Motivating Yourself When It’s the Last Thing You Feel Like Doing

I received an email  a few days ago from a former 30 Days to Lean member that lost 27 pounds and had kept it off for over 6 months, that is, up until now.

She writes and says the following: “I’ve had 2 months of social eating, drinking and basically having a really good time. Honestly, I do not regret any of it.

But…I gained 6  pounds and was feeling terrible about myself.  I had no energy. My clothes were tight. And I had zero motivation to get back on track. But I did it anyway.

I am writing to you so that you may share my experience  with others in the hopes of helping them. But please do not use my real name.

Here’s what I did to get myself back on track. I hope it helps others. Lifestyle changes are rarely linear. I realize this now and this is in great part why I was able to get back on track. Here are the changes I made. And by the way I lost 2 more pounds on top of the 27 pounds I lost!

What I Did

1. I increased my vegetable intake dramatically. And to tell you the truth I did not do it right away. What I did right away was increase my protein. This was a mistake. I realized that the old style dieting had come back into my mind after gaining the 6 pounds -you know where you just eat a bunch of meat and get rid of sugar and flour? I know this was wrong but I quickly remembered what you said about increasing vegetables as a critical factor in not just weight loss, but in staving off diseases and feeling healthy and well. I stopped eating non stop chicken and other meat and got back to lots of  vegetables with some protein, and some good fat. It was amazing how in a couple days,  I felt completely felt well again. I don’t  know why this surprised me but somehow it still does.

 

2. I switched my milk lattes for coconut milk lattes. It was no problem at all. My face stopped breaking out from the dairy and I became less lethargic.  Again, I did this before and felt great, why did I stop? Creature of old habits. I am learning how to outsmart myself though.  After day 1 of my switch I got back to run/walking in the neighborhood.

3. I became aware that I was feeling a little depressed.  I already knew I was stressed, but the combination of bad food, no movement really had me
thinking negatively. I was especially hard on myself and was really beating myself up. This was never part of the program. I know that the more we beat ourselves up the worse we become, so I just replaced the bad attitude with a few simple actions. They sound easy and pathetic, but it got the ball going again. I took five minutes in the morning to make myself a shake. I let myself have one cup of coffee in the morning and I drank 16 oz of water then I told myself good job!

As I continuously became nicer to myself, I started feeling better and when I started feeling better, it was easier to make  better decisions.

4. I made a commitment to make the very next meal a great one. When I realized I no longer wanted to feel this way, I went to the store right
then and got the ingredients for my favorite salad. I didn’t waste my time thinking, oh I don’t feel like making this or it would be so much
easier to just grab something.

I made the very next meal a great choice. I was surprised at how much better I felt and how much
motivation I felt after just one thing: making the very next meal a great one. I really enjoying eating once again, but it’s the kind of eating that just makes you feel good about your life and not just while you are eating it at the time, as in potato pancakes or chicken and dumplings.

5.  I began my morning ritual with what I know works every time:  My shake.  I had gotten back into a routine with absolutely no time in the morning and I was skipping breakfast or grabbing a protein bar loaded with sugar and I just became tired of  setting myself up for disaster and had enough. Eating breakfast, especially the shakes helped me lose 27 pounds and now 2 more.

I realize that I am not the only one to get off track. I just wanted you to know that the way you helped me connect with becoming healthier in the real world has made a huge difference in my life. I may get off track again, but I know how to get back at it and for the most part be healthier and happier. I hope this helps your members.

Krista

All My Best,
Kim