"WHY Lose Weight" - Create your List of Good Reasons

Finding Your “Why?” of Weight Loss 

Welcome to Week 1 of my weight loss journaling journey and my first step to a healthier lifestyle. I hope you’ll join me on this 12 week boot camp or cheer me on from the sidelines.  

Over the next 3 months I’m going to be making healthier choices to lose weight and keep it off, become fitter, more relaxed and happier in myself. I'll be documenting my journey in a weekly blog post journal.  For those who join me on the journey I will include journal prompts and downloadable journal pages. I expect your wondering how sitting on my butt writing is going to help me lose weight and get healthy.  Then read on...

How can Journaling help ?

Journaling is a great way to tap into your intuitive self and a fantastic learning tool and it also has proven health benefits.   The American Psychological Association’s cover story “Writing to heal” highlights the many benefits both physical and psychological.  You don’t have to be a budding author to reap the rewards.  Journaling is for anyone and everyone. The key to getting the best outcomes however, is the learning and reflection element. That is “finding meaning in your story”.  Still not convinced.  Here are a few more reasons to put pen to paper. (More on this in another post). 

• Improves Your IQ
• Arouses Mindfulness
• Promotes Achieving Goals
• Builds Emotional Intelligence
• Boosting Memory and Comprehension
• Strengthens Your Self-Discipline
• Improve Communication Skills
• Encourages Healing.
• Taps into your Creativity
• Builds Self-confidence.  

I think most people who have struggled with weight loss or been on a diet of some kind will have already engaged in some sort of jouranling activity.  Most people are familiar with food journaling - keeping an inventory of the what, when and how much you have consumed in a day and perhaps an activity tracker - miles walked, weights lifted etc.  I have used both of these techniques before and have found them helpful so  I will be using them again on this weight loss journey too. I will also be using other journaling techniques to help me write myself light. While some of the techniques, strategies and exercises you will be familiar with,  others have been adapted from other disciplines.  But more on that later.  

Let’s Get Started.

It only takes one person to change your life – you (Ruth Casey)

Why now? Why Not Now?

If you are anything like me you have probably thought every day about starting a diet and exercise regime, meditating or taking time for yourself.  Any if you are anything like me that is about as far as it has got – just a thought. Most of us have dreams of being our ideal weight, things we’d like to change, do differently in our lives. But we make excuses (like I’m just too busy right now) or the changes seem too huge and overwhelming so we never get around to doing anything about them. We often convince ourselves that we don’t have the time, the space, the support, the resources, the money, the know how to do things differently. But you know what - we all have the potential to transform our lives – in a split second – simply by choosing to do something differently, taking some action or just thinking in a new way.   So today is that day for me.  What about you?

Before I jump into setting my weight loss goals let’s think about it for a while. What are the drivers or motivation behind this goal? Motivation is the combination of desire, values, and beliefs that drives you to take action.  The greater the value we place on something and the more reasons you for reaching the goal the more likely you are to do the work it takes to succeed.

It’s time to stop for a moment and do some serious navel gazing (quiet reflection). I hear the groaning and moaning but “no pain, no gain”.    Besides it’s hard to navigate forward if you don't know the starting point.

The inspiration for this challenge, I’m ashamed to say, was initially one of vanity. My nephew’s wedding is at the end August and it is to be a lavish affair. The dress code is formal – men in suits and ties; ladies formal gowns. Needless to say, I don’t own a full length dress of any description let alone one worthy of wedding apparel.  So about a month ago I decided that if  I was going to spend money on a suitable outfit (the miser in me coming to the fore) then I on a I would  have to lose a couple of kilograms, well alright more than a couple, so I could ‘rock it’ in my new frock.  With August already here and the wedding fast approaching, I’d have to give myself a big, fat fail, excuse the pun, on attaining my goal of weight loss and any possibility of wearing something fitted or made from soft (bump and lump loving) material. 

Since then, my ambition has broadened its focus from losing a couple of kilos to fit a dress to encompass achieving an enhanced sense of overall well-being.

Digging  Deeper into the WHY now.

I’m going to tackle the following journal prompts this week to aid me in digging a little deeper into my motivation for seeking change NOW.

• In what ways have I not taken personal responsibility for my health?
• Why Not now? This is an opportunity to explore the excuses you are using to hold you back.  What excuses have I used to explain my weight gain or poor overall health?
•  Why Now? What’s different about my life, health, energy, circumstances that makes this the time to take action?
•  Why will it work this time?
• Why do I want to eat healthy and improve my overall well-being?
•  What positive gains will I accrue from making healthy nutritional choices?

Other Starting Point Tasks:

1.            Record my current weight and waist size (if I’m game I’ll take a photo in my  undies). You can            measure other areas if you like but I believe in the KISS principle – Keep it super simple.
2.      Medical check up to ensure no health risks.
3.      Respond to the "Digging Deeper Journal Questions. 
4.      Fill in the 5 Good Reason's Why Page.

 It's time to change the ending of my weight loss story.

READY, SET - LOSE.