Are You Ready To Lose Weight? (1)

10 Questions You Must Ask Yourself!

(Questions 1 – 5)

It’s important that you are mentally ready to lose weight.

It is a proven fact that when you are ready to make permanent lifestyle changes, losing weight and keeping it off becomes possible.

1. Do you know why you want to lose weight?

This may sound like a strange question at first. In order to succeed, it’s important that you have a deep rooted reason for wanting to reduce your weight. Just saying I need to diet, or I wish I was thinner does not give you the inner strength needed for weight loss.

You will need to look back on your reason(s) when the going gets tough. Get out a pen and paper and complete the following … (Dig deep into your heart and find the real reasons why you want to lose weight.) I know I will succeed because … Some common reasons for wanting to lose weight are:

To look better
To have more energy
To set a good example for your children
To be attractive to the opposite sex
To be able to buy sexier clothes
To be healthier

Are you currently experiencing health problems that would be improved by losing weight? Such as, high blood pressure, joint problems, high cholesterol etc.

2. Do you want to lose weight for yourself?

Your reasons for wanting to lose weight need to be personal reasons.

You can’t lose weight because your spouse, mom, kids or doctor wants you to.

If you can’t sincerely answer this question “yes” you are setting yourself up for failure.

Get some 3×5 cards and write down every personal reason you can think of to lose weight. Read these cards aloud to yourself, several times a day. This will help keep you motivated.

3. Are you being honest with yourself?

You need to review your previous failures and successes. You will need to identify obstacles that have hampered previous weight loss efforts. Forgive yourself for past failures. Learn from them. Repeat behaviors that have helped you before. View losing weight as a positive experience.

If you begin a weight loss program thinking …
“I can never have chocolate” or “I can never eat a fast food burger again.”

You’ll be obsessed with these foods. You’ll feel like you are depriving yourself and will eventually give in to your cravings – and probably wind up overeating.

Lose weight by eating all foods in moderation.

4. Do you have major distractions or stress in your life right now?

What’s happening in your life right now?
Are you recovering from surgery?
Are you grieving over a loved one?
Having severe marital problems or financial problems?
A teen-ager that’s testing you to your very core?
A job that is demanding all of your time and energy?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above – now might night be the time for you to lose weight. You just have too much other stuff on your plate.

If you are focused on demanding issues in your life, you’re less likely to give your diet the attention it needs. To effectively lose weight you need to focus on you. Be attentive to what and when you are eating. Make time for daily exercise. LOVE yourself.

5. Do you have clear goals regarding weight loss?

Before you begin to lose weight, it’s important to set SMART Goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Trackable. Set small goals at first. Make them personable.

For an example a person who weights 160 pounds on October 1, 2006, might set a goal such as “I weigh 155 pounds on October 31, 2006.”

Each time you set one of these small goals and attain it .. Your motivation increases and you’ll continue to lose weight.

Reward yourself with non-food each time you achieve your goal. You will conquer your final goal only after achieving several small goals.

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