by April Wilson

Created on: November 17, 2009

People often want to lose a lot of weight quickly either because they are very afraid their health will suffer during the time it takes to get to a healthy weight, or more often because their self esteem is tied directly into their weight. They're so unhappy with who they are as a result of the extra weight on their body that they feel they can't be happy or love themselves until they are thinner.

Since human beings strive so hard for happiness and to avoid discomfort and pain, it can be understandable why people want to lose a lot of weight quickly. But weight lost quickly is weight that is just coming back later, and bringing friends.

If you're concerned about the health issues, think like this... every day your overall health is either getting better, worse, or staying the same. If you are actively and consistently taking the baby steps necessary to improve your diet and exercise, then you are improving your health. It may be a slow process but it's a process you've started and are on the road to completing.

If your self esteem is tied into your weight and you feel you can't be happy until you reach a certain weight and therefore you have to reach it yesterday... then start to re-frame your self-image. It can be done. What we think about ourselves is what we've told ourselves over and over. Or the things others have told us that we have listened to and internalized.

Give yourself permission to feel good about yourself while in the process of losing weight, not just at the end. Change your goals from "eating less" to eating healthier. You will immediately start to reap benefits in how you feel. That will in turn give you the energy to exercise.

When exercising start thinking not in terms of how many calories you've burned and how fast you'll be able to lose the weight, instead start focusing on milestones. How far can you go? How fast can you go? What are you physically capable of doing today through a greater fitness level that you couldn't do yesterday? By shifting your focus, you'll begin to build pride and esteem in these accomplishments.

One of mine was when I could easily do an uphill walk that started out so hard for me. Don't focus on the number on the scale. That number will come down over time as long as you're taking the necessary steps. Just focus on lifestyle changes. And try not to stress too much about the time frame. Stress can make it hard to lose weight too.

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