Some thoughts about weight loss

I have been reading a lot about personal development these last years. I have been devouring books and watched (and still watching) a lot of videos about how to improve yourself.

My whole life I have not been skinny, but also not overweight. Which might be a curse: I was never motivated to lose weight as I saw people who were bigger than me and the skinnier ones, I saw as half anorexic. People were also telling me that I didn’t need to lose weight and fortunately, I never had problems with male attention…

But, I never felt really good in my skin. I felt that I needed to lose weight, but I found it too hard. And, like so many people, I had a yo-yo effect: I would lose a few kilos and then gain it again (fortunately again, I never gained more than my initial weight).

Of what I have been reading, I have a new theory and it might be right in my case. I was always around 65kg. 8 years ago, I was at my biggest: 68kg, but that only lasted for about 1 year. I almost naturally went back to 65kg. For the next couple of years, I would try to get around 60kg, but it seemed hopeless. A couple of years later, I made up my mind, ate healthier and tried to exercise more. My weight dropped till around 62kg. And again, it seemed that I couldn’t go lower than this.

Fast forward to today, my weight is around 60kg. When I eat to much and I weigh around 62kg, all of a sudden my body doesn’t feel comfortable when I eat sweets (my comfort food) and naturally feels fuller with big meals, so I stop eating before I overeat. I did a lot of exercise and weight 58kg for about a month, but then my body was craving so much that I gained 3 kilos. And then, went down to 60kg again.

My theory is this: it’s all in your mind! I wanted to lose weight, but I still saw myself as chubby, first as the 65kg girl, then the 62kg one. Whenever I looked (or look) in the mirror I only saw my fat rolls. To lose weight, you have to change your mental picture. Look in the mirror and see a thinner version of yourself. Look at the parts where it’s obvious that you lost some weight (for me it was my face, my knees, my wrists). When I saw that my watch was hanging looser around my wrist, or my rings were looser, I knew I was on the right track. And even though, I didn’t see it on my stomach or thighs, I congratulated myself and really tried to look as if I had a flatter stomach already. Your body will always return to the picture you have of yourself in your mind.

Remember: the mind is very strong, so if you don’t change your mind, it will be too hard to change your body.
As I see myself as a fit person, with 6-pack abs (a girl can still dream), it’s easier to choose a salad than a sandwich or to go for a jog in the evening (even a couple of kilometers is better than not doing any at all). It’s all in the consistency.

Of course, I have bad days. For instance, yesterday, I went to 2 different bakeries on the way and chose a sweet pastry and I had cans of coffee (not a real coffee you get at the coffee shop, but the ones in the supermarket, loaded with sugar and cream). But, I don’t beat myself up. My former self would have felt guilty for a week and think I am stupid and have no willpower. My new me rationalizes it: well, you had a hard workout the day before, it’s that time of the month, so you are allowed to have a cheat day. The next day, I will get back on track. No worries, I won’t gain 3 kilos by just 1 day overeating.

Let me know how you are doing on your journey to your weight loss. What obstacles did you have to overcome? Or when do you still feel that it’s hard to keep on track? Let’s motivate each other and exchange tips…