Our attitudes, belief systems, and internal dialogue strongly influence our motivation and ability to achieve goals. They create the bridge between our intentions and our actions. And often, these attitudes are not something we are consciously aware of, let alone actively shaping to support our goals. To succeed in making the lifestyle changes necessary for long-term weight loss, it’s vital to be honest with yourself about how truly ready you are to lose weight.
Your answers to the following questions can uncover the hidden attitudes that suggest you might not be ready to commit to a long-term weight loss plan.
Weight Loss Readiness Quiz
- Have you spent enough time thinking about your eating habits and physical activity to have a good feel for what needs to change?
- Have you accepted that the changes you need to make are not temporary, short-term, or 30-day fix, but a permanent change to your daily habits?
- Have you thought about what success looks like, and whether or not those expectations realistic?
- Are you desperate to lose a lot of weight quickly or have you embraced the concept of losing weight slowly while learning the skills necessary to keep the weight off for the long haul?
- Are you choosing to embark on a weight loss journey now for yourself or are you motivated by someone else pushing you to make a change?
- Do you view weight loss as a “magic wand” that will solve all the perceived problems in your life?
- Are you willing and able to increase regular physical activity? Seriously, be honest.
- Do you believe in “all or nothing” weight loss – that you must be 100% perfect all the time to succeed? Or, are you willing to begin be a little nicer to yourself and get back on track?
- Are you willing (again with the honesty here) to commit some time and effort each week to planning your meals and activity?
- When you’ve lost a little weight in the past, does that trigger a lack of motivation to push towards your greater goals?
- Is there room and space in your life to add the stress of a weight loss program, or are there other stressors that will overwhelm your weight loss efforts?
Feeling unprepared in any of these areas is not in and of itself enough to derail your weight loss plan or, worse, to prevent you from even starting down a healthier path. Self-awareness can help you adjust your attitudes and beliefs around weight loss, change your inner dialogue to support your goals, and ensure that you are really ready for the challenges you’ll face on your weight loss journey.