true motivation comes from being aware of your hierarchy of values, and
obviously values are internally created by us, and in my opinion values
can't be manipulated and switched around.
For example my three most important values are my primary objectives in
life, and once I became aware of this around when I was 25, then I started
to build my life around these values
when you discover what is truly important to you, then you will be motivated
to take non-stop actions in this direction
the thing about it is, this might have nothing to do with being healthy, lean or
anything in this area, deep inside you might not really care about this, so in
the end no approach will work in the long run, because you will neve be able
to stay motivated in the long run. This is just how motivation works.
There can be exceptions but they will work in the short run, for example let's
say you want something and creating permanent fat loss is a step toward
this, then you might become lean, but after you accomplish the goal, the
motivation will fade, and the weight will creep back on
this is why so many people can't reach their ideal weight, they try to use
their willpower to create long term weight loss, and can only do this for a
certain amount of time. One person can attempt to lose weight for a month,
another for a year, and a third can do it for three years, but eventually all
three people gain all the weight back, over and over. The reason is that you
can force yourself only for a certain amount of time, eventually you will throw
in the white towel and give up, if you do not have the non-stop motivation
that comes from knowing that this is truly what you desire
I guess I was lucky, because in my early twenties when I reached
285 pounds, I discovered the hierarchy of my values. This is when I also
created my goal setting chart and just kept moving toward my major health
goal, losing from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds of body fat on a weekly basis. I ate like
a normal person, four times per week, did cardio four times per week and
did weight training three times per week. And in 12-13 months I lost a total
of 110 pounds. And I have maintained it for more than 15 years, by doing
the same things I just wrote above.
Plus I also created a weekly weight loss chart that all my friends bodybuilders
were using for tracking their results in the gym where I was working out every
day of the week. And I still use this chart to this day. And I also use my goal
setting chart also. So I am motivated because having a lean, healthy body
is important, and I can't not work out daily, and I can't now eat right on
a daily basis. So in a way it is very easy for me, but of course I do not care
about joy, so maybe I am missing out on some emotions in life, but this is not
that important to me, so I do not mind
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