I have been really good about working out. I have been eating clean. I just can’t seem to lose these last pesky pounds.
Does this sound familiar? Do you find yourself struggling?
It is very typical to have an ideal weight in mind and a lot of us, myself included, strive daily to reach or maintain this ideal number. If you are struggling to hit that number, you need to ask yourself a couple of key questions:
Where did the number come from?
If you have an ideal weight in mind, consider where this number came from. Did you weigh this amount a few months ago, or has is been a couple of years, five years, or did you weigh this back in high school? Is your number based on a friend’s weight who you think looks fabulous? Sometimes there isn’t even a former self or friend to associate that number to; sometimes we just know that we need to lose a little here and there and tie a value to it.
We all have reasons, some more easily defined than others, for our ideal weight. Understanding where that number came from can help us determine if it’s appropriate.
We can be our own worst enemies when it comes to our bodies. Is that ideal weight appropriate for you?
Are you trying to fit in those jeans from high school, or your wedding dress from 10 years ago? Consider how your life has changed from then to now and whether that is appropriate. Were you captain of the football team or very involved in different sporting activities years back? How does your activity level compare? As we get older our metabolism slows down. If our activity levels don’t change to accommodate the metabolism changes, we can expect our weight to reflect those changes.
Maybe you were that ideal weight a short time ago. That might be easier to attain than a previous weight from years ago. The consideration should be the same: were you more active then? Was your diet better then? It’s common to add a few pounds over a couple of months whether it be from a vacation and falling over the proverbial bandwagon (speaking from experience), or a change in activities. Recognizing where things may have changed is a great start to getting yourself back to that previous weight. You may have to work a bit harder to get back there but if it was a short time ago, it shouldn’t take long.
If you have based your ideal weight on someone else, this could lead you to trouble. To mention the obvious: everybody is different as is every body. When comparing your weight to that of someone else there are many factors that need to be considered including height, body fat composition, age and overall health.
For some, ideal weight is based on recommendations from a doctor for health reasons. Talk to your doctor for support and understand where this recommendation has come from. Weight changes may be in the form of a change in diet, increased activity or most commonly a healthy combination of both. Find out what your doctor has in mind and work with him or her to develop a plan to reach that goal.
Once you understand how your goal weight was determined, it’s time to develop a plan to shed those last few pounds. Next week I will provide a number of suggestions to help you get there!
