Motivation the Key or the Curse?

Author: Cass Hope

Article source: http://www.kabish.com/. Used with author's permission.

"Life would be perfect if only I was thin." That one thought passes through the minds of millions everyday when they think of weight loss. The really sad part about it is that they truly believe that it is the truth. On television, in magazines, everywhere we look the message is clear that only thin people can have happy lives.

This is not to say that weight loss in general is a bad thing, that is not the point I am trying to make at all. It is the motivation behind the decision to lose weight that can be as important as the plan you decide to follow. The motivation for weight loss can be the determining factor as to whether or not you can successfully lose the weight and more importantly whether you can keep it off.

For example you have made a firm decision to lose weight and you have committed yourself to stick with the plan you have chosen. It takes a lot of hard work and determination but at last you have achieved your goal weight. So now all you have to do is sit back and wait for your fairy tale life to begin. The perfect mate, the perfect job, the social life…your dreams come true because now you are no longer overweight! It will all be worth the work…you just have to wait now. So you wait and you wait but the fairy tale never comes. Only the outside has changed, you are still you on the inside. This realization can have devastating results on may people. Not only is the incentive to keep the weight off gone but often people can end up surpassing their original weight. Depression usually sets in and sadly sometimes-even suicide.

Society needs to realize that weight loss is not about popularity. It is about eating well and exercising which in turn makes you feel better overall so of course you feel better about yourself. The extra energy gives a boost to your life and yes you may see an improvement in your social life but that is all because of how you feel not how you look. You are the one in control of whether or not you are happy and nothing outside of your mind and heart can interfere with that unless you chose to let it. Skinny people are unhappy too.

Weight loss should be all about health not fairy tales. Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes.