Choose To Lose Weight Forever

Suppose a friend said to you, “I’m going to be your friend until next February. Then I’m not going to be your friend anymore.” 

Or suppose a coworker told you “I’m going to be honest with you for the next three months. Then I intend to lie my head off.” 

Or suppose your spouse said, “I’m committed to being faithful for the next year. After that year, I’m going to cheat on you.” 

Or, imagine a wedding at which the bride is asked, “Do you take this man to be your husband?” and she responds “I do as long as it’s convenient, doesn’t cause me any discomfort and I can still see my former boyfriend.”

A little crazy, no?

Well, how about this one: “I’m going to stay on my diet for the next 3 months. After that, I’m going to “cheat” just a little bit and keep on “cheating” until I’ve put the weight back on.” 

Isn’t that exactly what has happened in the past? You’ve lost the weight only to put it back on. 

Of course, you haven’t consciously started a diet with the intention of putting the weight back on. You’ve started the diet with the intention of losing weight and keeping it off.

But have you started a diet with the intention of keeping the weight off “forever?” You should because that’s exactly how long you’re going to have to diet.

When you were a child, your mother probably had to remind you to brush your teeth. At some point, you no longer needed to be reminded. You made the choice to brush your teeth “forever” and that’s what you do. Today, it’s simply a habit that you don’t think much about.

In the same way, if you stick to your diet “forever,” at some point you won’t have to think much about it anymore. It will simply become what you do.

 

Now of course, for human beings, there’s no such thing as “forever.” None of us live “forever.” In reality, you have to choose moment to moment to moment. But those choices must be within the context that you are dieting “forever,” not just for now or the next three months or the next year. 

Going into a diet without making that “forever” choice is like entering a marriage with a prenuptial agreement. If the marriage is going to last forever, why make that agreement? 

If the diet is going to last “forever,” don’t give yourself an out. Commit that this is it.