Recently, I asked the question on Facebook " What is the hardest thing for you about losing weight?" I was surprised that the answers had almost nothing to do with hunger, a weight loss product, or even exercise really, but discouragement and consistency.
I've struggled with discouragement, and the why-bother-I-should-just-accept-it emotions too. But that's not "acceptance" because there is no peace or joy with it. It is resignation. Followed by guilt. And a sense of failure. Cue old "diet cycle" again.
The Lord has been leading me to deal with this once and for all. Our bodies house our soul and spirit! They're important!
Here's how I've overcome discouragment:
REMEMBER. In the beginning of any journey, we're excited because it's new. When that rush of excitement fades, boredom or discouragement set in. Sometimes it happens when we step on the scale, or take our measurements.....and even after being "perfect" nothing changed. UGH!
Time to bring out that goal board or that journal entry when you promised yourself that THIS TIME, you were going to do it. Remember why you began this journey towards better health. Do you have pictures that help you remember your “why”? A set back DID NOT CHANGE the reason why.
Celebrate EVERY WIN! Ignore the voices – even yours – that direct your attention to what you “can’t have”, the seeming ease of unhealthy food, the i-don’t wanna work out. The enemy scale. When we say this is JOURNEY we mean that is has ups and downs. Twisty turns. Times when it all comes together. Every poor choice added pounds, fatigue, illness. Every good choice moves you away from that. Celebrating your wins, is showing faith that you are doing the right thing for yourself, (and for your family).
Self-worth. This is especially important. Weight loss is a very personal thing. It brings up lots of feelings that many of us would rather not deal with, frankly. God created you and me with eternal value. He knit each of us together in our mother's wombs. The world wants us to either see ourselves as "little gods" or go to the other extreme.
It is not humility to denigrate yourself or to allow yourself to dwell on your faults. God does not dwell on your faults. He does not ignore areas of sin, poor decisions, or self-sabotage, but He continually moves you forward. It is not humility to lack confidence. We were created to be WHOLE beings. Our BODY/MIND/SOUL/SPIRIT were created to be unified. Feel good about your body. Feel good about how you feel. Your health journey inspires Others. A healthy self-worth is how we are able to give to others. So, a positive self worth…..is not about you 😉
Patience. The most difficult thing, is PATIENCE. We could all pass the quiz on patience. Intellectually we know that things of value take time and discipline. But in real life? When the changes seem slow? When a metabolism that is aging, or has been through so many diets, is taking a while to respond? When Facebook is suddenly showing us ads about people who achieved their ideal weight in 21 days? Patience seems like it’s for suckers.
Yet every success, regardless of the endeavor, required PATIENCE.
Be patient with yourself. Celebrate your wins. See yourself as someone with eternal value. Remind yourself of what you are working toward. Those things haven’t changed even if you are having a bad day/week/month.
If you are a praying person, ask the Holy Spirit to help you with patience, endurance, self-worth! He loves you. It is God’s will that you be healthy! Taking care of your body is part of the stewardship you are called to do.
Surrounding yourself with a support team – like our Facebook group – is absolutely key. No successful person achieves anything alone. Your journey inspires others. Others keep you going.
Keep pushing through! Drop a comment below, and share how you get through discouragement.
If you want to be a part of our Leaner for Life program, message me on Messenger, Telegram, Facebook or through the contact form on this website. We'd love to have you!
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