There are a million different websites each with a different workout plan. All promising results that no other plan can beat. Pick your mission: cardio routines, flat abs, metabolism boosters, legs, arms, back, butt..... me? I WANT TO DO IT ALL! LOL! But, that's wishful thinking. Foolishness on my part. Some require fancy machines with sky high pricetags while others can be modified to use a can of soup and a kitchen chair. The television is filled with commercials taunting us with the "next big thing" and breakthrough diet plans. One thing I refuse to buy into, no matter how desperate I feel, are these gimmicks requiring specific magic pills or crazy dietary restrictions. They promise outrageous results and sometimes get them but at high price to your body and self esteem. Because once you stop the program you are most likely going to regain all you lost and then some. On these "programs" you deny yourself key nutrients and as soon as you start getting them back into your body, your system screams "MINE" and locks down into holding mode to cling to what it has been missing for dear life! I truly believe that these deprivation diets also fail because your head gets in the way. Just like telling a teenager, "No, you can't" making them find a way around it to get that very thing you said was off limits.... you start fixating on that forbidden thing and eventually you don't just fall off the wagon, you swan dive into a giant bowl of it! Then, the guilt of your "failure" sets in and you cave completely. Berating yourself over your lack of self control and so you run in the opposite direction back to (often) less healthier choices to drown your sorrows. Sound familiar? Welcome to the world of Yo-Yo dieting! Ugh!
Motivation is a huge part in success. You start off saying No More Excuses! No More Delays! All it takes is that tiny spark to get the inferno going but after set backs it can be hard to keep to momentum going. You will need to strengthen your will power not just strengthening your body. Long-term success is largely a head game. Your head gives up long before your body does! Fitnessmagazine.com's article "Reach Any Goal: How to Strengthen Your Willpower" by Maura Kelly discusses several ways to strengthen and even conserve your will power. For example, "Eat for energy.The more often you consume good-for-you food, the more willpower you'll have. Studies show that people whose blood sugar (aka glucose) is elevated to a healthy level, as it is after regular meals, have more self-control and can more easily resist junk food. "When your blood sugar is low, it's harder to control your impulses," McGonigal says. Need an immediate willpower boost? "Some baby carrots or a handful of raisins will do the trick," she says. These foods are naturally high in sugar and will raise your glucose supply almost instantly, helping fuel your brain. Even better, to keep yourself willpowered all day, eat healthy meals or snacks every four hours. Choose foods that have a combo of protein, fiber, and complex carbs, like a salad with tofu, nuts, spinach, and tomatoes, or Greek yogurt with fruit. Plan ahead.Cut down on the number of decisions you have to make every day and your willpower muscle will automatically get stronger. "Studies show that after you reach a decision, your self-control is worse, and after you exert self-control, you get worse at making decisions," Baumeister says. So get to work right now at reducing the number of choices you have to make in any 24-hour period." Fad Diets always more with your will power and play head games with the "get it now, get it fast, get it without any effort" ploys.
GET REAL! While there are little mind tricks that help us push ourselves further and harder than we thought possible, there are many other head games we absolutely need to quit putting ourselves through! These are the ones not getting us anywhere! 5 Mind Games You Need to Stop Playing -These Common Tricks Never Motivate By Megan Coatley, Behavior Expert breaks it down as "One reason is that some of the most popular motivation strategies people use are mind games—games that don't really work for the long term. At first glance, they all seem helpful, but most are actually bound to fail. Instead of playing Russian roulette when you’re choosing a weight-loss strategy" she also says, " Making use of motivational mind games can really boost your fitness morale. But sometimes, techniques that seem perfectly logical can end up leading you astray. Mastering your own motivation doesn’t have to be a crap shoot. Bet on the time-tested strategies above to get your mind right and you’ll be sure to cash in on long-term wellness!" The rest of her writing breaks it down into those specific five areas and how to avoid them or how to modify them in your favor.... you should really read it!
After Gastric Bypass surgery our minds like to play games in an entirely way. We call it head hunger. It is this evil little voice inside saying you desperately need to go eat something even after your nutritional needs have been met! It is something we constantly struggle with, am I really hungry or do I just want to bite something? GRRR! However, on a more serious side, those mind games after bypass can turn to the complete opposite direction! It is not uncommon to develop a completely different type of eating disorder than when overeating! It's called Body Dysmorphia. " When we were morbidly obese our emotional coping mechanisms kicked in and many of us were able to convince ourselves we really weren't that big. It is emotionally kinder to avoid body criticism, the whole issue seems hopeless. In fact, many morbidly obese patients will say they see themselves normal sized. That is until a rude moment reminds them they are not normal sized: a skinny chair, a turnstile, a bathroom stall, a flight of stairs, a photograph. This false perception is a subconscious coping strategy to protect us from the brutal truth, the truth about how big morbidly obese really is." According to one article I read on Boxingscene.com by Kaye Bailey. She also writes, " After surgery, there is a tendency for the body dysmorphia to reverse. Before surgery we denied how big we were, after surgery we judge ourselves critically - like the anorexic - and fail to see an honest reflection....... Many patients report hyper-judging their figures after weight loss. It seems the thinner you get the more judgmental of your body you become. To this day, the first thing I see in my reflection in my pudgy tummy - I think it's enormous. I don't see long slender legs or a tiny waist or trim arms. I see a Buddha belly. I've even apologized for my chubby tummy to others when they compliment my new figure. The apology usually goes, "Yes, but I can't get rid of this stomach." I say this while pointing to my "flaw"." Weightloss is one of those things in life where we can honestly say "I can't win for losing!" There have been study after study completed in search for the ultimate weightloss program. To find a safe and effective solution for our country's obesity epidemic. One that I even turned to was Gastric Bypass surgery. But, honestly it's just a tool like everything else! It is NOT an easy way out! I will have to live with the consequences the rest of my life! I don't get the option of saying "Screw it!" And moving on to something else! Of these studies completed many are preformed by companies that are simply wolves preying on our insecurities and weaknesses in order to get a chuck of that multi-billion dollar market we have created to battle the ever growing bulge! They make their gimmicks, slogans and claims more and more believable. So, we need to stop Yo-Yoing with our health and throwing away our precious pennies on these ludicrous products!
I know I have personally grown weary of the endless models in bikinis parading across advertisements saying I can look like them "if....."Honestly, I don't need them in my head too! Weightloss is all in YOUR head! CNN.com published an article from Oprah.com that caught my attention. "In the battle against fat, the heroes achieve what most of us only long for -- lasting weight loss. They're so unusual, they've become the subjects of ongoing research by scientists trying to finger just what it is that makes them stand out from the rest of dieting humanity.The project is called the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) and was created in 1993 by researchers at Brown University and the University of Colorado in the face of the well-known and defeating statistic: Ninety-five percent of dieters gain their weight back."this article entitled " Weight loss is all in your head" by Carol Mithers goes into the different studies and the surprising results people achieve or fail by based on their personalities, not just their diet and workout plans! To learn more about the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) visit http://www.hbdi.com. I just want to be healthy and another 75 pounds or so from now will work miracles on my self-esteem! Yet, every failure, every set back, unobtained goal and let down makes this journey more difficult. It becomes increasingly difficult to pick yourself back up, dust off the shame and disappointment and start forward on the trail again. It really F's with your head! It is really hard, but it's time to look past the easy, the too good too be true, and wrap our brains in reality for once! Being a generation of instant gratification makes this the killer part! On Discoverhealthandwealth.com there is an article, "Weight Loss Mind Games" that I am including a large portion of: "There are a number of techniques to assist you in making this leap of faith. This is not a bunch of cheerleading mantras from fitness gurus. These are methods found to be effective in various studies and research:Believe in Change. First, you must believe that you can change. If you feel that you are in control of your weight and your physical self you can make a transformation. Jane Ogden, Ph.D., a health psychologist at Guy Kings and St., Thomas' School of Medicine in London, found that woman who believed their weight problem was caused by their own choice and not genetics or metabolism, were more likely to succeed. Many people subconsciously believe they cannot lose weight. Once you realize you are in control, you can then strive for results.Visualize a Different YouThis does not mean to envision yourself as a Victoria Secret or GQ model. You want a realistic vision of a slimmer, fitter you. Focus on that vision daily. We all have had visions that later became reality, it is part of our human nature. Apply this technique to losing weight and getting in shape. Alter Your Eating HabitsSome people are able to dramatically change their diet and achieve instant results. How about the guy who only ate Subway sandwiches twice a day and lost considerable weight? A few can adjust to radical shifts in their eating habits, but most can't. Many who go on crash and fad diets end up going back to their poor eating habits and gaining more weight. In fact, up to 95% will put the weight back on.Ten years ago the thought of a gyros or a two fisted burger made me drool. As I get older and my body requires higher maintenance, I have found it necessary to alter my eating habits in order to maintain an active life style. My diet didn't change overnight. It was a gradual change that required one part discipline and another part will power. I can't remember the last time I have eaten a gyro, although on a rare occasion a juicy burger is hard to resist. What is interesting is not only the change in my eating habits, but also my physical reaction to those fatty foods. I can immediately feel a negative affect from a burger and fries. My body has literally become addictive to healthy foods. When I compromise my diet I go through withdrawals.Exercise, Exercise, Exercise Diets are not enough to lose weight, and they obviously do not get us back in shape. When you diet you not only lose fat, but also muscle. The decrease in muscle mass results in a slower body metabolism, which in turn reduces our ability to burn calories. To consistently lose weight we need to create a calorie deficiency. Building muscles and burning calories will lose the fat. When you develop a pound of muscle, it requires an extra 350 calories per week to sustain. The benefits are not just during the time you exercise, you actually use up more calories when you sleep or are inactive. Your body is naturally more efficient.You want to combine cardiovascular exercise (aerobics, running, walking, swimming, cycling.) with strength training. Make exercise a vital and consistent part of your life. According to the National Weight Control Registry, people who have on average lost 60 pounds for five years or more, indicate that exercise is crucial for both losing and maintaining weight loss.Take it Slow It has taken years for most of us to get overweight and out of shape. Why would you think you could reverse this process overnight? We all want instant gratification, but the road to health and fitness is an arduous journey. Establish realistic short-term goals. A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine showed that obese men and women who set a more modest goal of losing just 5-10 percent of their body weight are more likely to succeed than are those who set more extreme goals.Focus on losing a few pounds and concentrate on starting a moderate exercise routine. Once you have reached your achievable goals you not only lose weight, but you will also enhance your self-esteem.It is time to modify that behavior and make that paradigm shift. This time next year you could be that healthy and fit person you envision."
I, absolutely, agree that we need to Get Real! Lord knows I am trying! I also recognize that everyone of us is different. What works for me may not work for you! So, we have to STOP, THINK and KEEP TRYING! Use our heads for facts, not games! Only time or place, in my life right now, that I want games is either on a ball field or in the bedroom! Otherwise, I am just too damn busy!
