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> what can I do to MAKE myself do this???
Virginia,
You have got to do just that: make yourself do it. Of course,
you should always keep in mind the benefits that you will derive; look
and feel better, be healthier, etc. But these are long-term effects
of changing your behavior. I think you need to concentrate on the
things you need to do daily to reach your goal (and you should have a
specific goal in mind, like a weight target or dress size).
What I find helps me is to make the changes in behavior
HABITUAL. That is, make them part of your routine, so that you
eventually do them without thinking much about it. An example: when I
get up in the morning, I brush my teeth; sometimes I find myself doing
it without contemplating it at all. Its a habit. Now, I have as a
goal to make a few more things part of my daily ritual, namely to
weigh myself first thing in the a.m., to drink lots of water every
day, and to stop eating altogether after 8-9 p.m. What I've been
trying lately is to link these actions with others that are already
habitual. So, I'm trying to condition myself so that as soon as I
pick up my toothbrush, I think, "did I weigh myself?" As soon as I
open the fridge door, I think, "have I drunk enough water today?" If
you usually have a snack before bed, you could set your alarm clock
for just before you go to bed: condition yourself so that when it
rings, you THINK CONSCIOUSLY about whether you've eaten anything bad
after dinner. These are little things you can do to REMIND yourself
of your goal and your desire to attain it. Keep your goal in the
front of your mind, because if you push it to the back, you'll get
distracted and lose ground.
You've got to reach your goal one day at a time. And I really
believe in "never say diet". If you want to lose and be healthier,
change your eating patterns permanently, not just for a one-week or
one-month diet. A diet is a temporary change; it implies that you can
"go off" it when you reach your goal! My point is, don't think of a
new, sensible eating pattern as a "diet"; think of it (consciously and
often!) as a new, better part of your lifestyle.
Well, I've rambled on long enough. This stuff sure is easy to
talk about and hard to do, isn't it? Good luck.
Tom
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