“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
Transforming ourselves begins with that single step. For me it was pushing away that third plate of food and declaring publicly that I was going to make a change.
I, like many people, am an emotional eater. I use food to provide comfort, to soothe and to help me deal with the pressures I feel everyday. Once I decided that I was no longer going to be satisfied being fat; I took that first step, then the next and the next. A year later I was 188lbs. I lost 100lbs. I went from watching hours of TV and playing video games to doing triathlons and ½ marathons.
I followed a few simple steps to do this and I am going to share them with you right now.
First – Decide you want to make the change. Seems obvious but so many people don’t do it for themselves. They do it under pressure of their loved ones, under pressure from work or their peers or just because it’s fashionable to try. None of those reasons work. If you don’t decide to do it for yourself, you will fail.
Second – Announce it to the world. The more people you involve in your success, the more accountable you become and the more support you have – the better chances of success you will have. Make sure you discuss with your doctor, they may have some great advice to give you on how to move forward.
Third – Set several goals. Set your ultimate long-term goal. Mine was to get under 195lbs. Set realistic, obtainable but not too easy, interim goals. For example my first interim goal was under 250lbs. That was 38lbs less. That in and of itself was a great weight loss; something to be celebrated. It was not easy but it was doable.
Forth – Develop a plan to achieve your goal(s). With weight-loss it’s all about what you take in. Your plan therefore has to start with taking in less food than you currently eat.
Fifth – Measure your progress. If you don’t measure your progress then how will you know if you are achieving your goals? This means weighing yourself. You may not lose weight every day, so don’t be discouraged, but you should see a change on a weekly basis. 1 or 2lbs a week is a great, stable, consistent and safe speed in which to lose weight.
Finally – Share and Reward your progress. Tell your support system as you are making progress towards your goals and definitely tell them every time you reach a new goal. Reward yourself with something fun (NOT FOOD) like a night out, a concert or special event or a mini-vacation. Your success will get you more support, which will help keep you going when it gets difficult. And it will get difficult.
Following the strategy I’ve outlined above helped me lose 100lbs over a year period. In my next article, I will share with you the details of my plan and you will be surprised at how easy it is. Your homework, DECIDE if you are ready and complete the first three steps outlined above. I will help you with Step Four next week.
JR Fuller
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