I’m on a mission to shed my anxiety-induced increase of survival poundage and return to my Pre-Pandemic weight. It all sounds so easy in theory—control stress and spend more calories than you consume. The real-world application of theoretical logic isn’t quite as simple, and what works for one person doesn’t always work for someone else. On my quest to lighten my load, I have adopted a try it and see strategy. I’ve added walks into my weekly plan, increased my activity level, instituted intermittent fasting, and visited “healthy” websites for tips and tricks.

Most of the sites offer the same general guidelines, but occasionally I stumble across a helpful tidbit, and I hoped for some insight when I popped onto a motivational site. It began on a sour note. It suggested if I had my motivation screwed on straight, it would tell me to get out of bed early to exercise. Yeah. No. Next, it said calibrating my motives would make me appreciate a sweaty exercise routine. What? Nope, sorry, never going to happen. Passing on a donut and skipping an order of French fries was a direct tie to solid motives. For the record, I’m not giving up my favorite fries, I do not wake up any earlier than necessary, and I take precautions to ensure I never sweat. But I have been losing weight, and being motivated wasn’t the reason for the moving needle. So what was it?

I started unpacking my weight loss mindset, and I found my why. Bottom line? I was sick and tired of being fat, of my clothes not fitting correctly, and facing the number on the scale every morning. I wanted my old body back, and I wanted it now. There are plenty of roadmaps. I didn’t need to recreate the wheel, I needed to suck it up and do some things I despise. I want my pants to fit again more than I loathe walking and moderating my food intake. My projections indicate I will reach my Pre-Pandemic weight by the end of June.

This realization about wanting the result enough to tackle the jobs I hate got me thinking about writing. I’m working on an experiment. Let’s see if wanting to win really is everything.

What do you want?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer