Weightloss Made Simple

Staying motivated for the long haul

If you have made a commitment to lose weight, you are in for a long haul. Don't be discouraged. You will probably start to see results within a few months. But you will need patience and perseverance. If you want to keep in shape for the rest of your life, you must pay attention to your weight and fitness for the rest of your life. I think of being addicted to food the same as you would think of being addicted to smoking or alcohol. Once you become a food addict, you should always think of yourself as a food addict. When you make the decision to get in shape, consider it the first day of a whole new life.

Three years ago, I was 235 lbs and I couldn't find any clothes that looked good on me. I was so fat that I was embarrassed to been seen. I would wear baggy clothes so that no one could tell just how fat I was. Often, I would wish that I were invisible so that no one could see me.

I finally got tired of being fat, and decided to take control of my life. I had to face the fact that I was responsible for my situation. I decided that I wanted to drastically change my diet to cut out all unnecessary fats. I also wanted to start a serious workout schedule. Today, I weigh 175. I haven't reached my ideal weight yet, but I feel a lot better about myself. I have a lot more energy, and I'm a lot more active. People sometimes tell me that I'm like a completely different person.

What motivated me was that I wanted to be fit so much, I was willing to make the sacrifices to get in shape. I looked forward to a future where I would look good. I decided that I didn't want to just lose weight, I wanted to be an athlete. I wanted to make a complete transformation. So, I made my workouts a priority. I would schedule workouts throughout the week, and I would treat them as appointments. When I had to go to the gym after work, I would go before I did anything else. I may have made a couple of mistakes though. First, I put too much of my self worth into my weight. If I missed one workout out of the four that I had scheduled for the week, I would feel awful. I would even become seriously depressed over missing a workout. Second, I did this alone. Usually, the experts will tell you that you should have a workout buddy. These two mistakes are things I do even today. I manage to get results, but if you are having problems with motivation, you may want to consider working out with a friend.