The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty."Diligence means to "pay consistent and careful attention." If you want to succeed, then you can't make this endeavor a rush job; rather you do everything possible to ensure you build a solid foundation to start. Then you build on that until the structure is complete. Let's review those 5 things so you can experience weight loss success, starting today. 1. Get the right mindset. Having the right mindset involves 2 things: Your belief and your commitment. Your belief speaks to wanting to change and believing that you can change. Wanting to change is not as simple as it appears. Many people hate the results of excess fat on their bodies, but want to keep loving the habits that led to the excess fat! But those two things are incompatible. In order to change the excess fat, then the habits that led to it must change too - either through elimination or modification. It is the nature of sacrifice; you trade things of lesser value for those of greater value. Secondly, you commit to sticking with your new program long enough to see results. I love author Darren Hardy's definition of commitment :
Commitment is doing what you said you were going to do, long after the mood in which you said it in has left you."Many people vow to change when the mood strikes them, but as soon as the mood leaves, the vow leaves! True commitment starts with a "Why?" You determine why must you change and why must you change right now - no waiting on Monday or the New Year. If that reason is not compelling enough for you to move now, then you need a stronger reason. Jesus gave us a principle for ensuring that you will finish what you start in Luke 14:28-30:
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?"2. Focus on a change you can sustain. When I was working on my weight loss, I never promised myself that I was going to become a vegetarian or live on a raw food diet. Why? Because I knew deep down I unwilling to sustain them! While I know the benefits of these lifestyles, I also know me. I would likely stick with them for a couple of weeks and then meat or cooked food would come calling. When it comes to permanent weight loss, I learned very quickly that you've got to keep riding the horse you rode in on. In other words, the method you choose to lose weight must be one you can live with for life (the horse you keep riding). Otherwise, you will take the mentality that you will "ride it" long enough to lose weight, then go right back to the same habits that made you gain weight in the first place! That mentality is the reason for the gain weight/lose weight/gain even more weight cycle many people are on. That is why I think the best approach to weight loss is to assess the core habits you already have and then make adjustments to those rather than trying to overhaul your whole life at once. What habits do you believe contributed to your weight gain most? Start the separation process. It can be a gradual drifting away or a clean break, but those relationships must change if you want to change. 3. Plan, Plan, Plan. I stated Proverbs 21:5 earlier but it bears repeating:
The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty."Are you rushing through your days without little thought to taking care of yourself? Slow down. I personally believe that hurry and rushing are great weapons in the hands of the enemy. In the Bible, you never read anything about Jesus hurrying anywhere. So if hurry and rushing are a big part of your life, then you are adding unnecessary stress. And in some of us, a stressed body holds on to fat for dear life! Replay your days. Are there activities you need to modify, delegate, or eliminate entirely? Plan your days so that you allocate time to do those things that are most important. That includes taking care of your health through healthy meals and exercise so that you can do what the Lord is calling you to without hindrance. 4. Order, order, order. Speaking of order, your success is found in your daily routine. Order your environment so that following your plan is easier. For example, you can't eat fruits/vegetables that you don't have in your house. On the flip side, you can't eat cookies that you don't have available either! So create a structure in your environment and routine to steer you in the direction you want to go. If you want to have weight loss success, you must place an order for it! 5. Accept that change will feel weird and wrong - at first. Don't be surprised when change feels uncomfortable at first. Think about the first time you rode a bike or drove a car. Didn't it feel weird and uncomfortable at the beginning? You had to think about what you were doing. You had to remember the right actions to take at the proper time. So much thinking! But what kept you from quitting? It was that desire to ride, wasn't it? Freedom, confidence, energy in action...all the things that being able to ride a bike or drive a car represented. It is the same way with weight loss. What does reaching a healthy weight represent to you? I recommend writing this down and reviewing it regularly so that this image remains in your heart. It must be bigger and clearer than any obstacles that you may face. That will help you to stay the course when you are making changes. Remind yourself that you need to keep practicing until the new habits feel comfortable and right. When that happens and you do them long enough, you will see results. *** Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness, Kimberly Taylor Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it? I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.” The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey. Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off. Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program
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