Staying Motivated:  Navigating Weight Loss Obstacles
by Kris Reid Body  Makeover Tools Expert

To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. ~ Tony Dorsett, NFL All Star!

     I have said many times, the stronger your passion or reason for accomplishing your goal, the more opportunities you will find to overcome obstacles.  This week I would like to discuss two more obstacles to weight loss: forgetfulness and emotional upheaval.

     Forgetfulness is something we are all plagued with and also something we can find ways around. Surprisingly, though, people rarely prepare themselves to deal with new habits such as healthy eating.  In order to lose weight, you need to exercise, be prepared with your food, and eat the food you prepare.  One of the biggest complaints I hear from clients is that they lose track of time and forget to eat their meals.  I even have trouble at times when I’m on a roll with my projects and I go into my time-machine, as I call it.  I eat my meal at 11 a.m. and the next thing I know, it’s 4:00 p.m. and I’m starved, or worse, my blood sugar level is at empty.  To avoid this, I suggest you set the alarm on your cell phone to ring every three hours to remind you to eat.  Even if you can’t stop and eat, you have a reminder. Using your calendar on your computer is also a good idea, and let’s not forget the little string around your finger! 

     Being forgetful is a challenge easy to overcome. However, emotional upheavals can be the end of your diet plans. We use food to suppress emotions because it is what we have done for years, even generations, all the way back to a time when starvation was the number one cause of death.  Your mid-brain tells you to eat junk food when you are stressed and feeling emotional.  Your brain reacts to stresses in only two ways:  Fight or Flight, or starvation.  When you are not in physical peril, the only other option is starvation.  Your brain doesn’t understand traffic, deadlines, crying babies, angry partners--it only understands run from the lion, and there is no food find something fast!  Therefore, if you eat fatty, sugary foods, your brain is appeased because those are foods that will help preserve you during times of famine. 

     This sets us on another course of guilt that feels worse because we have made a mistake.  If you succumb to these cravings, use it as an opportunity to reprogram yourself.  Instead of taking frustration out on yourself and degrading yourself, say something like, “Well that wasn’t like me to do that.  Next time I will eat a piece of fruit, or I will realize that it is only a state of mind.”  This is also where stress management plays an important role.  If you are bored, worried, stressed or otherwise feeling like you might turn to food, that’s the time to exercise or do something physical.  Physical activities release endorphins which are the antithesis to these cravings.  You will feel better, get your mind off your concerns and you can reinforce a great habit.  What better habit is there than to turn to something constructive and positive when you are stressed.  It is easier said than done but so were other things in your life.  Just look back on all of your accomplishments and say to yourself, “This is nothing compared to that time when I overcame…” and fill in the blank.  Make your Bad-Mood-Foods healthier!

     Now come up with at least three more ways that you can beat forgetfulness. You can also write yourself a note on your screensaver or on your cell phone to remind yourself that you can and will make a healthy choice.  Again, if you make a little mistake anyway, or even a big one, don’t beat yourself up over it.  The important thing is to get back on the program as soon as possible, and start again!  Refocus on your goals and go!