My motivation has been waning, actually for the last year. I lost enough weight that I feel better so the motivation to stick to the plan has lessened. This is frustrating because I do want to lose more weight and get to a healthier BMI. The last few days I've been listening to Dr. Lisle's lectures. Here are some of my take-away thoughts:
Conscientiousness and motivation drive success. Regarding motivation, there is a cost benefit analysis going on in my head. Is it worth it to make the effort required to stay on the diet? With regard to desire to stay on the diet; planning, environment, and education help tremendously. Read and study to determine the best thing to eat, make out a menu, shop, prepare. Have food readily available for meals. There are plenty of good resources for this. Make every effort possible to setup the environment for success. For me, keeping trigger foods out of sight and inaccessible is key for my home environment. My husband keeps his snack foods in another room. I would have to break so many of my rules to actually go get the snacks that I don't do it and most of the time I don't think about it. I mostly avoid eating out. This strategy works for my lifestyle now but I think at some point I need to focus on making better decisions in a restaurant. Being careful with getting enough sleep and not being stressed helps with staying motivated. Educating myself on diet and on psychological issues is helpful. From listening to Dr. Lisle's lectures I'm seeing misconceptions that I have, as well as, understanding human instincts and motivational drive. Focusing on the fundamentals, such as making checklists, keeping a record to hold myself accountable, making sure I am rested, doing my chores of shopping and cooking, are all part of being conscientious of what it takes to succeed. Exercise is very important to help with weight loss, too. It cannot be the sole mechanism for weight loss but it contributes. It also contributes to a sense of wellbeing. I feel better when I get a moderate amount of exercise. All of these issues drive my "internal audience, i.e. my self-esteem". If my internal audience is happy, I'll be happy. If I'm happy, I'm more motivated to keep trying to eat a healthy diet and have a healthy body.
September
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I didn't get in exercise yesterday but I followed the MWL diet plan.
EEE Curve
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I gave in and had a snack mid-evening and again at bedtime...
Today's Food Intake
sweet potato (3/4 lb cooked) and banana (1/4 lb)
small piece of cornbread
and lentil soup; potatoes and green beans
bulgur (1/2 cup) and spinach
chili with bulgur
watermelon
popcorn
more bulgur
two slices of bread