When people are struggling to lose weight, I often hear them say that they don’t have a compelling enough reason why they want to lose weight. Your why can often be the reason you choose to continue on your weight loss journey even when you don’t feel like it. It is a reason greater than your desire to skip the workout or eat the chocolate cake. If you don’t have one, I am going to tell you exactly how to find your why for losing weight.
Don’t just think of a number on the scale and the clothing you’ll wear. Weight loss can have an effect on far more than that! In fact, I will challenge you to throw out the idea that one powerful why is supposed to carry you throughout your journey. You can, and should, have many whys.
To create a list of whys, think of the areas of your life listed below:
Family
Many women I work with are used to putting others ahead of themselves. Thinking how their family members need them at their healthiest is an easy place to find a meaningful why. At my highest of 250 pounds, I felt like a fraud. I wanted to be a good example of health for my children but I was inactive and ate junk food all the time. Creating alignment in my actions and my teachings was very motivating for me.
It’s also worth considering your extended family and parents. My parents are in retirement and their mobility is starting to decline. One of my reasons why I wanted to lose weight is to be able to take care of them. Many caretakers have to assist loved ones in and out of cars or beds. I want to be able to do that without injuring myself in the process. I also want to be as healthy and free of ailments myself so that I can focus on keeping them well taken care of.
Romance
Consider how your romantic relationship, or the prospect of one, might change when you lose weight. I’m married and I certainly want to be around for a very long time with my husband. I want us to be vibrant and healthy in our retirement years so we can travel the world. I also want to be my healthiest so I can feel well and interact with him as my best self. At my highest weight, I had terrible heart burn and it was a struggle to get to sleep. Then once I got to sleep, my hips and knees would ache so it was difficult to stay asleep. I was constantly tired and irritable. I hardly ever interacted with my husband as my best self.
Now, on a vain note, plenty of whys can come from the bedroom too. Looking good in lingerie and having the confidence to make love with the lights on could be whys. For me, I wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin and fully enjoy those moments with my husband without being distracted by the self critical dialogue in my head.
Friends
This is another great area in your life that you can find a weight loss why. Prior to losing 90 pounds, my friend time was a lot of wine nights with plenty of snacks. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a ton of fun but often left me feeling bloated and miserable the next day. My why wasn’t to eliminate wine nights all together but rather incorporate some other activities with my friends. I wanted to spend more time outdoors with friends. I wanted to try new things like standup paddle boarding and kayaking.
Maybe it’s not about changing what you do with your current friends but instead is about including new ones. What other friends might you make along your weight loss journey? How could you life become richer and expand?
Daily Life
When I decided I was going to lose 100 pounds, I challenged myself to come up with 100 reasons why it was important to me. Many of my reasons came from small irritations that showed up in my every day life. Going to sleep was difficult due to heart burn. Walking up the stairs required at least two minutes to catch my breath. Tying my shoes squished all the air out of my lungs. It took two scoots to get off the couch. And my jeans were constantly wearing thin between my thighs. Chub rub is real.
Take the time to go through your normal daily routine. Ask yourself what would be easier if you weighed less. How would it feel to get out of bed? Going down the stairs? Walking to the mailbox? Getting in the car? No doubt, you will find at least five ways your daily life will improve by your weight loss.
Movement
I have intentionally named this one movement and not exercise. I believe weight loss is achievable without intentional exercise. This is about finding movement that you enjoy. Our bodies are meant to move and movement is one of the best ways to honor them and keep them feeling great.
I used to love yoga but at 250 pounds the poses were very difficult to get into. One of my whys was to enjoy doing yoga again. I also have an adventurous spirit and want to be able to try any activity. Fun things like zip lines, horseback riding and helicopter rides often come with weight limits. I didn’t want my weight holding me back from experiencing those things.
Self
Last but most importantly, what might change in your relationship with you?
I wanted to like what I saw in the mirror. No more grunts of disgust or refusing to buy new clothes until I lost at least 15 pounds. I wanted to care for myself every single day. To be on the same team as my body and not treating it like an enemy. I wanted to feel in control of my choices and proud of my decisions. No more obsessing about food. I wanted to trust myself to eat in a nutritiously, move my body and give myself rest as needed.
If you take the time to go through these six areas of your life, you will easily come up with some fabulous reasons why you want to lose weight. Don’t stop there. Spend time thinking about these whys. Create a relationship with the vision of you at your goal weight and enjoying those whys.
If you spend more time desiring chocolate cake than you do creating desire for your weight loss, it’s no wonder you are choosing the chocolate cake.
Create the desire to make those whys a reality.
Your Coach,
Andrea