Making the Decision to Change

Before I began changing my lifestyle for the better, I made some decisions. I think most people really decide to make a change before it actually happens. Of course you might lose weight accidentally, for various reasons, but I think if you want to lose a significant amount of weight or make some other change to your lifestyle, it's going to require a decision and of course a plan on how you're going to get to where you want to be.

My decision was pretty simple. I was sick of being overweight, tired all the time, dependent on insulin but never really having the right "numbers" (fasting blood glucose, especially morning) and so on. In the past I had done Weight Watchers, which did work for me, but I moved and never got started on it again. So the weight came back, plus a lot more.

This time I wanted to get super serious about every area of my health, not just weight. My first decisions were:

1. I can eat anything that I want, but I have to be honest about it. No lying to myself.
2. I write down everything I eat so that I can see what works and what doesn't work for me.
3. I study all the resources available to me in order to learn more about nutrition and exercise.
4. I keep a journal where I write down what I've learned, how I feel, what I want to change, etc.

Before I even started actually dieting, I began studying about how the mind works, how to "program" it to accept a change in lifestyle, and things of that nature. I found one person on YouTube who spoke about this, in a way that I was able to understand, and who gave suggestions that I was able to implement. I won't say the person's name or give their channel name because their beliefs and advice might not be right for everyone. Find someone who says things that make sense to you, and try their strategies to see if they work for you.

Google and YouTube are great at helping me find what I need. I type in "how to ...." (the dots represent what I want to learn) and I scroll through the suggested resources (websites, blogs, YouTube videos, etc.) For example "how to program your mind" or "how to convince mind to accept new lifestyle" or "how to break a habit" etc. There are millions of resources out there, many of them free. If you really want to change, you can change. Just figure out how to force yourself to actually do what it is that you want to do, not just what you are accustomed to doing because of a habit or habits that you've learned.

I realized the truth is that I have taught my mind and my body to do certain things, over time, because those habits are ingrained. I had to learn how to make a change, and have that new way of living become a new habit. I don't call it a "diet", I call it a change of lifestyle. I am the one who decides. Nobody gave me a diet and said that I have to follow it. I decided I wanted to change, and I figured out a way to do it and keep doing it over the long haul.

You might not enjoy watching YouTube videos like I do. In that case, maybe find self-help books that you can read, or blogs or whatnot. If you're ready to change, you will find a way. Like the old Chinese proverb says: "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear".

Books about low carb diets and recipes to help you stay on track.