Why do you need the question “Why?”
Losing weight is not the easiest and fastest process, as the diet and beauty industry tries to present it. Most of you rely on willpower to lose weight. However, relying on motivation and willpower does not work in the long term. When willpower runs out, and it always runs out, we give up because losing weight at some point becomes too difficult and impossible.
This is why we need a WHY
WHY is your real reason to lose weight, which gives you strength.
WHY is what:
- keeps you moving in difficult times;
- getting out of bed to get to training on a winter morning;
- helps you walk regularly, even when you don’t feel like it;
- Helps prioritize meal prep and healthy eating;
- helps you stay committed when the going gets tough.
Why do you really want to lose weight?
When you say you want to lose weight, you usually think about your biggest pain point and label it as the cause. Common pain points include:
- health hazard
- not being able to wear something you’d really like to wear
- live with limitations and pain
- not being a great role model for children
While these pain points may compel action, they are not the real WHY.
Some of the most common reasons why people want to lose weight are:
- To have confidence in intimacy with your partner and to look at yourself naked in the mirror.
- To be confident in what you do without worrying about what other people think.
- To confidently wear the clothes you want and attend public events openly.
- Don’t let life pass you by.
- Be happy and healthy.
- Increase your mobility and live life to the fullest.
- Increase your energy and vitality.
- To be active and healthy in old age.
WHY is a real, deep thing, the awareness of which will give you real knowledge and support.
How to find your reason?
There is a little exercise. The original is called “5 Whys,” but in reality there may be more.
First answer a simple question: “Why do I want to lose weight?”, then ask your answer again the question: “Why?”, the next one in the same way, and so on until you get to your true motives.
How it works?
I want to lose weight because I have health problems
- I want to lose weight because I was just diagnosed with diabetes. (Why?)
- Because I don’t want my condition to get worse. (Why?)
- Because I don’t want to waste my time and money on doctor visits and treatments or die early. (Why?)
- Because I want to spend my time and money on things that make me happy. (Why?)
- So I can enjoy life and do what I want instead of getting sick? (Why?)
- I don’t want to become a burden to my partner or children. (Why?)
- Because this way they can do what they want without having to worry about me. (Why?)
- So that I don’t have to worry about my health, how it affects their life, or them resenting me. (Why?)
- Because I want to be free from worrying about my health, and I want my children to love me and not resent me.
Or
I want to lose weight so I can wear the clothes I want to wear.
- I want to lose weight so I can wear clothes that I actually want to wear. (Why?)
- Because I don’t want to wear boring clothes designed to hide my body. (Why?)
- Because I want to look good and feel confident. (Why?)
- Because I don’t want people to see how big I am. (Why?)
- Because I don’t want to be judged by my weight. (Why?)
- Because I don’t want to be rejected. (Why?)
- Because I want to be free to wear what I like and have people love me.
Most answers to “Why” come down to love and freedom.
If you try the exercise with a different reason, you will find that you get almost the same answer.
Follow the chain until you find it difficult to answer “why” to the final answer. This will be your true reason and strength.