Before you try again, remember, losing weight - and never getting it back - is about creating a lifestyle that you can maintain for the rest of your life. For the New Year, here's a surprising list of 9 mistakes that sabotage a fitness regimen. Knowing these in advance will help you develop a game plan for success taking into consideration your job, your family, your commitments, the ups and downs of your life...

1. Last Time: You kept your Eyes on the Prize.

This Time: Concentrate on the Little Steps.

A recent New York University study found that when deciding on future courses of action, people tend to overemphasize lofty, abstract goals and ignore the concrete, low-level steps needed to reach them. And when you realize that getting to the finish line may be time-consuming or difficult, you give up. Small interim goals, on the other hand, are less likely to trigger resistance or fear.

If your motivation flounders, try "Mind Sculpting," a form of visualization: Rather than conjuring a mental image of the end result, envision the process that will get you there. Spend five minutes a day pretending that you're actually engaged in the activity - seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. If you're in the weight room, feel your muscles contract, observe the sweat glistening off your skin.

2. Last Time: You were a Victim of all - or - nothing thinking.

This Time: Learn from Your Mistakes.

It might be easier to lose weight if your life is neatly regimented. But let's face it. Stuff happens. Your boss has thrown an extra project on your lap; your maid has done the bunk. Your work schedule has been turned topsy turvy, so you give up on your workout.

Take heart in research findings that show backsliding is common among dieters. A study from the University of Washington in Seattle found that just 40 per cent of resolution makers achieved their goals during their first attempt. Other studies reveal that people who've lost weight and keep it off are veteran dieters. They've lost, five, ten, even more kilos again and again. So what made these losers winners? They learned from their mistakes. Their past failed attempts became a learning experience, like in so many of life's events. Toss out whatever tripped you up the last time. Like dump the diet that only worked for a while. It clearly wasn't one you could stay with for the long haul. You also need a contingency plan for the tough periods. Instead of giving up until the problem passes, try to find a way to continue.

3. Last Time: You were trying to Please Someone Else.

This Time: Be sure your Goal’s Meaningful to you.

Pledge to drop 20 pounds to make your spouse happy and you'll never get past the first-week marker. If the drive doesn't come from within, you won't have the persistence to get through the hard times. To reach a goal, it must be consistent with your values, resonate with your identity and serve to improve your life in some way. Ask yourself, how will I feel in two to five years if I still haven't achieved this objective?

Let your mind wander: Are there other benefits to the suggested weight loss - e.g., improved health - that will spur you to action? This thought process will enhance your resolve. You need to feel in control of your life. You don't really want to stuff your face and lounge around horizontally all day long.

Each time you say no to chocolate cake or step on a treadmill, you are taking control. This stream of positive re-inforcement will help you to stay motivated thorough the years.

4. Last Time: You didn’t change your Surroundings.

This Time: Make your Environment conductive to Your Goals.

Common sense says that you won't get far with your vow to tame your sweet tooth if there's a stash of chocolate chip cookies in your cupboard. Still many people don't recognize the importance of external reinforcement or fear of disappointing others. Or you might decide: "I'm going to the gym six times a week in the evenings," but office meetings make that impossible.

You don't need to stick to a rigid set of rules. Granted there's merit in a routine, but you'll be breaking them in all directions, unless you fit them into your own context. You need flexibility and organized support. Tweak your home, office, even your car to support your efforts. If you can't ban chocolate, at least store it on a high shelf. Keep a diary of everything that you eat, together with the events and emotions that lead you to them. Log your workouts too - a pedometer can demonstrate how much incidental activity you get each day. You'll figure out what triggers you to overeat and the shortcuts you're indulging in to cheat yourself on physical activity.

5. Last Time: You didn’t really think you could do it.

This Time: Believe in Your Potential for Success.

Losing weight involves some willpower, but don't give it more credit than it deserves. Success is not about willpower, but about careful goal - setting and planning. It's important to be willing to change the behavior and thought patterns that made you fail. It's like a child in school. If you think you're going to fail, then you will be more likely to do so - it's a self fulfilling prophecy. And the converse is true too. According to findings published in the Journal of Consumer Research, believing you possess self-control, or willpower, may be a more important factor than actually having it. People who expect to attain their goals and feel they can overcome any challenges that come their way have a higher level of success, say the researchers. Replace self-defeating statements like "I know I'll poop out in an aerobics class" with inspiring ones: "If I take it slow and steady I can do it."

6. Last Time: Stress got the Best of You.

This Time: Ink in Relaxation.

Old habits do die hard - especially when you're feeling frazzled. When Sandra broke a rib she had to stay in bed for two weeks. She comforted herself with thick cheese omelettes, chicken a la Kiev, egg fried rice, cream cakes - and gained 2 kilos.

Try to identify the events and emotions that trigger an eat-a-thon and develop alternative strategies for coping with them. Build relaxing activities into your schedule, from meditation, to watching a comedy serial, to walking the dog, and pare down your commitments when things get hectic.

When the impulse to backslide hits, try "urge surfing," a type of mindfulness meditation. See the urge as a wave that you must surf. Inhale and exhale deeply as the wave crests - point when temptation is the strongest - keeping your attention on your breath. Before you know it, the desire will dissipate and float away.

7. Last Time: You Lacked Support.

This Time: Ask for it.

Having a supportive spouse, specially a wife who does not allow butter, ghee, cream or sugar to rear their luscious heads on the dining table, can make you stick with your diet.

On the other hand a University of Washington survey turned up that many marrieds succeeded when the spouse stayed totally out of it. The divide was about fifty-fifty. Ela has to watchdog her husband. She ends up being resentful, demonstrates anger, which causes her husband to sneak in yummies and then tell her what he's done. Voila, we have the classic vicious circle.

It makes sense for each couple to negotiate their own terms. If you need the support of your spouse or kids, ask for it. Tell them what you're going to do, and exactly what they can do to help you to succeed.

Research also shows that people who performed tasks with one other person, a like minded friend or acquaintance with similar energy levels, did better than those who worked alone or as part of a group. Your goals can be different; the idea is to take manageable steps together via e-mails, phone calls and meetings. The two of you will set priorities, hold each other accountable, provide feedback and celebrate the successes.

8. Last Time: You emphasized what you’d lose if you failed.

This Time: Focus on what you’ll gain if you win.

Have you ever responded well to an ultimatum? A recent Yale University study found that public health campaigns that highlight the pros of healthy change are often more motivating than those that focus on the downsides of not succeeding. The same applies to self-change. Think of the good that will come from realizing a goal and it will feel like less of a chore. For example, rather than thinking, "I have to eat right or I'll be fat," try, "If I eat right, I'll be fit and healthy."

9. Last Time: You stopped when you hit a Plateau.

This Time: Appreciate how far you’ve come.

Lost 10 pounds, but not a gram more? You might feel discouraged, but a new study suggests that a change in perspective can help you move forward. Ohio State University researchers found that people were more likely to reach their goals when they viewed their past behaviours with the detachment of a third party. This outlook might reduce the tendency to be overly hard on yourself, prompting you to see your progress more objectively - the way you might view a friend's. Scale stuck? Rather than focusing on how far you are from your objective, flash back to a time when you couldn't walk two miles without your energy flagging, and then think about how you're running that distance now. Acknowledge how far you've come.

Copyright © 2008 bodyhealthbeauty.org. All rights reserved.
Contact | Site Map