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Duchess Tiger Lily
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: a small town in Minnesota
Posts: 609
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We think we can, we think we can!!!!! Challenge
I know that we are all probably on the Weight Watchers mailing list, but this article and list so motivated me, that I thought I 'd make a little challenge out of it. I am going to do this to motivate myself, and I sincerely hope that some of you will join me in doing these things. Read through the article, if you haven't already, before you read about the challenge.
HEALTHY LIFE
i think i can
By | Megan Gressor | 7/30/2000
Remember the children's story of the little engine that could? "I think I can, I think I can," he told himself whenever the going got tough. It obviously did the trick, because the little train finally won. The moral of this tale? If you don't honestly think you can attain your dream, chances are you won't. You have to believe before you can achieve.
"People struggling to lose weight often talk about their lack of willpower, as if willpower is something that you are either born with, or not," says Weight Watchers' Palma Posillico. "There's no such thing as 'willpower;' losing weight is all about 'wantpower' - about recognizing that you already HAVE all the resources you need to get what you want."
These include knowing what you want, knowing how to get it and knowing how to keep yourself motivated along the way. Here's how.
Workshop Your Goals
It helps to have an action plan to keep you on track. "Storyboarding" is a technique used by movie directors to sketch out a plotline, frame by frame, before they start filming. In a similar way, you can make a blueprint for success by breaking your goal down into parts. Say you've given yourself two months to lose that 10 pounds. Make a chart of the timeline and build it up, week by week, with details of meetings, shopping strategies, exercise tips and so forth - anything that helps make your goal concrete and achievable.
Envision Your Success
Athletes mentally rehearse every step of their winning routine to make it feel attainable. In the same way, you can make your own goals as real as possible by visualizing yourself succeeding in particular scenarios, such as making the right choices when dining out. Revisit these scenarios often to reinforce your objectives; focus on how good you'll feel about achieving them.
Stop Sabotaging Yourself
Many of us unconsciously sabotage ourselves with self-destructive thoughts such as 'I'll never lose weight.' Whenever you catch yourself thinking this way, try to substitute more constructive statements; for example, 'I haven't lost as much weight as I would like, but I can change that. I am going to start by setting aside time to exercise three times each week.'
Be Your Own Cheerleader
Some people believe it's modest to put themselves down. But you wouldn't call a friend "fatso" or "ugly," would you? Well, you deserve the same respect, so try becoming your own best friend, not your harshest critic. Applaud your progress and try not to obsess about setbacks.
Still not convinced? Make a list of your accomplishments in every area of your life (personal, professional, physical and so on). List the talents and skills that enable you to achieve them, and look at this list often. "Make an effort to catch yourself doing something 'right,' adds Posillico. "Begin a Victory Log - a daily journal of everything you did 'right' today." You'll be surprised how quickly it adds up!
Avoid the Pitfall of Perfectionism
Try not to think in all-or-nothing terms: that you've blown your diet for good, for example, simply because you've overdone it at one meal. "We need to be kinder to ourselves, not expect perfection, and, above all, learn to regard setbacks as learning opportunities," counsels Posillico. "Very often it's these detours on the path to our goals that lead us to our dream of long-term weight management success.
- And Follow Through
Believing you can achieve your weight-loss goals is integral to achieving them ... but, of course, you have to do everything ELSE, too - change your eating habits, increase activity. You can't just think yourself slim, alas! But you CAN think yourself into the right frame of mind to optimize your prospects.
Affirm Your Self-Belief
Feel your confidence wavering? Reinforce your self-belief with positive affirmations: simple, self-validating statements repeated as often as possible, preferably daily. Some examples:
* I am a capable, worthwhile person.
* I deserve success as much as anyone else.
* I can do it.
Yes, you can ... and you will, as long as you truly believe in your own success.
So here's the challenge part. Let's set some mini-goals for ourselves and keep a "victory log" of one thing we did right that day. We can also point out successes that we have in other areas of our lives to help propel us toward a success in this area. Like I said before, this totally motivates me in a way that nothing has for a very long time, and I'm really in with this...I hope I have some company!!!!!!
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