How many times have you set a date to start your new healthy eating regime, done all of your preparation in terms of clearing out the refrigerator, getting encouragement from friends and family, eating your way through the junk in the cupboard to get rid of it…and then simply not managed to start your new plan?
This is a really common situation for so many people, it’s a wonder that anyone manages to lose weight at all!
The many excuses people come up with, to fail
Procrastination for lifestyle changes is probably the single biggest factor that stands between success, and failure.
If we never attempt to do the things we know we should, it means we can never actually succeed at them at all.
Take a look at some of the many excuses I often hear as a weight loss hypnotherapist, when I talk to clients about why they didn’t get off the starting blocks with their healthy eating plan:
“I can only start something new on a Monday”
“I had a friend’s birthday coming up, so I needed to wait until after that”
“I’ve had a hard week and I simply couldn’t face it”
“I’ve had a really bad cold, so I couldn’t start the plan until after I’d shifted it”
“I don’t have the time to dedicate to a lifestyle change right now”
“I know I’m going to fail, so why bother putting myself through the pain?”
“I’ve not been paid yet, so I can’t buy any healthy foods”
“I had an argument with my partner, and it put me off trying”
“I’m not sure I even want to lose all this weight. I wouldn’t recognise myself anymore”
“My husband/wife says he likes me just the way I am”
“I know I should have started the plan, but I had too much to do”
“There was too much nice food in the house and it didn’t make sense to start the plan right now”
“I’ve given up smoking, so I need to eat to replace the nicotine cravings”
“I’ve heard that healthy eating can give you all sorts of issues like headaches and irritability”
“I’m addicted to sugar/crisps/sweets/chocolate bars/donuts”
“My kids need all this food in the house, so I can’t change our diets or they’ll be really annoyed with me”…
…and on it goes.
It seems that for every positive reason people may have for losing weight and getting the confidence, body shape and energy they always dreamed of, there are a hundred other negative excuses waiting in the wings to jump out and sabotage us before we even get started.
The temptation to give up, before we’ve even started
The problem with Human beings is that we just love to procrastinate.
The old adage ‘Why put off until tomorrow something you could do today” doesn’t seem to hold any relevance when it comes to losing weight.
As soon as we decide we’re going to kick-start our new life through positive food choices, our brains immediately start to protest really loudly with a number of reasons why it’s not a great idea.
Instead of shoving these thoughts to the side, where they belong, many of us simply nod our heads, agree with the evil inner monologue that is trying to dissuade us from our goal, and decide not to bother reaching for the goals we really long to achieve.
To get the shape you always wanted, boost your energy and achieve long-term weight loss success, you need to change.
You can’t do the same things that you have done day in, day out, all your life and hope that some miracle will happen all by itself. You’re not going to lose weight and get healthy, unless you actively change your eating habits, and boost your motivation to succeed.
Crushing the evil voice that dooms you to failure
So, the next time your evil inner pessimist starts to discourage you from achieving your goal, try hitting back with some real, proven and irrefutable evidence that shows the many benefits of what you are about to do:
“I’ll feel really proud of myself when I achieve just one day on the new plan”
“As my eating habits change, I’ll get loads more energy and feel less lethargic all the time”
“The success from this one small step will lead to positive changes across my whole life, when I know I have the strength to succeed”
“Friends and family will start commenting on how great I look”
“I’ll feel so much more confident about my self-image”
“My complexion will improve, and I’ll get my old sparkle back”
“My mood swings will disappear and I’ll smash those afternoon slumps once and for all”
“I’ll be making amazing changes to my body, reducing the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes for life!”
“I’ll look great for that summer holiday we’ve just booked”
“I’ll be able to fit back in to those jeans at the bottom of my wardrobe at last!”
“I’m going to feel immensely confident because of the changes in my body, and the evidence that I can achieve what I set my mind to”.
These are much better phrases to use, when you start to give in to the usual rumblings in the back of your mind, encouraging you to fail.
Remember that if you do everything the way you always have, all you’ll ever get is what you have right now.
Do whatever it takes to succeed in your goal.
You’ll be feeling proud, exhilarated, confident and looking great in no time at all!
