Motivation got you started, but you will need the discipline to stay on the path to health.  

[pullquote]Discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want more.[/pullquote] We all go shopping at the inopportune time and buy that “food” we do not need.  You purchase the bag of chips or candy for which the grocery store chose that perfect product placement to ensure will not avoid them.  It is right before you are leaving the store or on the rote between two healthier choices.  You are frustrated by the crowds and have worked up a bit of hunger as you hunted the plains of the store for the foods you had on your list.  Your diet did not have a chance.  Like the gazelle trying to our run the lions, it is endangered.  

 

News flash: Weight loss and maintenance requires a little disciple that is of both physical and mental nature. Weight loss is physically and mentally draining.  It takes both mental and physical strength to stay on a diet.  We have all felt the temptation that occurs when you smell fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.  You need to a great deal of discipline to continue dieting in the face of such temptation.  Without said discipline, it would be impossible to obtain weight loss.  When trying to lose weight, you feel pangs of hunger.  Every smell and sensation you tie to foods will drive you to end the diet prematurely.  Losing weight and keeping it off requires you to fight the desire to give in to your cravings for your comfort foods.  Don’t forget that you have the power to prevent a calorie splurge and each day you do so is one more day closer to your goal.   

Discipline can become a punitive measure in the weight loss war.  Like when you discipline a child, discipline can have both a positive and negative side.  Instead of making it a punishment, consider treating discipline is a learning lesson.  Each time you make a mistake, self-correct and return to your diet.  Each splurge may set you back, but we need to treat it as an opportunity for improvement.  If you have a positive loving relationship with yourself, a single splurge will be less devastating.  Discipline is one part of building consistency.  Discipline is the process of prioritizing what you want form what you need.  I recommend that you never lose sight of your goals.  There is no magic finish line when it comes to your weight loss plan.  Maintenance requires that you continue to maintain a healthy diet forever.  You can’t lose 20 pounds and relax, because you will regain it all without a plan to maintain.  This maintenance plan requires both physical activity and a healthy diet. 

The bottom line:   You need to maintain your discipline.  A motivation to lose weight that you started on a path to improved health, but it will take discipline to be truly successful.  You are stronger than this, and your goal is too important than to give into a fleeting temptation.  When the hunger pains begin to set in and you smell the food that causes you comfort, you would need to be both physically and mentally disciplined to avoid them.