Tag Archives: Motivation

Making Time or Making Excuses

Out of work late today.Now I’m rushed. I still have to think of what to get for dinner and a host of other family chores as well. So here is the question: Do I go to the gym or not?

I could feel the weight of the excuses piling up. To blow off working out would be easy and understandable. There is always tomorrow, right? But I had to decide: Was I going to make time or make excuses?

It’s easy to let life run over the top of you. And the truth is there is always an excuse to not do what needs to be done. Whether it’s working out or staying on a healthy eating plan, there is always an excuse to do the wrong thing.

Not letting this happen is a matter of realizing that one must make the time to do the things that keep one healthy. In fact, sometimes you have to fight for the time.

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One Belief That is Keeping You Overweight

Recently I have been doing some thinking on the differences in the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs that exist between those who are fat and those who are fit. While there are many beliefs that separate these two groups, I would like to share one of the major ones with you today.  In fact, I would dare say that this belief is the main reason why the great majority of people do not reach their weight loss goals. This belief keeps many from starting a diet, and/ or keeps many from successfully maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

By now, the reader is probably asking him or herself, “What is that one belief?” Here it is: You are missing out on something good.

What do I mean by this? Well let me draw on my own life for just a moment. When I was fat, I hated it. So why didn’t I just go on a diet and lose the weight? It’s due to the fact that when I was attempting to eat in a healthy way, I always felt like I was missing out on something good. That something good was the food I loved. So let me break it down: On an internal level, a fit lifestyle did not mean I was getting better. Rather it meant I was missing out on my favorite food. And, of course, if dieting means that I am missing out, then my diet was bound to fail.

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I have found that this belief is true for many who are struggling with their weight. They have not changed what a fit lifestyle means. It does not mean that they are gaining health. It does not mean that they are going to have the body they always wanted. It means that they are losing out. As long as the pain of missing out is at the forefront of the dieters mind, he/she will never be successful.

The way to fix this is by changing beliefs. In order to do this a person needs to seriously reflect on what it will cost if he/she does not change. Once a person really internalize what an unhealthy lifestyle will cost, change is natural. The individual will longer think of what he or she is missing out on. Now they will automatically think of how much better their life will be when they do change.

I still believe I am missing out. But instead of believing that I’m missing out on food, I now know that I am missing out on an ugly future. I am missing out on heart burn. I am missing out on hating looking at myself in the mirror. I am missing out on trying to find clothes that fit me. I’m not missing out on my favorite food.

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When to Get Help

We all need help. Whether it is help overcoming a craving or finding the motivation to workout, we all need help. The question is: When should a person seek professional help?

Reason One

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This question is relevant to me for three reasons. First, I am the kind of person who needs help on a daily basis. Although, I rarely need professional help. Most of the help I need to stay on my weight-loss journey comes from the books I read and the podcasts I listen to. These seem to be enough, generally speaking, to keep me focused. And I can tell you, when I do not have these influences, I find myself slipping back into old habits very quickly.

Reason Two 

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The second reason is there was a time I did need professional help. It was only a few months ago. What was my problem? I had lost the motivation for working out. It did not matter how many podcasts I listen to, or how many books and articles I read. Even my favorite T. V. shows about losing weight were not helping. I would start a workout, and about five minutes into it I would give up. I lost my drive.

The good thing is I knew I needed help. So what did I do? I contacted an NLP practitioner. Within just a half-hour I was back on top of my game.

Reason Three 

The third reason is I see people all the time who need professional help and refuse to get it. This became evident to me when I got to know a barista at a local coffee shop I frequent. Because I am there so often I have gotten to know many of the people in the shop on a personal basis. On one occasion, this barista asked me what I did for work. I told her I was in the health and fitness industry.

Over the years I have gotten to know her and her story. She is severely overweight and has had many health problems associated with her obesity–including serious ones! Of course, she asked me for advice. And I gave her some, the type of advice I do not mind giving out for free. I told her to cut back on her carbohydrates and other such general information. But, I also let her know that she needed to come and see me on a professional basis in order to really see change. However, she never has taken that step.

I see her quite often and she is always telling me about the latest diet she is trying. Is she ever successful on any of these programs? The answer is no!

I rarely talk to her anymore about her ongoing struggles. Now, whenever she tells me she is starting some new fad-diet, I simply smile and nod and tell her that I hope it works.

Will she ever see the results she hopes for? Not likely. Not without help. Will she ever get the help she needs? Well, it does not look good, but I always hope she will come to her senses.

Get The Help You Need

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So here is my question to the reader: What kind of help do you need? Perhaps you only need a small amount of motivation that comes from listening to podcasts and reading books on the subject of weight loss. Or are you the kind of person who may need some professional help? How can you tell the difference? Well, is what you are doing working? If it is, then great! But if you find yourself constantly yo-yo dieting, or needing some extra coaching, then don’t fool yourself–get the help you need!

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Advanced Weight Loss Resources is here for you. Whether you need coaching or specialized diet programs. Please contact us and get the help you need. It is worth your time to improve your health.

