Kick the Excuses:  Lose Weight for Good!

Losing weight is a battle I’ve had for many years!  Many of my friends may think that I’ve been losing that battle and that I’m a hopeless cause destined to be fat for the rest of my life.  After all, I’ve never really made the goal that I always say I’m aiming for.  They may have a point.  I really haven’t lost enough weight over the years, but I’ve also been breastfeeding or pregnant for the past 17 years and while some say that losing weight while breastfeeding is easy, for me it’s not easy at all.   In the past, when I tried losing weight and/or inches, I have had a hard time sticking to my plan.  My brain simply gets in the way!  Here are my biggest inner obstacles to overcome:

1. I want what I want.  Yep, you read that right.  If I’m not careful, I will literally start feeling sorry for myself and think that I’m being mistreated by having to avoid sugar and eat more vegetables.  I promise, I’m not a spoiled brat, I just really like food.  Especially sweet food.  🙂
2. Because reaching my goals seem to take forever, I tend to fall back into my old eating habits.  I literally lose sight of my goals. 
3. I don’t like obsessing about food. When I’m altering my eating, I tend to think about it constantly.  I realize that it needs to become a new normal, but I think about it so much, I get exhausted and revert to eating whatever it is that is easy.
4.  I don’t have time.  I have a website to run, 7 kids to feed, educate and spend time with, a house to clean, a husband to love and friends to keep up with.  How could I ever think about losing weight with all that other stuff weighing on my mind?  I know other people do it, but for some reason my brain has a lot of trouble jumping on board.

My Plan of Attack to Overcome my Mental Obstacles

1. Plan ahead.  I have got to plan my meals and snacks out if I’m going to be successful!  This means that you will likely get to see some healthier Crockpot Freezer Meals being released in the near future!  Not only will I have to plan them ahead, but I will also need to make sure I have the right ingredients in the house to make them.
2. Each morning, I will read a Weight Loss Affirmation out loud to myself about how I can do this.  For Example:  “I commit to making good choices when it comes to food and exercise, not because I have to, but because I desire to be as healthy as possible, so that I can have a long and healthy life where I can more easily enjoy my family.”  AND “I choose to eat healthy food today and to limit unhealthy food so that I do not sabotage myself and hinder reaching my weight loss goals.”   By reading these affirmations each day, my goals will be in front of me on a daily basis and I won’t be forgetting about them any time soon.   I will be adding to these affirmations as I uncover bad attitudes that seem to crop up.
3. Meet someone for exercise.  It’s so much easier when you know someone else is expecting you.  Personally, a friend and I meet at the gym every night at 9:00 p.m.  I know that seems late to many of you, but it’s the perfect time for me, when I don’t have anything pressing to get done (except exercising of course!).
4. Allow occasional indulgences.  If I go into losing weight telling myself that I can never have another drink of Dr. Pepper again, I’d be super depressed.  I happen to LOVE Dr. Pepper.  Instead of being so extreme, I may find a replacement, like Dr. Pepper Natural OR i may allow it every now and then, so I can feel like I’m still getting something I love.  I just have to be careful not to fall back into my old habits of drinking it more than once a day.     Hopefully, I’ll find that after a while, it doesn’t taste nearly as good and I won’t crave it as badly!
5. Join a Support Group or Challenge.  I don’t know about you, but I do much better at meeting my goals when I have others riding alongside me.  Not only do I have someone to talk to about my struggles, but it gives me others to celebrate with as well.  As for me, I’m going to start the T-Tapp 60 Day Challenge on January 10th which will help me really work hard on my exercise goals and losing inches for the next 60 days.  I’m also starting a new Facebook group for Sidetracked Sarah readers called Sidetracked by Weight Loss.  If you’re trying to lose weight right now and would like to join in encouraging others together, just go to this link and request to join and I’ll add you as I have time.

Once I get in the habit of making better choices, it’s a whole lot easier.  I always begin this journey scared that I will fail, but this time, my aim is to stay positive, have a plan in motion and rely on the help of my Heavenly Father.  Relying on God to help me make the right choices will always be a part of each of these steps, as I could never go anywhere without Him!

What about you?  What hinders you the most?  What helps you to keep on track with your goals, when your brain doesn’t want to stay on board?

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