Top 6 Reasons why you want to lose weight

This was me at one of my heaviest

I have battled with the bulge for many years. For years I ballooned up and down on the scale. It wasn't until these past few years that I have finally gotten it right. Recently I began to think about my motivation behind wanting to lose weight. Why did I want to be thin? I know for a long time most of my answers to this question were really vain and sometimes they still are (I am only human). The final straw for me was being fed up with my pursuits and wanting to conquer this area of my life once and for all.

However, I began to wonder why do people want to lose weight? I get a lot of emails and have many conversations with friends about weight loss so I thought I would share some of the top reasons people what to lose weight. Can these reasons be helpful or harmful in the long run.

To lose weight for a vacation, wedding or class reunion.

This has been my reason so many times! I cant quite remember how successful I was in achieving any of these goals, but I know it did not last. Obviously the problem with this goal is that once the event is over and you have not reached your target weight all ambitions to lose or to be healthier have gone out the window.

To find/keep the “one”

I do not want to keep emphasizing how I have been there a million times but I have! The motivation to lose weight for someone else often creates resentment. I think if the motivation is based on having more confidence then go ahead shed the pounds but if it is based on pleasing someone else then the results usually do not last.

To feel good about yourself (self esteem)

I don't know a single person that doesn't want to jump in front of the mirror nude and say “Damn, I look good.” All of us want to feel good about ourselves and have confidence. This is a great reason to lose weight. Sometimes when your in the trenches of becoming fit it is easy to forget about feeling good when you feel so bad. Fear not! The choices you make every day on what to eat or going to the gym will get you closer to your goal.

Because someone said you should

This is the worse reason to lose weight. This motivation has nothing to do with what you want for your own life. This solely has to do with someone's opinion of you. Similar to the losing weight for a significant other this reason breads resentment. This motivation will not last. I remember one Thanksgiving my grandfather told me I was fat, I was devastated. I was motivated for maybe a week to try to lose weight but it didn't last. Point being you have to do this for you.

To become active again

Maybe you desire to run a marathon, a triathlon or do one of those mud runs. Having those aspirations is a great reason to get fit again. If you sign up for your race far enough in advance it will give you several months to focus on training for the race. Your focus shifts from looking at the scale to your athletic performance.

 I want to look like (insert famous person's name)

My famous person used to be Amarie. I kept photos of her as my screen saver, I thought about her when I went to the gym. I thought she looked beautiful and I wanted to be that thin. However, one day I realized I will never look like her because I am me. I cant be as thin as her because my body is different. My best “me” is just as great!

Whatever your reason is for losing weight it has to be for you! And not the shallow vain “you” but for the “you” deep down inside that wants to be happy and healthy.

What are you thoughts and reasons for losing weight?

How to turn goals into reality

Crossing the finish line after completing Ironman 70.3 a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. A goal I have had since I was a child. I held my face right after because the tears started flowing I was so happy. 

Throughout my entire life I have always been a goal setter. I think of so many things that I want to accomplish on a daily basis. I make list. I dwell on the goals. Sometimes I forget them and other times as the months pass the goals become less important. I am a great goal setter (most of us are) however, I have not always been a “goal finisher.” There are many goals I have set for myself that I have not reached.

One specific time in 2008 I set all of these goals after watching the documentary The Secret. I filled my apartment with affirmations about receiving a new car, homes that I wanted to own and money in my bank account. It is quite comical thinking about it now. I sincerely expected to get these material items by concentrating on them. Even if I had received them, the happiness of the attaining that goal would not have lasted because my motivation for receiving these items was rooted in my ego.

I also remember the weight lose goal. Every New Years Eve this was my resolution. I would exercise and eat right for maybe 2 months then give up. I tried almost everything (healthy and unhealthy) to lose weight but nothing happened. Finally, I have succeeded at this goal! However, this is because my motivation has changed. I am not focused on the scale I am focused on the fun I have competing in sports. I am not focused on my dress size I am focused on being happy and healthy. In those HARD years of trying to lose weight I was at the gym running on the treadmill thinking about how sexy I would be and how all my ex boyfriends would die when they saw me. My motivation then was rooted in negativity and thus my goal never came to fruition.

The truth is the motivation behind our goals is directly linked to the success or failure of that goal. Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to have a wildly successful career? Why do you want to be wealthy? Dig deep to find where the motivation behind these goals are rooted. If the goals are rooted in expectations placed on you, vanity, revenge or a self centered fantasy chances are you wont be a “goal finisher” and more importantly you wont be happy.

The sky is the limit on the success that you can have in life, but it all depends on your motivation. Is it positive or negative?

What do you think? What hinders people from reaching their goals? What is your motivation behind a big goal you have for yourself? Leave a comment. 

STYLE: "If these clothes could talk" Ep.1 Khaleeqa

SPIRIT: BEING HAPPY IN THE VALLEY

How many times have you heard someone say “I will be happy when I get this new job” or “Everything will be fine once we get married” or “As soon as I finish this book things are going to change” we all have a personal statement that we can make like this. Today, I want to talk about being happy in the “valley” of life.

Obviously, we all love to hear the stories of successful people like Oprah or Bill Gates, because they have arrived. However, I think it would have been far more interesting to have heard their stories while they were in the valley, in the daily grind on their way to the top. It is very easy to be happy on the mountain top but what do we do in the valley? How do life’s hurdles and hiccups effect our day to day happiness? How many people have jumped ship on their dreams for a quick fix of happiness?

These are thoughts I think about daily. I have really big dreams for my life that I am actively pursuing. Sometimes it is hard to stay motivated and be happy day to day when I don’t see results. But, it is so crucial that I remain positive and happy to achieve success. I have had a number of very big valleys and low points in my life, so hear are some suggestions on how to remain happy despite your circumstances or not having arrived at your goal:

1 “Leave everything on the field” I love this saying, because what it means is that you are not saving anything for later you are going to give it your all right now. This is crucial to being happy in the valley because sometimes that is all you have. Knowing that every day despite what the circumstances are you gave it your all is something to be joyous about.

2 “Do something for you” Most of the time when you are in the grind pursuing your dreams and dealing with day to day chaos you often forget about yourself. Often we use food to reward ourselves which is not always good. Daily you need to take one hour of your time and do something solely for the benefit of you. Whether you love to read, workout, listen to music you need to make time to do something DAILY that is just for you. This will help you take your mind off of life and just be in the moment.

3 “Give back” The best thing you can do while you are in the valley is help someone else out while they are in theirs. When you give back it takes your mind off your own issues for a moment and puts them toward someone else. It shows us that we are not the only ones that go through things and there are others out there struggling too. Do something on your own, whether it is randomly giving a friend or relative money, spending time with a senior citizen or volunteering to coach youth, whatever you do it will make an impact on your happiness for the good.

4 “Understand it’s the day to day choices” For a while I viewed success as a big miraculous thing that just randomly selected individuals at whim and then “Tadaa” they had everything they ever dreamed for. Well it doesn’t exactly work like that. Success and realizing your dreams is all about the little choices you make day to day the get you steps closer to the goal. When I began to understand this concept I felt relieved and happy. I knew that if I decided to eat the oatmeal instead of the donut that I would be closer to being fit, I knew that if I turned off the TV for an hour and used that time to write and brain storm I would be steps closer to building my brand and so on and so fourth. Knowing this every day helps your happiness because it takes your really big dream and breaks it down into day to day basic decisions.

I really hope that these tips show you how to be happy on the way to mountain top. Rox on!

SPIRIT: "COMMENCE"

PAPAPROXI.COM: COMMENCE! from Paparoxi on Vimeo.