Keep this commitment no matter what
You want to lose weight, maybe you want to stop overeating.
You’ve tried it before. Are you sceptical?
I have two questions for you:
- What’s your current weight?
- Why are you committed to your current weight?
You don’t know it but you are actually committed to your current weight.
I know you did not know you were committed to your current weight.
Let’s change that commitment.
This is the most important step of all: completely commit to losing weight & completely commit to stopping overeating.
Tell yourself you are done with trying.
And believe it. Intensely. Do not question this commitment.
How do you know if you are not completely committed?
- You are already on a ‘diet’, it’s working, you are losing weight, but you are still looking for other methods:
If clients come to me with this scenario, I discourage them from partaking in my coaching programme. What I’ll do instead (in the free session) is help them to completely commit to what they are already doing. Yes. I do discourage people from joining my programme when it is not in their best interest. I am completely committed to you losing weight, not committed to you following my programme.
- You think permanent weight loss is impossible, especially for you:
I hope I don’t offend you if I tell you that you are not that special. It’s not in your genes and you are not doomed.
- If you are a middle aged female, are you going through the menopausal transition? You may think that putting on weight is a fact of life at this point in your cycle. A biological certainty you may believe. Good news, it’s not. Are you a scientist or a doctor and know lots of research that shows that this actually happens?
You use your past ‘failed’ attempts as proof that you can’t lose weight permanently:
Of course, it hasn’t worked before. You probably did not attempt to understand the causes of your overeating. And, you probably did not commit 100%.
And, it has to have failed before you can succeed.
- You think you will have to do things you don’t want to do or give up eating all the things you like.
Regardless of the reason you think it’s impossible, I can’t wait to work with you. Once you’ve lost the weight you’ll be unstoppable in achieving even more ‘impossible’ goals.
This is the real discovery and the reason for me doing this work. Once, you’ve done something you thought was impossible, with clear and measurable results of your success, the sky is the new limit.
How do you completely commit?
You have already started your commitment to losing weight by focusing in on one goal and one goal only. You are on your way to achieving this goal because you are committed to getting it done above all other goals.
Presently you are committed to your current weight. The work you’ve been doing this week has been about bringing awareness to your current commitment. Examine what you eat and why you eat it and you will understand this commitment. I know you don’t think you are committed to this weight, but you are, and that can change. You are unintentionally committed to your current weight. Everything you’ve been eating is proof of your commitment to your current weight. However, you have agency over your commitment.
How do you become completely committed to losing weight? By ditching your commitment to your current weight and intentionally committing to stopping overeating.
Tell yourself that you will reach your goal no matter what, no matter how long it takes, even when it gets hard, and especially when it feels like it is not working.
Tell yourself that you will not stop until losing the weight, and importantly keeping at a steady desired weight, becomes easy. The process requires work but the goal is for it to be easy and it will be. That’s why it will be permanent.
Be done with trying. Trying is exhausting and frustrating.
Commit to this time being the last time you try. And instead of ‘trying’, do it.
What do you need to do next?
Evaluate your current commitment. Examine your food diary; what do you eat? Why do you eat it? What are you thinking, what reasons are you giving yourself to eat what you eat?
No judgement while you do this. Substitute judgement for curiosity. Isn’t it fascinating that sometimes you eat even when you are not hungry? Meanwhile, telling yourself you want to lose weight. Amazing! Why is that? Examine your current commitment with fascination, not judgement. I know you can be amazed by your own behaviour because you are just fascinated to have learnt that you were committed to your current weight.
Spend time thinking about your complete commitment to losing weight. Write down your thoughts. This is some of the most important work you will do towards permanent weight loss.
Continue writing down what you eat, how much and why you eat the food you eat. If you are doing this live, it’s the weekend. Examine with fascination what you eat and why during the weekend.
Keep finding your why(s). Keep them handy and review them. Keep adding to the list.