 

Why We Yo-Yo Diet

A episode of A Mind For Fitness is now available. In this episode I discuss the internal and external factors in yo-yo dieting. listen to this episode and learn the psychology of why we go on and off diets. And also learn the one major common mistake people make when choosing a diet.

Why Didn’t I Start Sooner

I ran across an old picture of myself. In the picture, I was 26 years old. Today I am 41. That gives you an idea of how many years ago this was. But when I saw the picture, I thought to myself, why did I not start losing weight sooner? I came up with a few answers.

The first was I was severely self deceived and a bit delusional. What I mean by that is I really did not think I was I fat as I actually was. In my mind, wile I was not completely happy with the way I looked, I still did not think I looked that bad. After all there were people much fatter than I.

In conjunction with my delusion, I also made excuses. While I  hated looking at pictures of myself, I would think, well the camera adds 10 pounds. I know I was making excuses and delusional because I do not mind looking at pictures of myself now. In fact, I’m a little vain about it.

Another reason, and probably the biggest reason is that I did not really want to lose the weight. Or to put it another way, I did not want to give up those things that were making me fat. Of course, if someone was able to wave a magic wand over me and make me thin, I would not object. But I did not want to give up all that high-carb food!

These issues were not unique to me. They are common to all sorts of people who need to lose weight, and I hear them quite often. I run into people all the time who say things like, “I only have a few pounds to lose,” when they actually have 50 to 100. Self deception and excuse making at work.

I hear people all the time say things like, “I only eat bread at lunch.” This is an indication that they really do not want to give up those things that are keeping them fat.

In order for people to lose weight, they must give up the delusions, stop making excuse, and love being healthy more than they love bad food. I know that it can be difficult because I did it. I only wish I would have done it sooner!

Another shirt I would wear at age 26.
A shirt I would wear at age 26.
A Shirt I use to wear at age 26
A Shirt I use to wear at age 26

 

My new book(let)!

Hey, the cover design for my new booklet is done and I’m so excited about it that I wanted to share it with you.

Advanced Weightloss 6-week Diet Booklet

I am only a few paragraphs away from finishing it. Then it will go though some editing and then to publishing. It will be available on Kindle for a very low cost.

Update

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Hey everyone. I just wanted to let you know what has been going on lately. Here is the scoop. As many of you can tell, we have updated the site. We upgraded this sight from a free blog to an actual web sight. My hope is that this will bring more of a professional look to this new business.

Also, I (Ean) am working on a small booklet which will cover the first six weeks of the diet/lifestyle we promote here at Advanced Weight Loss. This will be a digital download that will be available for a very low price.

In addition, I will be starting a pod-cast shortly called: A Mind For Fitness. My hope is that the pod-cast will be up and running within the month.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for following this blog. It really means a lot to us here.

Are You Really Ready to Change (Why Your Diet is Failing)?

How do you know if you are really ready to change? The answer is quite simple. It is when you have reached what motivators call threshold. Threshold is when you can say these three things consistently:

1. My weight has got to change.

2. I have to be the one to change it.

3. It has to be now.

If you cannot say the above phrases with confidence, you are not ready to change.

Of course if you ask people, most often they will say they want to change their weight. This is true to a point. They do want to change. They do not like being fat and they want the perceived pleasure of being in shape. But wanting these things is not enough. And we know it is not enough because many people want these things and still do not make long-term progress toward being fit.

So What is Going Wrong? 

The problem is people want more than the pleasure of being in shape. They also want the pleasure of eating the foods that will make them fat. They also want to avoid the pain of working out. There are, in fact, many pleasurable things related to being overweight. Likewise, there are many painful aspects of doing what it takes to be in shape.

It is these two pain and pleasure realities tied to dieting and exercise that are competing for your behavior. There is pleasure in exercise and as a results of exercise and there is pain in exercise. There is pleasure in dieting and the results of dieting and there is pain in dieting. There is pain in being overweight and there is pleasure also. Again, these two conflicting principles are driving your behavior. This is the real reason people go on and off diets.

The real change is going to come when the pain of being overweight is greater than the pleasure of being overweight. And/or the pleasure of being fit is greater than the pain of doing what it takes to be fit. It will not happen a moment sooner. But when it does happen you will have hit threshold.

In a book I am writing, I will take you though a process that will help you to get to threshold. In it I offer a mental exercise that has helped many people reach the point where they can say:

1. I need to change my weight.

2. I have to be the one to do it.

3. It has to be now.

If you just cannot weight for the book, I am always available for sessions though Skype. Just fill out the contact for. I hope to be seeing you soon. 

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It is glorious cheat day!

Hey all. Just a quick word to let you know that it is my cheat day and remind you of the importance of such a day. Remember, having regularly scheduled cheat days re-sparks your fat burning hormones. They also make your health program psychologically more manageable. To learn more about these two benefits, read my previous articles on cheat day.

That said, I must admit that I really do like my cheat days. We had a pot-luck supper at our Church. I indulged myself in all kinds of sweets as well as a whole lot of Mexican food!

So how do you like to cheat? Let everyone know in the comment section.

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