Spa+Clinic Team When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, there are no quick fixes. Rather, it’s going to take a sustained and measured approach, gradually replacing old habits with new ones that become a way of life. By Michelle Bridges*.
In my experience, people with a “I want it all and I want it now” mentality tend to charge into their weight loss journey without any preparation, setting unrealistic goals and implementing super strict diet and exercise plans that are simply unsustainable in the long term.
These guys are more likely to chuck the whole thing in and go back to unhealthy eating even if they have just a single lapse.
So be aware that your long-term outcome will be affected by your mindset from the get-go, and with this in mind I’d like to help you reframe the way you think about health and exercise. How about this: instead of seeing your efforts to maintain a healthy weight as a lifelong struggle, switch it around and see them as the ultimate empowerment – a lifelong commitment to yourself.
CHOOSE YOUR WORDS, SET YOUR GOALS
When I ask people what they want to achieve health-wise, they often say, “I don’t want to be 100kg anymore” or “I don’t want to feel sick and tired” or “I want to look in the mirror and not hate myself “.
The problem is our minds only hear the words “100kg”, “sick”, “tired” and “hate myself”’, which serve to reinforce the negative thought pathways that trigger associated feelings of worthlessness, anger and sadness.
We then reach for high calorie foods to help us feel better (remember that sugar and fat can activate pleasure centres in the brain), which leads to feelings of guilt and remorse, and we’re stuck in that negative feedback loop.
So, start with specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based – S.M.A.R.T – goals:
- I want to be able to jog for 5km without stopping by the end of three months
- I want to make my own lunch to take to work every day except Wednesday
- I want to do 10 full push-ups on my toes by the end of 12 months
- I want to drop down one jeans size by the end of six months.
Thoughts lead to words lead to actions – reframe your thoughts so they lift you up rather than drag you down.
CHALLENGE YOUR EXCUSES
Before starting a program, I get people to list all the excuses they might come up with for not exercising or for eating crap food.
Mental preparation is super important and, in my experience, the key to staying on track while you learn helpful new habits.
So be totally honest. Write down every single “the-dog-ate-my-homework” excuse you can think of for why you can’t exercise, why you can’t cook, why you can’t eat breakfast, why you have to eat a block of chocolate, etc.
And when you have all these excuses written down, cross out the ridiculous ones (come on – some of them are ridiculous!), and then find alternative action plans.
For example:
I can’t exercise today because it’s raining = I can wear a spray jacket, and when I get hot I can tie it around my waist” or “I can train inside with one of my exercise DVDs.
I can’t say no to my colleague’s birthday cake – it will look rude = I can cover my plate with a serviette and quietly put it down somewhere inconspicuous.
My kids want McDonald’s and I don’t have time to make different meals = I am the adult and in charge of the food in this house so I’m serving spaghetti and
meatballs for the kids and zuchetti and meatballs for me.
I’ve had a really stressful day and I need wine to relax = I’m going to punch out 50 squats and then treat myself to sparkling mineral water with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprig of mint and some ice cubes.
Being able to challenge your excuses is liberating, and it’s actually kind of fun. Plus, researchers have found that people with a “growth mindset” (a more flexible thinking style where they’re open to trying different options) have a greater chance of maintaining weight loss than those with a fixed mindset (a more dichotomous “all or nothing’ thinking style).
Which one are you?
* From Michelle Bridges’ new book, Keeping It Off. Michelle has more than 25 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry. Her 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT) is Australia’s top online exercise, nutrition, and mindset program, and has helped Australians lose more than 1.5 million kilos. She is the bestselling author of 14 books on nutrition and fitness, including Food for Life and now Keeping It Off. She teams the latest scientific findings with knowledge she has gained from working with thousands of people over many years to give us the truth about longterm weight loss. Published by Pan Macmillan.
