The Advanced Mediterranean Diet

     Immediate, short-term motivation to lose weight may stem from an upcoming high school reunion, swimsuit season, or a wedding. You want to look your best. Maybe you want to attract a mate or keep one interested. Perhaps a boyfriend, co-worker, or relative said something mean about your weight. These motivators may work, but only temporarily. Basing a lifestyle change on them is like building on shifting sands. You need a firmer foundation for a lasting structure. Without a lifestyle change, you are unlikely to vanquish a chronic overweight problem.  Proper long-term motivation may grow from:

• the discovery that you feel great and have more energy when you are lighter and eating sensibly
• the sense of accomplishment from steady progress
• the acknowledgment that you have free will and are responsible for your weight and many aspects    of your health
• the inspiration from seeing others take charge of their lives successfully
• the admission that you have some guilt and shame about being fat, and that you like yourself more when you’re not fat  [I’m not laying shame or guilt on you; many of us do it to ourselves.]
• the awareness of overweight-related adverse health effects and their improvement with even modest weight loss.

     Appropriate motivation will support the commitment and willpower that will be needed soon. 

PS: I’m thinking of how Dave Ramsay, when he’s counseling people who have gotten way overhead in debt, tells them they have to get mad at the debt.  Then they can attack it.  Maybe you have to get mad at your fat.  It’s your enemy, dragging you down, trying to kill you.  Now attack it!