A Weight Loss Journey

Has this ever happened to you?

• you make a decision to lose some weight (again)
• you research tools and tips to help you
• you put all the processes in place, buy all the props, get new gym clothes, etc.
• you launch your new WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM
• you follow your plan exactly for a little while, see the tender green shoots of your first little bit of progress, then

LIFE HAPPENS

• so, you fall back into the same old behaviors that made you need a WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM in the first place!

Me too!

Our problem here is not lack of information, or lack of motivation, it’s lack of momentum.

Let’s get some momentum

Momentum is the scientific principle which says that it requires effort to get something moving but once it is moving it’s harder to get it to stop than to keep it moving. This means that starting a WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM is often the most difficult part of the process; whereas once it has started, it’s easier to complete the process. In terms of making life style changes, however, we sometimes find keeping momentum more difficult than it ought to be.

Gaining Momentum

So, how do you ever get momentum and keep it going?

Just do it

Getting momentum means simply taking that first tiny baby step. It’s not hard to get overwhelmed because we tend to think of the totality of what we want to accomplish at one time, rather than just focus on that first little baby step. Start an action by thinking of the first step that you need to take in the process, instead of by looking at the whole big picture. Once you have taken the first step the following steps to complete the task will come a lot easier.

Plan the pay off

One trick you might try is to reward yourself for a minimum amount of time spent doing the new behavior. For example, reward yourself for simply changing out of your daily work clothes and into your exercise clothes. If you actually exercise after that, then give yourself some extra credit points!

You might be surprised that you continue with the exercise longer than the minimum amount of time you targeted, just because it’s easier to keep moving once you’ve started. That would be nice, huh?

Think of the momentum you’ve created in the same way you would think of the tiny wisp of smoke you see as you are trying to start a fire with the spark from a flint and a pile of tinder. Nurture it, care for it, do everything you can think of to keep it from going out. Protect it. Defend it. Focus on it.

Don’t let anything nudge you off your path.

More on focus, and “staying on task” later.



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