The evolved motivation for me to change my eating habits would be, at its highest, self love. Improving my nutrition would lower my cholesterol along with my weight and would add years to my life. I’ve been working on that for almost two years now, attacking exercise programs and reduced calorie diets with a vengeance. That lasts about as long as it takes for the first sugary dessert to sashay its way onto my plate or the sound of someone tearing open a bag of cheesy potato chips calls to me.
I am now proud to say that in the past 3 weeks I have lost 4 ½ pounds! Apparently, proud is the operative word here, or perhaps the more accurate label would be vain. Why have I been successful this time? What different circumstances came together for the magic formulation that is helping me succeed where before I have failed? Why have I been able to quell the cravings for sugary sweets and salty chips, the hunger pangs and the impulse eating? It all goes to my style of motivation.
Some people are motivated by the promise of reward – a pleasant outcome. Others are motivated by fear, or the threat of unpleasant circumstances. Many of us will vacillate between the two depending on the degree of reward or threat, or as in my current circumstance, one might find a dual motivation.
Even before both of my parents died of heart disease my cholesterol levels and increased weight were a big red warning sign for me to get in shape. Still, my recent success in maintaining a healthier diet and finally beginning to shed the uwanted pounds can only be attributed to the prospect of attending one wedding and two class reunions in the next two months, not to mention that come September and October I will be on stage for two community theater productions. My ego is craving the reward of all those compliments that go something like, “Wow! You look fabulous.” Lately, the added caveat, “for your age,” isn’t as thrilling, but that’s another story.
Oh woman, Vanity is thy name!
So, with this 1-2 combination punch of the promise of compliments and the fear of heart disease and its complications, I am winning the battle of the bulge, but November looms in the distance. The reunions will be a thing of the past (for at least another ten years). My 15 minutes in the spotlight will be but a faded memory. If reduced risk of heart disease and the promise of better health and a longer life aren’t reward enough for me, am I destined to gain back whatever weight I’ve lost?
· Clarity
· Assessment
· Necessary Change
· Designed Environments
· Outcomes
It is no coincidence that necessary change falls in the middle of my five step plan. It is the axis for continued self motivation and successful outcomes. When I reach my current goals of better health and appearance my circumstances, by necessity, will also have changed. Along with them my reasons for staying fit and healthy will change too.
For one thing, after having worked so hard to achieve my goal I will be far less likely to throw it all away. In fact I’m finding that to be true even now. I am a night-time nosher. It took some real mental gymnastics to figure out (see Assessment in Tools for Change) that my habit of eating right before I went to bed wasn’t filling up my belly as much as it was filling my need for comfort at the end of a day. Or, maybe it was filling my belly more than meeting my emotional needs. Anyway, that last yummy snack before turning out the lights was a hard habit to break even after I recognized it for what it was. Now that I’m seeing the numbers on my scale go down, I find it easier and easier to resist the urge to have “just a few chips” or “only two cookies.” at bedtime. It stands to reason that if I give in, I’ll only be gaining back the pounds and losing my success.
Another change is even simpler than that and will take very little effort on my part. It is the result of learned, habitual behavior. By November my new attitudes and actions will have replaced old ones. Again, my night-time noshing is simply a bad habit I developed over many years. In time my healthier habits will take over without even having to go through the reasoning process I'm now utilizing.
The first step of any journey is always the hardest. Once you have taken it, you’ve begun and if you just keep putting one foot after the other you can't help but reaching that half-way point, and we know there's no sense in going back once you've gotten that far. From then on your journey will an effortless, enjoyable stroll.
Here’s to your journey!
If you want to learn more about the Tools for Change, or coaching for motivation and success, visit Living Well.
