Having expectations is tricky. Weight loss doesn’t always play fair. One day weight can fluctuate by two pounds and other days weight can go down consistently like clockwork. So when I think to myself, “I should be at my goal weight by November.” I need to be a little cautious because a statement like that has the potential to turn a holistic process into a pass/fail situation.
Strategy #8 Be a Visionary
My weight loss journey is taking time to unfold. The way I perceive this time has a huge impact on my morale. I have a lot of weight to lose and it’s easy to get snagged in the day-to-day pitfalls of (very normal) weight fluctuation. Sometimes it helps A LOT to take a different perspective.
To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.
Bell Hooks
I have expectations for my progress, and I think I need to have those, they are like a beacon to guide me. Otherwise, I think I’d get too comfortable with where I’m at. Lots of people look great to me, but say they struggle with the last leg of their journeys: “I only have 7 pounds to lose but I keep going back but I’m stuck.” This is when it helps me to be a visionary. I can keep tabs on how it’s going now with my sites set on my future success. Yes, success is a given when using this strategy. I have to believe that I can do it, if I don’t believe then I won’t make it, guaranteed.
A way to manifest that visionary stance is to go to the data to analyze what is in the past to plan for the future. It affords me a greater perspective, one that celebrates all the effort I have dedicated to this process:
Over the past 11 days (7/31/23 – 8/10/23) I have gained 3.6 pounds and have lost 5.1 pounds. That means I’m trending downward down 1.5 pounds overall. According to experts (take your pick: Centers for Disease Control, American Medical Association, The National Institute of Health), A healthy average weekly weight loss (that can be maintained over a lifetime) is said to be between 1-2 pounds per week. This all means I’m doing great and I’m on track to achieve my goal. Being a visionary means you can see what others cannot yet. If you’re going to be visionary about anything in life, I think starting with yourself is a great place to begin.
Getting to Goal 