The background of your past doesn't need to become the foreground of your future.
How many times do you think this? How often do we look to our past failures and think this is who I am, this is what I do? That those failures really are who I am. That when I set those goals and miss them, it's my true self and not the product of my environment or just a product of what I was going through at the time?
I know I do. I was within 12 pounds on my goal weight last summer. I have never been that close. I was thrilled. I couldn't believe it. But then, something happened. I started eating too much. I started slacking on my workouts. I started having a negative attitude. And you know what that caused? A 20 pound weight gain over the past year. Yes. I went from 12 pounds away from finally reaching something I have wanted for my entire life, to going the opposite direction.
What happened? I don't know honestly. I was so excited to be at that spot. I bought size 12 pants, which I've never done. My bottom tends to take forever to show a loss. Maybe the brain couldn't handle it. It fell back to thinking I would gain it back. It fell back to the same mentality that let me gain all that weight in the first place.
I need to focus on the times when I did lose the weight successfully. I need to harness that mentality and keep going. Ignore the nagging, persistent thoughts that I can't do this and tell it, hells yea I can do this! I've done it before. You may have won in the past, but I can win now. My future is for me to decide. I do not have to continue to allow my past to determine how I live my life.
How about you? Do you allow your past to determine your future? Or have you mastered the art of ignoring the negatives of the past and forging ahead with optimism for the future?
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I have had this happen to me. I will be on a great track to hitting my weight loss goals, and then for some reason or another I go off it for a day or two, then it turns into a few weeks, and before I know it I have slowly gained back all the hard earned weight I lost. I am doing better this year though, so I hope I will finally be able to hit the goal, and maintain the healthy weight. It's a process and a lifestyle change, which has me hopeful this time it will work versus all the past times when it was more of a diet than a lifestyle change. Good luck with your goals!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! I appreciate hearing I am not the only one who fights this. And awseome to hear you're doing so well this year! Good going!! Keep it up!
DeleteSomehow, I have not yet fallen off the wagon. I hope that I can continue to forge ahead and stay right where I am for a long time. God willing. Good luck to all of you fighting this battle!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I can't wait til I reach the stage you are at. Great job for reaching it and staying strong!
DeleteLosing weight is a journey. I am as well attempting this long journey of losing weight. I think its more than just physical, I think we have to lose weight mentally as well. If we don't allow ourselves to mentally go through this journey it can set us back. good luck on your weight loss. Keep us updated on your journey.
ReplyDeleteYes. I am learning the weight loss journey is more a mental game than anything else. Too much of an emotional eater - whether happy, sad, bored, etc. Getting past that to eat only when hungry or necessary due to working out is the battle. Working at it. I really want to hit my 40 pound goal this year. I'm tired of it always being my New Year's resolution.
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