Successful Weight Loss – Creating a Healthier and Happier You.

It is really important that should you feel your current weight is or maybe causing you physical health issues or is having a negative impact on your mental health that you consult with a health professional. I am not a health professional and my blogs contain information about me, my journey and what has worked for me. Where I have stated something as ‘fact’ I have referenced the source of the information. If you do not see a source in any of my posts you should consider it to be my unqualified opinion.

I write this blog not as someone who has spent years completing valuable academic study, into nutrition and how to lose weight, but as someone who has undertaken the journey a number of times over the years. Some journeys have been successful and some have not, it is from experience of what works for me and what I have seen work from others that I write.

Why lose weight?

The answer to the seemingly simple question of ‘What is your motivation to lose weight?’ is in my opinion probably the single most important question to get right. Our motivation must be personal to us and something that we believe in at the deepest of levels. It is this motivation that will see us through the difficult times. Our motivation must to a degree be selfish. Doing ‘it’ for others can be a great secondary motivation, especially if we have young children or we are supporting partners on a similar journey, but ultimately we must want to do it for ourselves.

What is Overweight?

There are countless medical articles, social media posts and online calculators that will all tell you whether in their opinion you are overweight. I am not saying that they are right or wrong, but these have probably all existed for quite some time and the likelihood is that your weight has increased during that time. So we can exclude these types of motivations.

‘I want to lose weight because a BMI calculator says I am obese’. If we allow these influences to act as a mirror, we will determine how we see ourselves based upon the views of others. We must determine for ourselves if and how much overweight we are and what affect that has upon us, before we decide upon a plan to do something about it.

Activity One – Do your Body Audit

A self profile body audit is physically easy but can be emotionally uncomfortable.

Step 1 – The 5 Minute Challenge

Making sure that you are in a room alone and that you won’t be disturbed for at least 15 minutes, stand in front of a mirror, ideally full length. Free of as much clothing as you feel comfortable with and which circumstances allow, look at yourself in the mirror for five minutes. Really try hard not to judge what you see.

The five minutes that you spend doing this should free you of your own emotional ‘first impressions’, these are often the most negative and unhelpful. Go in close, turn around, all the time looking but not judging. If it feels a bit weird or uncomfortable, great! We spends hours everyday looking at other people and we don’t spend all that time judging how they look, so do ourselves the same courteously.

If you jumped ahead or didn’t complete the full five minutes, go back and try again! Keep trying until you are successful. If it doesn’t happen today try again tomorrow, the main thing is don’t give up and don’t jump ahead.

If you did manage the full five minutes, Congratulations!. Now say that to the mirror, out loud. Feel a bit silly?, that’s OK. Over the next few weeks and months you will really feel you deserve the self praise, which will only be echoed by others.

Step 2 – Self Appraisal

Now that we have moved past, first impressions and off the cuff judgements, its time to critically appraise ourselves. There are two really important rules when we do this.

1, Don’t compare ourselves to others

2, Don’t compare ourselves to our younger or previous version of ourselves. Neither of these will help determine who we are and neither can help determine who we want or can be.

Looking in the mirror factually describe yourself in the same way as you would describe a stranger to another person. As an example this is my description of myself at the start of my weightloss journey;

My name is Julian, I am 6’1″ tall, my hair is grey, my eyes are blue/green, I don’t have any distinctive facial features. My shoulders are broad, my arms are fairly big not muscular. My chest is large, I have ‘moobs’. My stomach extends past my waist, looking from the side, I have two folds in my stomach. My backside seems fairly normal. My legs are long, they are chunky at the top and my thighs are touching against each other. Below my knees my legs seem a lot thinner.

Again as silly as the above may seem, if I had just walked into the room, looked into the mirror and described myself, I would have just said “tall, fat and old”. As well as being a very negative self opinion, it really wouldn’t give us much to work with.

Step 3 – So What?

Now that we’ve objectively described ourselves, the next crucial step is to ask, “So what?” Beyond the emotional aspects, what does this physical description mean in practical terms? Understanding the tangible impact on your daily life is key to setting meaningful goals.

Consider the example: a larger chest leading to what some may refer to as ‘moobs.’ This isn’t just a self-perception; it can have real-world implications. Clothes shopping becomes a challenge as finding items in the right size and style becomes difficult. Recognizing these practical challenges is essential in shaping your weight loss journey.

So, take a moment to consider how your physical attributes impact your day-to-day activities. Is it affecting your wardrobe choices, making certain activities more challenging, or influencing your overall comfort? By acknowledging these practical aspects, you’re not just setting goals based on appearance but addressing the tangible improvements that will enhance your quality of life.

For reference an outline of part of my self audit was:

“I have moobs – I like clothes that look nice, but struggling to find sizes that fit“

“My stomach is large – I don’t like the way I look in photographs and I can’t keep up with my young daughter when she is running around“

This step is about connecting the dots between your physical self-perception and the real-world implications it carries. It’s not just about looking good; it’s about feeling comfortable, confident, and overcoming the practical obstacles that may be hindering your daily life. This awareness becomes the foundation for setting goals that go beyond aesthetics, focusing on holistic well-being and a lifestyle that truly suits you.

Step 4 – Define Your Personal Motivation

Now that we have really understood how we view ourselves and understand better what affect this view has on our life we can establish clear motivations for losing weight, setting out clearly what we want to achieve. For me the main (starting) motivations were;

1. I want to regain my physical abilities as they impact my overall confidence.
2. I want to be able to wear clothes that look good, not just that fit
3. I want to feel a sense of accomplishment
4. I want to be able to play with my daughter, as she’s grows up and I grow older.
5. I want to set a good example to my daughter as I want her to be physically confident.

Building on the insights gained from your body audit, it’s time to delve deeper into your personal motivation. Ask yourself why losing weight is important to you. What do you hope to achieve, and how will it positively impact your life?

Your motivation should resonate with you on a personal level. It could be about improving your overall health, boosting self-confidence, or simply feeling more comfortable in your own skin. Remember, this motivation is the driving force that will keep you committed during challenging times.

Next Steps

If you have followed the steps above, you should have a clear understanding of;

1. What overweight means to you
2. How being overweight impacts your life, both physically and mentally
3. What you hope to achieve

In Part 2 we will start to look at the ‘How to lose weight’ based upon my own experience and list the “do’s and don’ts” that I found helped me to lose weight.

Thanks so much for reading, well done and the very best of luck.