Make sure it’s YOUR goal.

It is easy to get caught up, and swept along in the current
of other people’s goals, values, and expectations.
We can wind up doing things that we don’t want to do
in order to get something we don’t even want to have.

It’s a big mistake to choose things
that we feel we “should” do…
things prompted by family, friends, or society in general.

There are very few things in life that we really have to do,
so when a person ends end up with a bunch of goals
that other people have set for them,
it’s time to start thinking about what YOU would really like to do.

Don’t set arbitrary goals just because you think you should.
There’s not much joy to be had in chasing a goal
that you don’t care about.
Chances are, you’ll give up part-way and feel guilty,
or you’ll reach the goal,
only to find that success doesn’t make you any happier.

We need to spend some time in thought so we can say:

“I stand here.
This is what is important to me.
This is where I will direct my life’s efforts.
My direction is here.”

Then we need to start doing the things that will move us in that direction.

Our minds are powerful.
Not only does the brain control all of the body’s
functions, movements and reactions,
it also allows us to emote, remember, and think.

Our thoughts are also powerful.
 Lots of research shows that positive thinking
can help people be happier,
while negative thinking can make us feel bad,
reduce our self-worth, and diminish our chances
of reaching our goals.

If we don’t really believe we are capable
of something, we are less likely to try.
We create our own self-fulfilling prophecy.

Like Henry Ford said:
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t,
you’re probably right.” 

I work to keep my brain
from getting in the way of my goals.

We can achieve amazing things,
but we have to believe in ourselves,
even if no one else does.

Or, at the very least, stop telling ourselves
that we “can’t
or that we’ll fail again “just like we did before”.
A past failure at weight-loss, maintenance,
or anything else doesn’t dictate the future this time.
If anything, it makes us wiser and stronger for what’s ahead.

Please keep in mind that although I can share my experiences,
no one can tell you what successful maintenance will be like for you.
It's a very individual thing.

Some people find that it's best to continue counting calories,
and they do it indefinitely. Others find that they don't need to do that,
as long as they follow certain principles for themselves.

Another thing to keep in mind is that maintenance changes…
…it doesn't stay the same forever.
What works at first may not continue to work later on.
So it's good to be flexible and not box yourself in
to having to have things just one way.

Everyone who has been obese
and then reached their maintenance level
is concerned about regaining.

As you're losing weight, consider what maintaining might look like
in terms of how you eat. For a lot of people, "I will never eat a cookie"
just isn't realistic … and neither is "I will eat cookies whenever I want."
For them, the optimal path is somewhere in between.

Don't be fooled by what online calculators tell you you can eat to maintain.
Many people regain part of their lost weight by thinking
that they “should" be able to eat at a certain calorie level
without regaining, and it turns out that this is not true for them.

Each of us has to find out for ourselves.

                       
  Something to Think About:

What's the difference between those of us
that have reached the weight goal we want to be
and those of us that have not?

Is it luck? Maybe
Is it hard work? YES
Is it vision? YES
Is it determination? YES
Is it focus? YES
Is it just circumstances? Maybe a little bit

After working hard to reach one’s weight goal,
would you start treating others as though they weren't good enough,
working hard enough, determined enough?

Or would you continue to understand
that people don't truly start moving forward
UNTIL THEY ARE TRULY READY to face their demons
and overcome their own personal recipe of life's obstacles?

Are you envious of those that are making serious progress
when you know that you are giving mediocre effort?

Are you resentful because you think some people don't have to try anymore
when they get to a certain point, and you still have to?

Do you realise that it gets harder and harder the closer you get to the end?

Life is the constant adaptation to your environment.

CONSTANT.

Not just until you get to the next rest stop.
CONSTANT. FOR EVERYONE.

No matter what point any of us are in when it comes to our struggle forward,
everyone is still pushing, worrying, trying, crawling, running, strangling,
suffocating under guilt, envious or jealous or sad, ready to collapse,
not satisfied with some result, self-conscious, lonely, misunderstood,
on the edge of giving up, starting over, moving on.

NO one is perfect.
No one has it all figured out.
No one is 100% done.
No one is completely confident.
No one has impenetrable self-esteem.

Successful people are just further ahead in some areas than others.

We are all successful.
And you can always choose to alter your own path
in pursuit of your own happiness.

 
The above article is a paraphrased portion of a post
that I really liked, from a fellow forum member.

 It so closely follows my own thinking,
that it is something that I could have written myself
...........but I didn’t.

People make an average of 200 food choices in a day.

All these decisions can deplete our limited mental "resources"
that govern our self-regulation.

That's one reason why, at the end of a hectic day, we can more easily overeat.
We lack the mental resources to say “no” to that first tempting cookie,
then of course, it is usually even harder to say "no to more of the same.

I have added another weekly recipe video to DietHobby.
You can click this link to see my low-calorie version of "Oatmeal Banana Nut Bars".
The video is located under RESOURCES, Sweet Tastes here at DietHobby.