We go on weight loss journeys all the time. For some it’s something that happens every year with new years resolutions. Others, it’s something we decide out of nowhere.
The degrees of commitment vary from person to person, hinging the most on where we are in life health-wise. But over time, the more you keep working away at this goal, the more that the following quotes are relatable to you.
The first time I started to care about my health somewhat was when I was 13. Back then, I wasn’t overly committed to working out or exercising or dieting. But as I’ve gotten older, the more this has become a priority for me.
I’m getting older and I’m fully aware that my relatives that have passed away stem from heart issues. It’s something that can easily be fixed with more physical activity. And of course, healthy eating.
Today, I’m happy to be taking my weight loss journey with the focus and the seriousness that it requires.
These particular quotes are relatable to me as they remind me of particular stages that I was at during this journey. They have inspired me to keep working away at it, as I hope it does the same for your weight loss journeys.
Weight Loss Journeys Starting Over Again…
“A wise man said: ‘Don’t be afraid to start over again. This time, you’re not starting from scratch, you’re starting from experience.” – Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister)
While I never saw Game of Thrones, there are some solid quotes. Some of the more moving ones are from Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage). This is the quote that got me thinking about my whole weight loss journey and reflecting on it.
I’ve mentioned already that I’ve been going on and off with my weight loss journeys for years. In previous attempts, some of it revolved around my eating habits. And it wasn’t until recent years when I’ve been focusing on physical activity.
Regardless, every attempt I made in the past ended with me relapsing and making things worse for myself to some degree.
Of course, these attempts weren’t successful, however there was never the sense that I was starting from scratch in later attempts. Every time I was working on my health in some fashion, I had more experience and knowledge.
If you’ve been on weight loss journeys, then you’ve probably been in the same boat as me. This quote serves as a gentle reminder that your previous attempts weren’t wasted or trivial. Rather, they contribute to the larger picture.
You learned more about how to motivate yourself to do more.
You learn more about proper eating, how to lose weight, what foods to eat and more.
There is always something you can gain from the experience.
Motivation Vs. Determination
“I’m not motivated, I’m determined. Motivation is a feeling that comes and goes. Determination is more about the level of energy and commitment toward a future vision you believe is worth it, regardless of the effort needed and the current odds. Keep going.” – Jeff Moore
The biggest difference between those who are setting new years resolutions around this concept and those hitting the gym is this. Some are motivated to make changes while others are determined to make changes.
It’s a subtle difference and is something that I see all the time when going to the gym.
One of the things that I like about the personal training program is how my own trainer encourages me to be in the determination camp. That’s not to say that motivation or being motivated isn’t going to help. However once you hit stages like where I’m at – where change is very slow and not as explosive as before – it’s determination that pushes you through it.
Determination is what gets you to start thinking about eating better, counting calories more often, and developing other habits that compliment the journey. You don’t tend to run into that when you’re only motivated to do something.
Motivation, as Jeff Moore explains, comes and goes. It’s short-lived fuel that can come in handy, but not something you want to be relying on.
In order to be determined, the big difference is having enough reason to care about what it is you’re doing. This doesn’t apply exclusively to health, but everything. The reasons I do what I do can be attributed to dozens or possibly hundreds of reasons.
These alone are more than enough for me to care about what I’m doing.
Want to be losing weight and achieve the body that you want? you’ve got to find enough reasons to care about it. Setting it as some resolution because you’ve sat on your ass all last year isn’t going to cut it.
It’s not going to promote much change in yourself.
Instead, list off the reasons to care about your health. Maybe family history, or the feelings of dissatisfaction about your own figure. Make it something that you can care about.
Pushing Through The Weight Loss Journeys
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” – Dolly Parton
Weight loss journeys have ups and downs but this also goes for some of the smaller things. I mostly relate these to the exercises that I have to perform.
When I took a 6-week weight-loss challenge every training session involved about 10 minutes of cardio. Shortly after that our “cool off” was holding a squat position for 30 seconds.
The cardio itself wasn’t all that bad, but holding that squat position was the worst 30 seconds of my life. Judging by the agonizing groaning and grunting from the others, I want to say it was the same for them too.
