuff is going to help you lose weight. This is what Power Programming your mind is all about and it is the only natural weight loss system there is.
Here’s how it works for weight-loss. While you’re in your subconscious state of mind you can imagine yourself sitting at the dinner table, eating slowly and leaving food on your plate. You can imagine yourself looking in the freezer without any temptation to dive into that pint of Ben & Jerry’s. You get the picture. You’ll be surprised just how well you will respond to these kinds of images. It will seem too easy.
3. Suggestion: Suggestions are direct commands that you feed your mind while in your relaxed, subconscious state. You can say things like, “from now on I am always in control of what I eat”, or I feel perfectly fine avoiding those late-night snacks”, or “I enjoy fruits and vegetables more than ever.” Natural weight loss will be the end product.
Remember, every action we take is mind over matter. Your mind is a powerful computer that only you know the password to. By working with you mind, you’ll find that you can make changes that you never thought possible. All you have to do is dedicate 10 or 15 minutes of your time a day, 3 days a week, and natural weight loss will result.
Thomas J. Kersting, LPC, Ph.D is the author of FAT PROOF: Power Programming Your Bodies Weight-Loss Computer (Harbor Press, coming in Winter 2006). Dr. Tom has helped countless people to discover natural weight loss with his power programming method. Please visit his website to sign up for his free e-newsletter or to receive a copy of his Power Programming Weight-Loss CD and a special free offer. http://www.fatproof.net
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June 20 2008 | weightlossprograms.servicesite9.com | No Comments »
I’ve always been a fan of hard work. Hard work has helped me achieve many things in my life, and there is no greater satisfaction than achieving a goal that was challenging. A feeling that cutting-corners can never bring.
These days we are bombarded with quick-fix messages from the media. Messages and scams that claim to bring easy weight loss, financial wealth, make us social butterflies, and achieve our dreams. Go out and buy the latest “ab machine” and before long you’ll have abs like Jessica Simpson. Try the “Money Making Secret,” and in no time you’ll be cruising the Caribbean on your private yacht, sipping martinis. There’s even some new pill out there that claims to turn you into “the life of the party” if you’re a little bit shy.
People are willing to try anything to get results except for the one thing that always works good old-fashioned hard work. But it makes sense that we shy away from this because we can’t seem to escape all of the tempting “miracle solutions.” And they are so very convincing. You can’t turn on the television these days without seeing a commercial for some pill that claims to relieve stress, cure depression, help you with women’s issues and especiallyhelp you to lose weight. And these commercials are so general that they apply to all of us and have us wondering hmmm.. maybe I am sad; maybe I am having trouble sleeping; maybe I could be a little more outgoing. Maybe this. Maybe that. But the ones that get me the most are those outrageous claims to weight-loss; the ones that claim that natural weight loss can be found in a pill.
I’ve come across countless people who pop diet pills like candy because they’ve “tried everything” but still can’t find that easy weight loss solution. When I ask them if they tried exercising most will say, “exercise? Are you kidding? I hate exercising.” And the truth always comes out with those who claim that they do exercise: there’s just no consistency. Putting on the running sneakers once a month is not exactly the definition of “an exerciser.”
Let’s be honest for a moment here. Are we suckers? Are we really that na
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June 03 2008 | weightlossprograms.servicesite9.com | No Comments »
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