There are a lot of people out there that have weight loss as a goal. My guess is, you either know someone with that goal or you are someone with that goal.
What if we approached weight loss a little bit differently? What if the number on the scale was the LEAST important part of the whole process?
I am a huge fan of the book Atomic Habits. The author, James Clear, breaks down behavior change into 3 layers: outcomes, processes, and identity.
"Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe."
Most of us stop at the outcome level. The I want to (lose weight, run a marathon, write a book, get a raise). Some of us even take it to the next level and start creating processes to help us reach that goal. The real power lies in the identity.
"The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become."
I think that is an awesome idea! The book he uses in the example is about a friend of his who lost 100 pounds. She goes throughout her day asking herself this question- What would a healthy person do?
Would a healthy person watch TV or go for a walk? Would a healthy person order that giant burrito or a salad? It kind of ties in with the lizard brain cravings I talked about last week. Pretty neat.
So what do you say we try something different? Rather than obsessively worrying about the scale, why don't we turn out focus and energy onto who we want to be and the process it takes to become that person?
I'm working on a new quote.
Your homework is to really take some time and decide the kind of person you want to be. And then keep proving to yourself that you are becoming that person through your actions.
PS-check Atomic Habits out, it has a ton of great info in it!