Weight Loss Begins in the Mind

Not only was I fat, I was in poor health too.

Constantly fatigued, constipated through over-eating, with an aching knee to boot, housework almost left me dead!

The last time I was pregnant, I suffered sleep apnoea, the folds of fat around my neck playing tricks on me at night.After the baby, I returned to pre-Pregnancy weight.But don't congratulate me, I was still over weight!

I hated the way I looked and felt. In fact, I was disgusted. Slim and athletic in my younger years, what had become of me now?As I pondered my plight, I came to one conclusion - I had begun to "think fat".

The only way to undo the damage was to re-learn "slim thinking."

Years ago I had read extensively about health and fitness and had exercised daily. Consequently, I made informed decisions that led to a healthy lifestyle. This in turn manifested in being trim and healthy - the results of slim thinking.

Now I found myself eating "to support my large frame."I knew the benefits of exercise but, like most overweight people, I just "could not find the time." Typical "fat thinking."

So, with renewed zeal (and heightened disgust at being fat), I read all I could find on weight loss. Over time this information was internalized. My thinking was put right and my habits changed accordingly.Once again I was "thinking thin", "doing thin" and therefore becoming thin.It actually doesn't work any other way.

You could diet all you wanted, and even start an exercise program. But it's quite unlikely that you'd keep it up, if you're still thinking fat.

Your inner mental programming would always draw you back, to those detrimental fat-inducing habits, like a thermostat.

Without a renewed mind, you would not be able to sustain the commitment required to reach your goals.This is perhaps why many people find it hard to stay on track.

Losing weight, and keeping it off, is hard work.

Your inner programming must first be changed, and then your actions, and consequently, your results, will be different.

Many people work on their actions in order to change their results. But as you can see, they're missing the most vital step.

The battle against weight loss must begin in the mind.

A safe place to begin is with re-education.

Albert Einstein once said, "You can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it." You've got to change, or renew your mind on the issue.I learned the way the body works at burning and storing calories. What I needed was not some magic potion or some miracle Get Thin Quick scheme.

I needed to consume fewer calories, and burn more up.I achieved this by gradually trimming down, or totally cutting out, unwholesome foods and cooking methods, and by taking up daily exercise.It might surprise you to know that I lost most of the weight taking a daily thirty minute walk. Nothing fancy!

Of course there are still days when I don't feel like it (today for instance!) but it has reached a point where I don't listen to my feelings any more.

I pay attention to what I know: Burn calories, stay slim. Don't burn them, get fat!And I never, ever want to be fat again!

In summary, my mental re-programming revolves around five facts:

1) Being overweight or obese is a serious, life-threatening condition, not a mild aesthetic problem. We're talking survival here. Many die from obesity-related conditions each year, so wake up! My major goal with weight loss is my health. Any other reason - to fit into a wedding dress, to get attention etc - is a short-term goal. And once you achieve such goals, you go back to Fatland. Survival, or self-preservation, is a life-long goal. The consequences of neglecting it are startling enough to get and keep your attention.

2) Your