Ever wonder what you'll look like at your dream weight?
Maybe you were only at that weight a couple of years ago so the picture is still vivid.
Or maybe you were at that weight when you were in your teens, before your college weight gain, before marriage, before kids...
The other picture which could be more abstract is, what you'll look like between now and your dream weight.
If you've carried extra weight for most of your adult life, it may be difficult to deal with a strange reality. As you start losing a significant amount of weight, certain parts of you look better and others start to look, well...worse.
Consider how weight gain affected your body initially. Let's say you're a middle aged man with roughly 50 pounds to lose. Chances are, the weight started showing in the love handles, then the stomach, the chest, and ultimately in the face.
What I've found is that the weight loss tends to show in reverse. So the face slims out first, chest tightens, etc.
Recently, I was speaking to one of my clients about this. He was losing weight at a pretty rapid clip actually. His face, arms and chest were starting to show more definition which was motivating. However, where his midsection still had space for improvement it was magnified due to how the rest of his torso looked. Not very encouraging!
I wish I could tell you that as you lose weight you will look as good as you hope. Maybe this happens, maybe it doesn't. If there is any advice I can offer, it's to keep your eye on the prize.
Have you gotten stronger?
Do you have more endurance?
Do your clothes fit better?
Are people complimenting your appearance?
Answering these questions and more importantly, documenting the answers can help you stay focused. The scale will not always reveal what you want, neither will the mirror. Your weight loss journey will likely be slow, somewhat painful (a relative term), and frequently unpredictable.
If you can arm yourself with the knowledge that the journey will have unexpected outcomes and avenues you are ahead of the pack. A dear friend and former client reminded me that not preparing herself for these realizations was a difficult battle to endure. However, I'll end this newsletter in her words:
"Getting your mind ready for weight loss...I remember when I lost the weight wondering why I still felt fat and wondering what it would take to align the two things. Losing weight doesn't cure all that ails. Mindset matters for so many things related to health"-Gillian M.
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