Beware of False Motivation

Sometimes people who say they want to break a habit, such as overeating, don't really want to break the habit at all! They only say they do, perhaps because of family pressure or social expectation, so they enter a weight loss program, but then sabotage themselves to make sure they fail.

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"How do you know if you really want to lose weight?"

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Losing weight is a challenge, and keeping it off is an even greater challenge! To succeed, you need to make a 100% commitment and it has to be a completely self-motivated dec- ision.

How do you know if you really want to lose weight? Give the following awareness exercise some honest thought. Ask yourself about why you want to lose weight:

• What are you saying to yourself - inside - about this issue?



• Are you trying to lose weight because you should?



• Do you secretly already know this won't work?



• Are you trying to please someone else?



• Are you trying to prove something?

Now, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and ask what will you say to yourself if you succeed? Then ask what will you say to yourself if you fail?

© 2004 Dr. Brian Alman