Have You Found Your Weight Loss Teachable Moment?

A teachable moment is when something has happened in your life that alters your thinking about a very important behavior that you need to change. When we talk about a weight loss teachable moment there are many things which can trigger this need.

For instance, you just found out that a close and dear friend of yours just was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and needs heavy drug treatments. This teachable weight loss moment will cause you to change your eating and exercise behaviors.

A wedding or divorce will allow you to see a lot of healthy and happy people which will start your trigger to want to lose weight and get healthy.

School reunions, your anniversary or even a 40th birthday will coax your mind into a teachable moment opening you to new ideas about losing weight and exercising more.

When you or a close relating graduates from college or your land a new job these events can trigger your teachable moment and get you motivated into losing weight.

When you do reach your teachable weight loss moment you become highly motivated, with a vision and firm goal and you will do anything to reach your goal. But, like a new years resolution these behaviors are probably only temporary.

You ask yourself if this determination will last: A special or life-changing altering event is a great motivator in the short run. However, if you cannot reach your weight loss goals quickly, it can be difficult to maintain motivation and you stop and go back to your comfort foods and old ways.

You ask, how can you make it last?

Every day, use a special event as a kicking-off point, like looking in the mirror or weighing your self and finding no weight gain. Make sure you think in advance what you're going to use as a good motivator beyond the special event of yesterday to effectively sustain your weight loss.

A good motivator would be a bad photo of you that makes you look fatter than ever or bumping into a friend in your past that makes some positive compliments about your weight. Even looking at yourself in the mirror or on a video tape make good motivators.

Other weight loss teachable moments might come from a spouse, family member or friend that bugs you to lose weight or quite some other vice, and you of course agree in order to get that person off your back.

You must try to make the teachable moment last by talking with your family who you have a reasoned with and had open discussion with. Make it clear that losing weight is very important to you, but you don't want them telling you of your food choices are, because that will only turn you off, make you angry and make you less likely to follow through with your plan. Explain to your family that they don't have to change their own lives, but should support your objectives at all cost.

Emotional teachable moment triggers are other events that warrant mention. For example, overhearing a colleague called you a fat slob for being charged for two seats on an airplane. So you wind up being embarrassed and use revenge on that person as a motivator.

That moment will probably last a long time as a result of being humiliated, and if you channel your energies into healthy eating and stepping up your exercise program, you will probably lose weight and keep it off.

So make sure you recognize your weight loss triggers and turn them into teachable moments so you can succeed with all your weight loss goals.

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