Most people think that weight loss is something that happens in the kitchen or gym however long before you get there you need to be resolved in your mind that things need to change and change permanently...this is what is called a lifestyle change. Your lifestyle is made up of habits you form over time, for example, if Fridays is girls night out and you drink until the bar is dry or if you have to have a bar of chocolate when you go to the shops, that is a lifestyle habit. A collection of these habits will result in good or bad health.
The first step to change is to be honest with yourself, identify the bad habits you have that are contributing to bad health and obesity and then one by one start to change these. It is also important to identify the habits you have that are good and to build on these.
I remember going through this process of self-introspection which for me took several months as I was not aware at the time that this is what I was doing. I just remember being unwell and unhappy and feeling heavy... My worst habits included not drinking water, not eating breakfast, not having a good nights sleep, not exercising at all, I would even complain if my husband parked 200 metres from the entrance of a shopping mall... I had issues. What I didn't do was indulge in loads of junk which made the changes I needed to make with my diet that much easier but the change was nevertheless a big one.
Over a period of 12 weeks I started making changes, small changes, most of them were in my mind, my views on food, my views on drinking water, my views on my body and self-image and my views on exercise. I slowly started removing bad habits like not drinking water or eating breakfast and replaced them with good habits including drinking water daily, eating breakfast cutting out sugar and getting 7-8hours of sleep most nights.
They say it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit and 66 days for it to become automatic therefore giving yourself 90 days to change your negative behaviours into positive ones is not procrastination rather it is scientifically proven to be a necessary period for change and adjustment, so be kind to yourself and take the time to go on the journey of mindset shift and mental transformation which is critical before any physical transformation can take place sustainably.
