{"id":420,"date":"2011-12-14T00:28:31","date_gmt":"2011-12-14T00:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/areasontosmile\/?p=420"},"modified":"2011-12-14T00:28:31","modified_gmt":"2011-12-14T00:28:31","slug":"qa-how-to-stay-focused-and-lose-weight-or-the-body-as-a-temple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2011\/12\/qa-how-to-stay-focused-and-lose-weight-or-the-body-as-a-temple.html","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: How to stay focused and lose weight; Or, the body as a temple"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The body is a temple!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Question submitted via\u00a0Formspring.me<\/a>:
\n\u201cYou seem to have a great body Dave. Any advise on how to be determined enough to lose all my weight????\u201d<\/p>\n

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body,”
\n(1 Cor. 6:19-20).<\/p>\n

Thank you for the compliment!
\nThere are a few things to focus on when trying to lose weight:
\nThe first thing is,\u00a0love yourself \u00a0right now\u00a0<\/a>as you are!<\/p>\n

It’s true you may not be happy with your current body, but whether or not you love yourself should not be dependent on the number on the scale. You are valuable because of who you are inside, not because of your body, your job, or anything else;\u00a0you are a perfect right now<\/a>, this exact second.<\/p>\n

The next thing is, figure out WHY you want to lose weight.
\nIs it for your health? Is it to help you find that special someone? Maybe you’ve gotten so heavy you can’t go out and do all the things you want; maybe it’s all, or none of these.
\nTake the time to figure out WHY you want to make this change, since that is what is going to keep you happy and motivated when the going gets tough.<\/p>\n

Once you know why you want to lose weight, then\u00a0form your vision\u00a0of what life will be like once you reach your goal. What does losing weight mean? Vividly imagine all the new things you can do, all the new clothes you can buy, all the fun places you’ll go. Form a vision that is so compelling that you can’t WAIT to put in your exercise time!<\/p>\n

Once those ‘inside’ things are taken care of, then you’re ready for the outside part!<\/p>\n

Decide how much weight you want to lose; saying \u201cI want to lose weight\u201d is not enough, since if you lost even a pound, that is ‘lost weight’.
\nOnce you know how much you want to lose, you can figure out a reasonable time table for your goals. A healthy weight loss rate is around 2-3 pounds a week; so if you want to lose 75 pounds it may take around 6 months to do.
\nRemember it took you time to get where you are, and it will take time to get where you are trying to go. Steer clear of crash diets or trying to get instant results; the easier it comes, the easier it will go.<\/p>\n

NOW you are ready to pick out a diet and exercise routine!
\nHere is a secret, that not many trainers will tell you:
\nalmost any diet and any exercise routine will get results.
\nSome may work faster or slower, or get more results in the long term.
\nFor instance doing Pilates won’t turn you into a bodybuilding champion, but it will help you shed pounds with the quickness!<\/p>\n

If they all work, then, what should you do?
\nThe most important thing is, pick something you can live with.
\nDon’t try to start running 5 miles a day and living on celery tomorrow, that is a guaranteed recipe for quitting.
\nThe best thing is to do something fun that is good exercise, too; like swimming, martial arts, or hiking.
\nEven talking a walk after lunch or dinner is a great thing to do.<\/p>\n

Look at people who have bodies like the ones you’d like to have, and see what they do. Yoga, Pilates, weight lifting, and mountain climbing all build very different physiques, so make sure you are working towards the body you want, and not the body you don’t want!<\/p>\n

Some simple diet rules are: if it comes in a bag, box, or wrapper, don’t eat it!
\nIf it’s white, or didn’t grow in the ground, or on a tree or vine; if it didn’t use to run, swim, or fly: don’t eat it.
\nPlan a ‘cheat day’ as well, one day or one meal a week where you can have WHATEVER you want. It will help you stay disciplined if you know you don’t have to give up what you love FOREVER, you just have to turn it down right now.<\/p>\n

Lao Tzu said: ‘a moving ant accomplishes more than a dozing ox’!
\nDo SOMETHING every single day towards the accomplishment of your goal; and when you make any progress at all: CELEBRATE!
\nIf you lose a single ounce, lift one more pound, walk one more block, celebrate like you just ran a marathon.
\nWhy?
\nBecause success isn’t some instant thing, the most important pound you lose isn’t the first, or even the hundredth; it’s the one you lost *today *!<\/p>\n

Oh, and don’t forget to\u00a0program some new behaviors for yourself<\/a>; think of it as giving your will power a boost!<\/p>\n

You are great, and I love you!<\/p>\n

And if you love me back, click ‘share’ up at the top!<\/p>\n

B. Dave Walters<\/p>\n

Writer, Life Coach, and Talk Radio Host<\/p>\n

Find out more about me:
\nhttp:\/\/about.me\/BDaveWalters<\/a><\/p>\n

Ask me anything:
\nhttp:\/\/formspring.me\/BDaveWalters<\/a><\/p>\n

Pages I support:
\nJesus and Buddha\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0— Interfaith dialog<\/p>\n

Gnostic Theism<\/a>\u00a0— Religion and Spirituality for the 21st Century (Join the Movement!)<\/p>\n

Love One Another<\/a>\u00a0—\u00a0\u00a0A safe place to come find more reasons to smile!<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question submitted via\u00a0Formspring.me: \u201cYou seem to have a great body Dave. Any advise on how to be determined enough to lose all my weight????\u201d “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,55,39,114,29,38,46,28,112,41,43,48,30],"tags":[3,8,13,12,11,36,6,14,26,25,51,24,42,56],"class_list":["post-420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-change-2","category-emotions-2","category-fear","category-guilt","category-happiness","category-hope-inspiration","category-love-yourself","category-peace","category-pessimism","category-positive-thinking","category-relationships-2","category-spirituality","category-the-past","tag-b-dave-walters","tag-buddha","tag-change","tag-emotions","tag-gnostic-theism","tag-hope","tag-law-of-attraction","tag-life-coach","tag-peacelovemoney-com","tag-psychology","tag-rejection","tag-relationships","tag-self-talk","tag-stress"],"yoast_head":"\nQ&A: How to stay focused and lose weight; Or, the body as a temple - A Reason to Smile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Q&A: How to stay focused and lose weight; Or, the body as a temple - A Reason to Smile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question submitted via\u00a0Formspring.me: \u201cYou seem to have a great body Dave. Any advise on how to be determined enough to lose all my weight????\u201d “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2011\/12\/qa-how-to-stay-focused-and-lose-weight-or-the-body-as-a-temple.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Reason to Smile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-12-14T00:28:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/areasontosmile\/files\/2011\/12\/resized_Golden_Buddha_Anonymous_331520-298x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"B. 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