A New Year, A New Beginning, A New You!

December 2, 2009

Take a Leap of Faith In Yourself, a step-at-a-time and remember, the longest journey always begins with a first, single step.

Most of you are familiar with this old saying, but have you ever really thought about what it actually means? This simple statement contains a great amount of wisdom. No matter what your weight loss goals may be, you have to start with that first pound. Whether your goal is to firm up and drop 10 pounds after the holidays or if you are struggling with greater weight loss challenges, you will not be able to achieve your goal until you have lost that very first pound.

Losing weight can be a daunting proposition – especially, for those who have a longer weight loss journey ahead. Losing weight is much easier mentally and emotionally if you develop a weight loss plan in “steps”. The bigger picture can seem overwhelming but when you do the simple math, it always adds up. Let’s say for instance you have 50 pounds to lose, you simply take that number and divide it into smaller, reasonable numbers and develop a plan, and a short-term reward system to motivate you as you achieve EACH small success. Over time, each small success will begin to add up and before you know it, voila! you will most certainly achieve the BIG number that was so overwhelming in the beginning ~ guaranteed.

The reason is because when you look at a large goal it can seem intimidating and with many people it’s the very thing that can defeat success very early into the program. This sense of overwhelming can make you feel hopeless, hopelessness can lead to depression, depression often times leads to overeating ~ the cycle begins to feed itself into a downward spiral of defeat. Leading us into the same New Year’s resolution, year after year after year…..

If you are faced with the question of whether or not you can lose 50 lbs, it may cause you to hesitate. You may not, deep in your heart, believe that you can lose that much weight. Now if I were to ask you whether or not you could lose 5 lbs, the response would no doubt be much more positive. So, that’s the ‘key’ – set that goal to lose ONLY five pounds and make it happen!

Don’t worry about the bigger goal – focus on the smaller goal of 5 pounds with tunnel vision. When that first 5 pounds comes off, it will provide you with the positive reinforcement needed to tackle the next goal. Reward yourself at each successful milestone and then go for the second round — beat defeat!

It doesn’t take many changes to your diet or lifestyle to lose a couple of pounds per month, but the cumulative effect over the long term is astounding. Just think – if you only lost 3 lbs per month, in 1 year you would have dropped 36 lbs and in 2 years you would have lost an amazing 72 lbs!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race…

One of the biggest pit falls facing people trying to lose weight is that we live in a society of short term rewards and want everything NOW! This mental attitude has fed a multi-billion dollar weight loss market for decades with instant weight loss magic pills, cellulite cream, machines ~ you name it, there’s a gimmick out there for $9.99 on late night television that will convince you that the overnight miracle will show up at your doorstep. People spend a lot of money ‘hoping’ for the quick, easy way. Some people will take diet pills, or just refrain from eating altogether hoping that starvation dieting will help them achieve their goals much quicker.

I think we all know how physically and emotionally unhealthy this mindset is. Taking control is a lifestyle — one that you will learn to enjoy. Before long you will have gained the motivation to work hard on the next small goal and this is a much more positive cycle that will develop into a lifelong habit. Or rather, a long life habit!

Remember to keep track of your progress on a daily basis – Walk2bFit.com has a free online journal that is a wonderful tool that can help you stay motivated AND help you with accountability. Use it daily and you can be taking the first step needed to hit your weight loss goals in 2010!

Happy New Year and Remember…YOU CAN DO IT IN 2010 – it’s your year, it’s your time, you own it!