The Mental Side of Losing Weight (Part 1)

As I sat down to write this post, I surprised myself with how much I had to say about it.  It ended up quite lengthy (I had no idea I could write a novel!)and so I have decided to break it up and give it to you in sections. I feel like all of the information is important and I want you to be able to really think about it and apply it to your life, if you so choose. I didn’t want anyone to feel overwhelmed. I hope that, for those of you ready to make a change, you find this series of posts helpful. I’ll post part 2 on Monday, part 3 on Wednesday and wrap it up on Friday.

If you’ve tried losing weight before, you know that the mental part of losing weight  is by far the hardest part. It’s like sitting in a locked cage and only your mind can be the key to open the door. If you can learn to mentally focus on one part of the process at a time,  you can set  yourself free. I have had so many women ask me how I stayed motivated  to keep going. As I look back through my journey to search for the answer, I am amazed at what I have done.   I DO NOT say  that in an arrogant, peacock, strut-my-stuff sort of way. I say it with so much humility and gratitude that it brings tears to my eyes. You see, when I started  this journey all those years ago, I  was a completely different person. I was a person with no self confidence or sense of self worth. I did not believe that anyone could love me because I did not love myself. I was in my locked cage and didn’t know how to get out. Looking back, I realize that getting from where I was to  where I am took sacrifice and a lot of hard work in the gym. But there was even more determination and mental focus that eventually allowed me to  set myself free.

So what changed? Well, there was, very simply, a moment when I worked up the courage to get on the scale and reality  smacked me right across the face. At that moment, when the scale  registered my weight, I hit my own personal bottom. I believe that until  a person has hit their own personal bottom, losing weight will not be an attainable goal. In my experience, until I hit  the lowest point possible, it didn’t “matter”. That is not to say that I didn’t try to lose weight before. It is not to say that I didn’t really want to be thinner and more healthy. It is only that it wasn’t of high enough priority to me yet. So I ask you,  have you hit your bottom? Because when you’re at the bottom of your locked cage  there is only one place for you to go, out and up!

Make sure to check back on Monday for Steps 1 and 2 that will help you begin the process of setting yourself free.   See ya then! Have a great weekend!! 🙂