I Lost 30 Pounds in 4 Months
A number of years ago, I was borderline obese. My energy level was way down and my blood pressure was way up. I decided to start a low-fat diet and an exercise routine. I wish I knew all the fancy diets out there. I simply ate less and exercised a lot.
I dropped 30 pounds in 4 months. Then, one day I was at a supermarket to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving. I picked up two 15-pound turkeys, one in each hand. I wanted to feel what it was like when I was 30 pounds heavier. With the two 15-pound birds, I could barely move. I managed to walk around a bit but I was out of breath within minutes. It was scary to think that I was lugging that much weight all the time before. After I put down the 2 turkeys, losing weight had never felt so great!
Experience Losing 15 Pounds Yourself
- Take a trip to a supermarket and get a hand basket;
- Go to the meat section and put a 15-pound turkey in the basket;
- Walk for 5 minutes from aisle to aisle, carrying the basket;
- Go back to the meat section and put the turkey back;
- NOW, feel how GREAT it is to lose 15 pounds.
How does it feel to carry 15 extra pounds for 5 minutes? What if you have to carry it for 24 hours, or one week, or one month, or one year? Contrast the instant pain of gaining 15 pounds to the instant pleasure of losing that much weight. What if that is 20 pounds, 30 pounds, or even 50 pounds?
Use Instant Gratification as Weight Loss Motivation
Instant gratification can be a powerful driving force that leads us to immediate rewards but at a long-delayed cost. We eat the foods we love and feel the pleasure instantly. Then we crave for more food and more pleasure. Better physical appearance, higher life quality and reduced health risks are some common motivations for weight loss. However, none of them provides immediate rewards to the weight loss effort. It is known too well that such no immediate gratifications often result in failure in the weight loss struggle.
Instant Gratification vs. Instant Pain in Weight Control
The human body has an amazing capability of adapting slow changes. If you gain 15 pounds over 3 months, you may hardly notice any physical discomfort. By the same token, if you lose 15 pounds in 3 months, you won’t notice much difference either. For people who are on a weight loss plan, the hardest part is to stick to it. Because we are so used to having immediate rewards, not seeing any results within a short period can seriously weaken our motivation.