3 Weight Loss Questions

3 Questions that will get Your Weight Loss Soaring!

1. How do you feel right now?
2. Are you happy with the way you feel?
3. How can you improve or change the way you feel?

Based on the thousands of survey answers that I have read regarding how we feel about ourselves, I can say with confidence that your answer to question number one was similar to one of the following typical answers: depressed, angry, I want to lose weight, I wish I were thinner, fat, bored, lonely,happy...except for my fat.

I base my prediction on a few factors. For starters you are reading an article in the weight loss "Diet Plans" section. That tells me that you are thinking about weight loss. More specifically you are reading my article and seeking some motivation. So, let's get busy!

How are you feeling right now? I want you to really think about that for a minute and then answer these questions also:

• How do you feel about your body?
• Are you relatively pleased with it or do you think it needs some renovation?
• Does the way that you feel right now depend on your body's appearance?
• Are you happy and ready to take on the world despite having a few pounds to lose?
• Are you delaying living the life that you dream of because of those few pounds?

Think about your answer to the question How do you feel right now? and think about your answers to the follow up questions that I posed to you.

Now ask yourself, Are you happy with the way you feel? Are you happy about being depressed, angry, wanting to lose weight, wishing you were thinner? I would imagine not. Can you see what this causes? Suddenly you are going around in circles. You are unhappy and then you become unhappy about being unhappy. What's a dieter to do? I think this best illustrates dieting's "Big Bang Theory." The beginning, the infamous, and elusive "getting started" concept. We are so dizzy from the self-created circles that our mind is busy spinning around in, that we have no idea what to do next or how to stop and actually get started. This is the point where many people are when the read one of my articles and then email me and say something like "your article really motivated me. I am ready to do this. Please tell me how to get started."

Let's do just that, get started. To do that you must ask yourself another question, "How can you improve or change the way you feel?"

If you are unhappy about being overweight, then you must change from being overweight to being at a healthy weight. If you are angry, then you must resolve what is causing you to be angry. If you are lonely, then you must open yourself up and allow others to befriend you. To do that, you must first be a friend to yourself!

It all starts with YOU. This is your life. I have said before that this is not a dress rehearsal, but the live production, the main stage, the big time. If you don't like the way things are going, you can rewrite it and change it, but it is up to you to start.

I suggest that you make a plan and follow it. The plan needs to include all of the things that you do not feel good about right now and how you are going to go about improving them. For the purposes of this article, let's focus on your weight.

If you are unhappy about the present condition of your body, design a plan to go about improving it. Realize that if you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting the same results. That means you must change in order to realize different results.

Do you log on to this newsletter week after week, pick up a few great pointers but don't apply them as you should and therefore aren't losing weight? Take the next step and actually try following the very sound nutritional plan offered herein. I lost 130 pounds. I didn't do it by wishing that I could lose weight. I didn't do it by being angry all of the time. I didn't do it by disliking myself. Those things only kept me obese for eight years. It was when I changed that the weight loss I so desperately wanted was realized. I changed how I felt about myself along with what I ate. The eating plan at eDiets is just about exactly how I ate as I lost my 130 pounds. They weren't around yet or I would have used them. Now I follow the same basic guidelines they recommend for my maintenance.

Do you see people reading motivational books, or listening to motivational tapes but think those things are hogwash and not for you? There are many other wonderful speakers who have made their message available. Find what speaks to your heart, and then listen often and make their message of change your own!

Do you find yourself saying or thinking self-depreciating thoughts? How many times have you allowed yourself to be the butt of the joke? I will never forget the day that I walked into the office my customary 10 minutes late. There I was 275 pounds, late for a meeting, and upset at the world. I was wearing what I thought to be a very chic and camouflaging two-piece purple ensemble, with matching shoes. A co-worker shouted out loud "Hey look, here comes Barney!" At that moment I could have slapped him, but instead of punishing him for his cruelty, I joined in on the fun and said in my best Barney voice, "Hey everybody!" and laughed with them. I cried later as I consoled myself over some pastries, but I laughed at myself with them. I now know that if my self-esteem had been higher, I would not have laughed at myself or put myself down further. Building your tattered self-esteem is one of the most important aspects of your weight loss and you can not wait until you have lost the weight to do so. The answer to the question "What you can you do to improve or change how you feel?" can provide you with improved self-esteem. You can start accepting yourself and liking yourself, despite your current weight. You don't need to wait until you are thinner to like yourself. Love you, hate the fat!

Please take some time today and think of these questions and formulate your answers and plans for change. I would love to see them.