You may know me personally or you may know my story, perhaps both, either way, you likely know that I’ve maintained 120+lb weight loss for nearly two decades now. There is no bragging because it is still something I battle and have to work at daily. You know why, sunshine? Because unlike other addictions such as alcohol or drugs, we must eat to live. (Appetite, hunger, food addiction–lots of future blog post fodder, friend!)
Often when people learn about my weight loss journey, inquiring minds want to know, “How’d you do it?”
The skinny, most “experts” say, for weight loss is simple: eat less, move more.
While I agree with these essential ingredients, I also know that we have conditioned our minds to believe that health and weight are derived from food alone. This, my friend, is only 1/2 of the story.
We must understand the body-mind connection, which of course, is not so simple.
As you may know, I like to draw lessons from common, daily-life events and situations we can almost all relate. So for weight loss and sustainability, I draw my wisdom from a fave childhood classic, The Little Engine That Could.
To refresh your memory, the little steam engine was small but mighty, but it wasn’t his size or his brawn that enabled him to carry the heavy load to the top of the mountain. It was his belief in himself and his declaration of his belief that lead him to the mountaintop.
Most likely you can hear his echo, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…” and if you recall the specifics, you may remember he spoke his belief aloud to his fellow railcar friends.
Yes. I believe that eating less and moving more are essential to healthy living. And I believe that the foundation of weight loss begins before you put anything in your mouth or hop on any piece of gym equipment. And I believe that declaring words of power, strength, and progress will strongly support your beliefs coming to fruition. And I believe we should focus on healthy v. skinny. (I know lots of unhealthy skinny people.)
So here’s my skinny on being healthy: believe you can and declare you can. And personally, I know that it is not by my own strength or willpower that I’ve been able to manage my weight for 20 years; it is by my God-given power that I am able to do all things. (Phil 4:13)
So if weight loss is a goal of yours (or if you have ANY goal in mind), do not focus on the ten failed attempts and certainly do not proclaim yourself to be a failure. Instead shift your focus to believing that you are a success, that you will make it to the top, that you are better today than you were yesterday, that you are making choices that align with your goals. The more you proclaim these sentiments, the more likely you are to truly believe them and make them happen. Finally speak your beliefs aloud to trusted friends so that you may speak life into existence.
If you practice this daily for three weeks, I can venture a bet that I will see you at the top of the mountain.
With mountaintop belief in you, sunshine,
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