In Part 2 of this series we talked about being honest with yourself. It is common for people to fool themselves with a kind of false honesty, and it is important to address this if they want to feel better about themselves and if they wish to achieve their goals.
In this part of the series we encourage you to think about why it is that you want to lose weight.
It is very easy to make a hasty decision because of guilt. How many times have we given in to eating a huge slice of chocolate cake only to swear immediately after that we will never do it again?
Nevertheless, remorse is a weak decision-making force. Emotions change like the wind, and the guilt of eating something we shouldn’t have is rapidly forgotten. The following week, or even just after a couple of days, we indulge again.
This is why so many diets fail; the individual decided to diet after an excess and eventually got over it. In general, guilt can be a great motivator, however, it is ephemeral and turns into a vicious cycle.
The only way to find a long lasting solution for your weight problem is to dig deep inside of yourself and unearth the true reasons why you want to lose that extra weight. It is only then that you will be able to stick to your decision with firm conviction.
The decisions you make today will affect your life for many years ahead. Dealing with compulsive eating, cravings, or addictions will cause you to face painful realities that reside within your heart, and these will emerge strongly as soon as you make the decision to change. This is why you must have clarity about what you want and why you want it.
Ask yourself, why do I want to diet?
If your answer is, “Because I want to lose weight” or “Because I feel guilty”, your commitment will not last. If you want to be thin and attractive, you are being narcissistic.
To gain control over what you eat, you need to have a much stronger reason than just looking like a movie star, and if you search deep inside of yourself, you will discover that you have one.
Sit in silence and take the time to search your heart. Take a piece of paper and write down all the reasons that come to mind. It is hard to look inwardly and face the truth, because you will find fear, insecurity, low self-esteem, or lack of control, but you can do it!
Depending on the reason(s), there are decisions you have to make before you change your diet. It is not common for people to invest the time and energy required to seriously tackle an addiction, craving, or compulsive behavior. Nevertheless, it is necessary if you want to make informed choices about a diet you can abide to and genuinely follow.
Thus, sit down right now and start making that list!