That’s an extreme case, but I still run into those kinds of brutal exercises now.
Try doing a side plank for 45 seconds straight on both sides is one of those things.
And to some extent you run into this when loading on more weight to exercises you’re fully familiar with.
This quote is a reminder that despite how brutal some of the exercises can be, there is always a bunch of good that comes from it. When you’re exhausted and you think you can’t go on, your body surprises you and you are able to push through it.
Last Monday was the first time I was able to hold a side plank for 45 seconds straight on both sides. I couldn’t do anything else after that, but the feeling of satisfaction was incredible.
My point is, there is always going to be some aspect of your weight loss journeys that is both necessary, but brutal. Keeping this quote in mind could remind you of that and how you’ll be happy that you’ve gone through with it after you’ve achieved your results.
Body Positivity
“Don’t let your mind bully your body.” – June Tomaso Wood
The first root reason for me going on so many weight loss journeys is the fact I didn’t take this quote to mind. Being bullied was a rare occurrence for me by others. But internally, for a time, I constantly berated myself about my figure.
In this respect, I see body positivity as a big part of my own journey as I’m sure that’s the case with many other people. My personal trainer believes that the starting point for most people looking to lose weight is for this particular reason.
There is nothing wrong with it. But I would encourage you to use this concept as a mental shield.
Going on weight loss journeys isn’t all about altering your physical appearance. There is also a mental aspect to it. Not just in doing the physical exercises and pushing through them. It’s also in how you are approaching the journey, the habits that you’re picking up along the way.
All of these things challenge your mindset since you’re building new habits for the new lifestyle that you’re building. Let your mind be a source of encouragement for all things health-wise.
Taking Challenges In Your Weight Loss Journeys
“Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller
I make weight loss journeys sound like they are massive leaps of change and are difficult to accomplish. That’s because they are. Trying to lose weight is a difficult thing to do where you do need to be changing your strategy over and over again.
It can be frustrating, but I consider it a good thing compared to sticking to the safer routes.
Trying to lose weight and achieve the body you want shouldn’t be a comforting stroll. I’m not saying it should be brutal either. Rather, a balance between the two of them where you’re still pushing out of your own boundaries to see how far you’ll go.
As Helen Keller describes it, it should be a daring adventure. This journey should have some challenges to overcome. Whether that’s weight plateaus, curbing cravings, lifting more weight, getting better times, etc. There should be some kind of challenge involved or else it gets boring.
You lose interest if you can’t find reasons to be invested in something.
So take on challenges. You’ll be surprised just how hard you can push yourself.
Never Too Old To Start
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
I’m a firm believer that you’re never too old to start something. This belief is further enhanced by some of the remarkable things that older people have done.
In the health sphere there is Chen Jifang, a Chinese fitness instructor in her 70s who plans to instruct up into her 100s.
It’s a remarkable story that reminds us that we’re not too old to work on our health. That’s not to say that it’s going to be easy of course. It’s harder to lose weight the older you get after all. But it’s not impossible if you’re looking at the various habits that you do.
Weight Loss Journeys Have Been Done Before, They Can Be Completed Again
“For every reason it’s not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.” – Jack Canfield
Every person who has been on weight loss journeys has been in your kind of position before. There will be different circumstances, but the basic principles remain. Some have failed, yes, but there have been many others out there who have succeeded.
The key is a matter of mindset and looking at your own circumstances that got you there. It’s considering the tools and resources that you have available to you. You want to be leveraging them whenever you can to the most that you can.
I think that whenever people run into problems there is always some kind of solution out of that situation that’ll allow you to grow and thrive. As such, there are periods where you simply need to work the system, bide your time. The more you do a certain activity, the more you learn about it over time.
Final Thoughts
Weight loss journeys are meant to be slow burns. You’re not just building habits, rather a lifestyle that becomes a part of your life. The sooner you recognize the habits you have form your lifestyle, the more you’ll start paying attention to the things that matter.
Health goals make these sorts of things more obvious to people since all of your actions contribute to your overall performance and the figure that you have. So use these quotes to motivate yourself. Use these quotes to remind yourself of the journey that you’ve had thus far. You’ve got this!
To your growth!
Eric S Burdon