Chapter 2: Plan to Succeed

Before we take action against problems we may encounter, one should always have a plan if we wish to produce positive results. Surely you wouldn’t want to enter a business meeting without first properly preparing your presentation. Starting a task without planning is like facing a football team without a team play game plan. The outcome would surely be disappointing.

Losing weight is no different from the planning mentioned above as it involves taking specific actions and proper precautions to achieve successful results.

If your weight is 20% above the considered norm for your height, you tend to eat more than 5 regular meals on a daily basis and you are quite certain you are physically unfit then the next step is to decide how to bring about change.

Setting a personal goal is a positive way of planning your first strategic moves and knowing what you intend to accomplish. First and foremost, you will have started your journey on a clear path and keeping track of your journey is recommended to ensure you will stay motivated towards completing your task or even starting it at all.

Setting a specific goal when planning to lose weight enhances and improves your chances of success so you will need to be very specific about the changes you would like to manifest.

You will need to have specific thoughts and maintain a diary which will aid you in your goal. People have found it easier to commit to this type of change when everything is on paper and you tend not to forget certain goals you have set for yourself. A great example would be to set a goal of losing 5 lbs for the month of September. Try to avoid very vague aims such as ‘I need to lose a few pounds’ or ‘I’d like to be healthier,’ as they tend to produce poor results and a half-hearted effort.

By all means, please set your goals realistically and don't think you will suddenly drop 10 pounds in one week as that is a most unhealthy way to lose weight to begin with. You should aim for about 1 or 2 pounds of weight loss per week.

Your goals should be set sensibly to avoid the obvious let-down of not achieving unrealistic weight loss. If you aim for 5 to 10 pounds per week, wholeheartedly expecting this, you will be severely disappointed which will prompt you into the never ending cycle of yo-yo dieting which isn't any healthier for your body than obesity.

Some thought and effort should be put into action as you take the time to sit down and strategically plan your goals and how you want to achieve them. This includes scheduling on a daily basis from awakening in the morning to sleep at night, all the specific foods to be eaten at mealtimes and your exercise routines.

Effective planning consists of creating the quality time needed for performing these activities. That is, you need to give yourself ample time to meet your objectives correctly. As an example, to get enough rest, you should schedule around 7-8 hours of sleep each day. Lack of sleep has been known to cause improper eating habit the following day.

Again, try to remember that your plan should be relatively realistic. Include activities that you know for yourself you can accomplish for a given period of time. At first, you should start off slowly and if you feel comfortable you can always add more the following weeks. Also, as you finish preparing your plan, you should write it all down since you can’t always keep everything you need to do in mind. Place it somewhere you can always see and read, such as on the refrigerator to remind you what your plans are for the day. Do your best not to skip anything in your schedule so as not to ruin the effectivity of it. An example of a sound plan for someone to lose weight would look like this:

You should try to plan according to the examples above. Always remember that meals, exercise and sleeping are the most crucial elements to include in your daily schedule. Take note of your calorie intake (through food) and calorie expenditure (through exercise) for efficient results. (See Appendix A for a list of foods and their calorie content and compare it with Appendix C for a list of calorie burning exercises)

It isn't a mystery that the universe will sometimes bend to our will, it is a known fact that you receive what you put out. Maintaining a strong positive mindset will enable you to reach your goal. For example, you have your realistic goals written on paper, follow them and continually tell yourself that you will achieve the end result. Goals such as “I’ll lose 2 lbs this week,” or “I’ll trim my waist line down by 5 inches” are examples of affirmations. Affirmations are positive thoughts that when believed mentally and emotionally will help in making things happen.

When we set our mind to achieve positive desires, it becomes a habit as it is instilled upon our minds and in our hearts. Surround yourself with positive people as well to help motivate you and give you that additional support you need in order to continue creating that positive mindset.

Affirmations are positive statements that are about yourself or your intentions and are a simple aid to achieving any goal or desire. They work simply by imprinting themselves upon the subconscious mind via regular repetition – writing, reading or saying them to yourself over and over again. Some people record their affirmations onto cd's or mp3 players and listen to them daily to make sure that their thoughts are planted deeply into their minds.

As with anything in life, if you truly wish to manifest things it will take discipline on your part, but in the end the fruits of your labors will greatly outweigh any struggles you may have dealt with.

The very first steps to a successful weight loss plan are the planning itself and on your mental attitude. Positive thinking can be achieved by reciting the following affirmation quietly to yourself at least twenty times during the day, and a further ten times just prior to sleep:

By reciting the above affirmations daily, for at least four weeks, with feeling, you will effectively dissolve all negative ideas about your life. Thoughts of poverty, loneliness, sadness and illness attract just such negative experiences into your life, where as positive thoughts, such as those voiced in the above affirmations generate positive life experiences of their own.

Once you have removed the mental barriers of negative thinking and self-doubt from your conscious and subconscious minds, you can focus your desires by performing what I call the "3 Minute Miracle".

By visualizing what you would like to look like, you focus your desire into your mind that will go to work by bringing your desire to reality.

To perform the 3 Minute Miracle:

Perform the above simple technique daily at any time, preferably upon awakening or just before sleep.