Find your WHY for extra motivation
Lots of people have thought about losing weight over the years, but often seem to fall short of an actual attempt to do it. The reason why so many people think about it so much is because deep down, they know that having that the extra pounds are not at all good for them. The problem is, just knowing that being overweight is bad is not enough to really push many people to do something about it. Much like wanting to quit smoking, knowing it is bad for you doesn't induce people to quit doing it. However, if you were to find some really good reasons to quit smoking, like your doctor told you if you don’t quit you will lose a lung next year, it might make you act and just do it.
Well, losing weight is much like quitting smoking, the more good reasons you have to do it, the more likely you are to act on it and make it happen. These are known as intrinsic factors. If you have something driving your motivation aside from just knowing it is bad for you, you are also much more likely to maintain your weight loss goal once you reach it.
First and foremost, losing weight means getting healthier. When you lose those extra pounds you greatly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and joint stress, all conditions associated with being overweight. When you reduce these risks, it means you can have a much better chance of being around to see your children grow up and being around to enjoy your grandchildren. That alone is often reason enough to start work on getting your weight down.
Another reason you might want to consider losing weight is that you will feel better. As you begin to lose some of those extra pounds, you will start to notice your energy levels increasing. Being overweight by 9kg (20lbs or 1 stone 6lbs) is the equivalent of carrying a 9kg sack of potatoes on your shoulders all day and will drain your energy. For this reason, overweight people tend to be less active and this promotes further fat gain. As this continues, they become even less active and this becomes a vicious cycle leading to obesity.
In addition to lowering your risk of chronic disease and having more energy, a nice little side benefit of losing weight is you will look better, and who doesn’t want to look better? Each and every one of us has a vision of what we want to look like. Most people are not completely satisfied with the way they look. They will always find something they don’t like about themselves and wish they could change and for people who are overweight; this can be a great motivator to lose weight. A recent study concluded that as early as age 5, girls who had higher body weights had lower self esteem than girls with normal body weight.
When a person loses weight, what are almost always the responses of other people who know that person? You hear things like; you look good; you’ve lost weight haven’t you? And think about how you would feel when you’ve lost enough weight to be able to fit into that dress or that pair of skinny jeans. Looking better is a great reason to lose weight but it should not be the only reason.
When you have at least a few good, valid reasons to want to lose weight, it will be a lot easier to motivate yourself to get started and stay with it. Let’s face it, your health, well being and self esteem are very good reasons to get rid of those extra pounds and keep them off for good.
What are your reasons for wanting to lose your unwanted extra pounds? And how can you remind yourself of what’s important to you so you don’t give up when the process feels hard? As a weight loss health coach, I help my clients tap into their reasons why to act as motivation and firm up their commitment on the journey. If you think you would benefit from the support of a health coach to help you start the weight loss process and stick to it in a healthy and sustainable way, I invite you to book a free 30 minute chat to find out if we would be a good fit. I work with individuals in person in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, and on Zoom. Click on the link below to book a spot.
Hannah Wyborn
Weight Loss Coach
Naturopathic Wellness Practitioner