It seems like every other person wants to lose weight these days, but focussing too much on getting “skinny” can actually detract from your ability to lose weight.
Perhaps you’ve been there — it seems like no matter how hard you try, the weight just won’t budge, even though you feel like you’re doing everything “right”.
Believe it or not, there are some very good reasons why trying to get skinny can actually hamper your weight loss success.
3 Reasons “Getting Skinny” Is The Wrong Motive
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1. Being Skinny Isn’t Specific Enough
Your subconscious mind works in strange ways.
When you set goals, you have a much better chance of succeeding, when those goals are very specific. For example, stating your goal as, “I want to lose weight,” is not nearly as motivating or likely to be as successful as, “I want to weigh 120 pounds by September 1.”
Goals should always be specific, measurable, and timely. Otherwise your focus will not be as clear as it could be, and without that clear focus, you will not be anywhere near as successful as you could be.
2. Being Skinny Isn’t An End Goal
Most people find it tough to be motivated to become skinny, because “skinny” isn’t really what they’re after.
Why do you want to be skinny? Usually it’s because you want to be healthier, or you want to be more attractive, or you want to feel fitter.
So, rather than focussing on being skinny, you need to focus on what you want to get from being skinny.
The truth is that your life as it is now, would be pretty much the same whether you were skinny, or not. Becoming skinny often serves as a distraction, and an excuse, for not taking steps towards getting what you want from life right now.
3. Being Skinny Doesn’t Equal Healthy
If you look at the build of a supermodel, they may be skinny, but are they really healthy? Are they happy? Clearly, being skinny in and of itself, is not necessarily the path to good health and happiness.
But, by changing your focus to being healthy and happy, you can actually improve our chances of losing weight.
Don’t forget, too, that reducing your caloric intake too severely can cause your body to go into “starvation mode” and rapidly decrease your metabolism as a result. This prevents you from burning calories at a sufficient rate, and can lead to a vicious cycle of constantly cutting calories, potentially leading to many serious health problems.
So, what should you do to lose weight?
All in all, the key is to focus on what really matters to you, then pursue that.
Try to think about the positive benefits of losing weight, for example, how you will be able to play with your children easily, or how your sleep quality will improve, when you can get more comfortable in bed each night.
Then, focus on eating three small meals each day, with healthy snacks, as appropriate, to keep your blood sugar levels relatively stable. And, don’t forget about taking regular exercise each week.
When you reach the goals, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that skinniness (or leanness) is a byproduct of health and happiness, not the end result.
