Change Your Lifestyle

Because everyone’s environment is complex and his needs are different, changing behaviour is a highly individualized process. The method, timing and pace of change vary from one person to the next.As you contemplate making a change in your life, here are general principles that can be used as guide.
It is not a raceThe first rule of change is to not change too quickly. You are trying to develop a new lifestyle.This does not happen overnight. It takes time and dedication to unlearn unhealthy behaviours and develop new, healthy ones.Forget the scaleDo not use daily numbers on the scale as a measure of your success. You can control what you eat and what you do more than you can control the numbers.Concentrate on those actions as your goal. Keep your motivation sharp and focus on feeling healthier and more energized.Anticipate a lapseThere will be days when you eat more or move less than you intended. That is what called a lapse and inevitable that you will occasionally lapse.But it is important not to use a lapse as an excuse to give up. Have a plan for such occasions. You ate a slice of pizza that you had not planned on? You were too busy to exercise this morning?Think about what triggered the lapse and learn from it. Keep in mind that a healthy weight results from a long term commitment and not just from a single event.To achieve a healthy weight, you will need to identify you unhealthy behaviours and change them permanently. To beat the odds, you may need to strengthen your commitment to change before you start taking action.Write down all the good things that losing weight can do for you such as improving your health, giving you more energy and making you look and feel better.Then write down the negatives of trying to control your weight such as having to add exercise to an already busy schedule or getting your family to go along at least partially with dietary changes.Focus on the positives of weight loss and try to come up with solutions for the negative behaviour. Decide on a positive phrase that reflects you and what you are trying to accomplish. For example:I’m improving my eating and exercise habits.I’m creating a new me.I’m working toward good health.As you taking action toward weight control, realize that willpower alone won’t be enough.Discarding behaviour or adopting a new one can take anywhere from three to 30 tries.There is no magic formula that everyone can follow.Different techniques work for different people.You will need to discover what is effective and satisfactory for you because it is a long term effort.
Lose Fat. Gain Life.
Source: Mayoclinic : Healthy weight for everybody.
www.weightmanagement.org.my