Why You Can't Lose Weight - How To Break The Habits That Hold You Back

Do you wonder why you can get so enthusiastic about weight loss one day, and then completely abandon your goal the next? Are you painfully aware of what your horrible eating habits are doing to your health, yet find it impossible to go one day without diet sabotage?There is a very real tug-of-war that goes on within each and every one of us. The war rages between your conscious and subconscious mind. Your conscious mind knows all the reasons you MUST change. Your subconscious mind has gotten used to the way things are and resists change.You can continue to try forcing change, but don't expect a new outcome. The better way is to create change. Let's take a look at how it is done.

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Why habits are hard to change:Habits are a mechanism your brain has created to save brain power. Habits run on autopilot freeing up your brain to deal with other issues.Consider learning how to drive.When you first got behind the wheel of a car at the age of 16, you noticed everything about that car. It took a long time to adjust the seat, adjust the mirror, and figure out where the turn signal was. And, your mind was ever vigilant as your eyes constantly moved from the speedometer to the road.If you had to keep this level of consciousness every time you got behind the wheel of a car, driving would be a maddening and all-consuming activity.Instead, your brain started putting driving tasks together, and driving became a subconscious activity. How many times have you driven from "Point A" to "Point B" and remembered little about the drive?Like driving, your eating has become a subconscious habit. So if you try to force yourself to change by turning your life upside down and going cold turkey on all of your old eating habits, your body and mind will feel very uncomfortable... too uncomfortable and you will quit.How to break old habits and create new ones:To break the habits of the old you, you need to create change by working with your body and mind at the same time.To change your body, you need a strategic approach to changing the foods you are eating. Instead of trying to change everything about your diet overnight, ease into change over a 7 day period by methodically replacing junk foods with healthy foods. By doing this you give your body time to adapt, and you avoid overwhelm.To change your mind, you need to focus on why life will be better when you are eating a healthy diet. What will it be like walking into your church or social function at a spry 125 pounds? How would it feel to try on new clothes at your ideal weight?
Focusing on what is wrong with the current you will keep you locked in your old destructive habits. Focusing on the new you naturally pulls you to new and healthy habits.Author:Dr. Becky Gillaspy