I’m not really that into navel gazing. I came from a religious family so I’ve had my fill of sitting quietly. On top of my christian praying and reflecting experience, my mother and brother even fell for that 1970’s transcendental meditation craze. So I had to put up with that too. Being 14 and being made to meditate wasn’t fun.
Never the less there are some lessons to be learned from “sitting with yourself” or as Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living”. To sensibly ask yourself questions is actually a good idea. To actually listen to the answers is probably better!!
So you’ve decided, once again to lose weight. This time, rather than just jumping on the first weird diet you can think of, why not ask yourself some questions. Here are some useful ones.
Spend a bit of time thinking about the past ( both recent and longer term). Not too much, otherwise you can lose yourself in the mists of time. But get a handle of your history.
Are you overweight now?
Why are you overweight? (This is a very stark, rude question, but was it illness, unhealthy eating, too much food, not enough exercise etc).
Have you ever lost weight before?
If so, what helped?
and what hindered?
Ok, so you have lost weight in the past! What made you put the weight back on?
Ok, thats your past, or as much as you realistically need to consider, what are your views and targets now?
Are you looking for a short term fix (a wedding in 2 weeks), or are you prepared to have a long term target
To be successful you need to change your approach to food, weigh and measure, change choices, record your eating habits, and exercise, and all this will no doubt make you feel uncomfortable. So, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 is high) answer these questions.
Be honest, as we can all want to lose weight but not have much motivation because we know it’s hard work?
How motivated are you to lose weight?
How motivated are you to change your eating habits?
How motivated are you to increase your physical activity?
Will you try new strategies/techniques for changing your eating, exercise, and other behaviours?
Are you prepared to spend time studying reading materials about nutrition ?
Will you record your exercise and everything you eat and drink,?
Will you change your eating habits?
Will you be able to work regular physical activity into your daily schedule?
Will you be able to exercise and be active most, if not everyday?.
If you make a mistake, have a lazy day, or give into temptation, can you forgive yourself, and “get back on the programme”?
Do you have an emotional connection with food?
Do you eat more when you are upset, annoyed or miserable?
Do you eat to celebrate?
If you have confrontation, do you seek comfort in food to calm down?
A SERIOUS BIT
Think about this question carefully?
Have you ever purged (used laxatives, diuretics, or vomiting) to control your weight?
If yes, is this “often” (About once a month A few times a month About once a week About three times a week Daily.)
If purging is part of your present weight loss strategy, and you feel unable to stop, you probably need to chat to your doctor who could get you some one to one support to deal with this issue
Thats just the tip of the iceberg. If you’d like more help or thoughts on managing your weight, do join the mailing list of email me directly on Andrew@andrewstemer.com