Changing Behavior to Lose Weight

When you sit back and really consider what it’s going to take to lose weight, you’ll realize it’s about changing your behavior.

I like to frame it that way because it bypasses all the excuses and reasons people give for why they do not exercise regularly or eat healthy foods.

A friend of mine recently confided to me that she was starting a new diet that day. I smiled and told her I’m on a diet everyday.

It’s completely true.

After two pregnancies and the subsequent weight gain, I’ve learned that it’s up to me to make good choices in the grocery store every time I shop. Every meal is a conscious decision.

I’m not opposed to eating a chocolate chip cookie but I don’t eat them every day.

I’ve had to change my eating habits to maintain all the weight I’ve lost since my last pregnancy. So far, I’ve kept it off for nearly four years.

It’s the same thing with working out. I used to work out consistently in spurts. I’d hit the treadmill twice a week for about two months and then stop going.

It took a conscious decision to exercise a minimum of three times a week. Once it became a habit, I started going even more days every week because I enjoyed it. It became such a part of my life that I became a fitness instructor.

Today, I can’t imagine a lifestyle that doesn’t involve exercise.

Changing your behavior is difficult, but it’s not impossible.

Alice Warchol is a freelance health blog writer and fitness instructor.

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