When I first lost my weight it was quite noticeable and I definitely turned a lot of heads. I'm not trying to be egotistical here, just honest. It felt great! After struggling for years with weight issues I had finally reached a goal that gave me the freedom to wear new clothes, walk into my job at the time with confidence, and feel energetic everyday. My happiness was all about being skinny again.
A trap I fell into and needed to get out of. My happiness faded after a year or so of constantly talking about my weight.
The Happiness Factor, how do you get it back? When you look at your physical and forget about what is within. When all the admiration, double takes, questions of how you did it and that feeling that this is your 15 minutes of fame end. You're left wondering what to do next. Having a few things in place once reality hits is very important.
Don't get me wrong, you should celebrate every milestone of your weight loss journey. You should stand tall again. The truth is that you also need to know that people do stop looking and you need to remember why you did all of this in the first place. For YOU. For YOUR health. Taking your positives and turning them into something even better is something I recognized I needed to do.
Here are 5 things to remember once you hit those weight loss goals:
1. Happiness is not physical it's from within. Your heart and health are your strongest assets. Knowing this is enough to keep you going for the long haul.
2. New Goals - Once you've reached a level of happiness due to your weight loss, reality will set in. New goals need to be made to compliment your new you! Make a list today and focus on the great things you'll do now that you feel so great!
3. Be Grateful - For who you are. For what you've accomplished. Not who others think you are. Be happy about climbing those stairs that were so hard to climb. Get excited that you can enjoy family time again without being conscious of what you look like. Think of how strong and energetic you are again. You have your life back!
4. Be Optimistic - Find ways to be positive about life. You can approach people with confidence, you're feeling good inside. Know that everyday brings new and exciting opportunities that aren't related to your weight and how you look.
5. Help Others - Now that you have lost your weight, help others do the same. Help others stay on track. Maybe you just feel better about approaching people and helping them out. I deliver meals to shut-ins, I help clean roads with a great group I belong to. Things that have nothing to do with your weight loss are the best things to an even healthier heart and mind.
Having lost your weight is a great thing but it's what you do afterwards that counts. Remembering who you are inside is the most important part, the rest is just icing on the cake.
Such an important point, especially about setting new goals. Too often people (myself included) reach their weight loss goals and say to themselves, "Now what?" It's like you have nothing to strive for anymore. I say set new goals - some fitness related (1/2 marathon, build lean muscle, etc), and some not fitness related (learn to surf, stop biting your nails, etc.). The key is to be grateful for how far you've come yet ALWAYS have something that you're striving to achieve. That's the only way I keep from falling back in a rut.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this comment. So true about striving for new goals. I have both fitness and non-fitness related goals to keep me going as well. I am grateful for what I have accomplished and all the great things in my life and it sounds like you are too. The anticipation of all the new things to come is exciting and that makes me happy!
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