Is overly focusing on your motivation slowing down your weight loss?

August 17, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

You know what weight loss advice I just read?

“Don’t focus on the end game so much.”

As usual, I was initially inclined to ask why. To argue. To refute it. But, ultimately, I settled into kinda “getting” where the trainer was coming from. Whether it’s a wedding dress or a goal weight, we really shouldn’t be over-focusing on the weight loss trophy. Why? Because that’s when we tend to get too obsessive and precious about it. And when we do that, it can’t come fast enough. Even for the realest realist, time slows to tortoise speed.

(This can totally happen. But it’ll seem super slow if you keep checking daily to see if you’re Picture B yet.)

Fixations make us impatient. And that, in turn, can make us hate exercise and a healthy diet for not working quickly enough for our liking. It can also turn into us refusing to take rest days. Or it may even land us some somatic setback. We could get a physical injury (or a metaphorical one, from falling off the weight loss bandwagon). And I can appreciate that. Having a goal is great – but beating yourself up the ladder rungs in order to get there’s detrimental. When you do that, you inevitably fall down when you reach the top because you’re used to abuse motivating you. So, this’s solid advice.

That said, the advice I read didn’t exactly offer a good substitution.

What should you do instead’ve running or lifting 25/8 and hating it all the while, ‘til your muscles rupture?

All so you can fit perfectly into a swimsuit for the Labor day pool party coming up?

Well, first off, put that bikini dream on the back burner. A watched pot never boils. And neither does a watched potbelly. So, if you keep checking the scale, mirror, or popping on that two piece to check for results every day – it is gonna seem like you’re going nowhere. So stow away all the body weight and mass measuring devices. Lock ‘em up for at least three weeks. And, instead, spend that time completely giving yourself over to the process. Focus totally on making all the components of health be your new life. Immerse yourself in the workouts instead’ve the excuses. In enjoying the healthy stuff instead’ve negative edibles. In chugging lotsa agua – not soda or sugary elixirs. This is your new life now. This is the only way to weight loss. The times of looking for shortcuts are over. Find a way to fall in love with healthy living, and that end goal will totally come. (And easily, too.) And then, every few days, take a rest! You might reach a point when that’s actually tougher than making yourself work out. But, just remember: it’s totally necessary if you wanna make all the other days you’ve logged count.

In sum, yes: you should totally have your motivation.

But focus less on it – and more on the journey itself, while recognizing that your downtime days are part of that. (I myself like to plan my “rest day” right after a good Tabata type workout to keep my BMR high for a good 72 hours after). And that variety’s not a bad idea to follow. If you’re maintaining a mix of cardio, HIIT, strength training, plenty’ve stretching, and diet (especially diet) between those rest days, then two things’ll happen. The novelty of doing different workouts will make weight loss seemingly fly by – and those downtimes won’t detract from your weight loss – but fast-forward you toward it.