Permanent lifestyle change is the only effective way to lose weight and keep it off. If you want to stop the viscous cycle of weight gain and weight loss, you must start looking at weight management as a long-term (forever), lifestyle change. It's the only means to creating permanent, healthy behaviours that allow you to break from emotional eating and dieting insanity.
If you're looking for permanent, lifestyle change, which I hope you are, then I'll share my five top and very effective steps towards permanent change. When we choose (and it is a choice) to eat healthy, whole foods, and live an active lifestyle, we can easily stay within five pounds of our "happy weight" for life.
I don't diet anymore. I adjust. And, in future posts, I'll teach you the techniques that I've successfully used for years that help me to not only maintain a healthy weight, but to make minor adjustments if things start to slide.So, without further ado, here are your five steps to permanent change:
Five steps to permanent change
- Make one change a week
Change can be overwhelming. Make it easy by choosing one thing you want to change, and do it for a week. For instance, you can decide to consciously eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed foods than you normally do. Once you are comfortable with this new behaviour, you can choose another one and try it for a week. Slowly, over time, your new behaviours will become an easy part of your daily routine.
- Plan, plan, plan
You won't succeed unless you have a plan. Planning requires conscious thought. Becoming conscious of what you do and why is a vital part of any process of change. Know what you have coming up for the week and make a rough plan. But remember: life happens. Nothing is ever written in stone. Allow yourself to adjust to unknown circumstances. However, planning groceries and meals and exercise will prevent the inevitable failings that come without have a plan. Besides, when you have a plan, you've already made the decision to follow through.
- Start thinking, acting, and being your dream
This is vitally important for success. Thinking and acting like the person you eventually want to be creates connections and memories in your brain and body that will eventually become permanent, fixed ways of being. So, when you get up in the morning, you are that thin, active person who makes healthy choices all day. You are in control of your life. And, when things get in the way, which they will, you are training yourself to consciously act upon them, not subconsciously react to them.
- "Check yourself"
When discussing awareness, a very wise Buddhist nun called, Robina Courtin, often repeats the phrase, "check yourself". I love it, and have adopted this as my own mantra when negative, subconscious reactions creep into my day. I'll remind myself to consciously "check" my reactions to situations and the emotions attached to them. The more we can pull ourselves away from our subconscious thoughts and behaviours, the easier it is for us to change.
And, finally:
- Be kind
Unfortunately, we take better care of others than we do ourselves. We tend to berate, bash, and beat ourselves as we make mistakes, when we easily forgive and encourage others for the same things. We can't move forward until we learn to accept who we are, and to love who we are unconditionally. That means that we allow ourselves the grace to be human. That means that we don't strive for perfection, but that we strive to be the best that we can be. Mistakes an integral part of being human, and they are vital part of growth. Learn to use them as allies, not enemies.
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