BELIEVING IN THE NEW YOU

Once you’ve achieved your goal weight on the Atkins Diet, your next objective is to remain at that healthy weight. That’s what Phase 4, Lifetime Maintenance, is all about. But your emotions also affect what you put in your mouth. That’s why it’s important to record in your journal your feelings about your accomplishments, your new looks and your sense of what’s possible.

Empower Yourself

If you’re like many people who’ve recently lost weight, you may be on an emotional high. Now that you know you can take charge of your eating habits, your health and your physical self, you probably realize that there are many other changes you can make as well. Consider how what you’ve learned about yourself by slimming down on Atkins may open other doors in your life—if it hasn’t already. List them as possible goals. As many of our Success Stories demonstrate, changing one’s appearance or making health improvements often leads to major life shifts. What have you dreamed of doing but put aside because you didn’t think you could achieve it? Now is the time to dust off those dreams and go for them.

Expect Some Mixed Emotions

Also record in your journal any disappointments that you may have experienced after reaching your goal weight. Among other things, that powerful motivator, ongoing reduction in your weight and measurements, is history. This is wonderful, but can also be a bit bewildering. You may need to find other motivators to stay on track. Many people find that adopting a fitness program or ratcheting up an existing one provides a new form of motivation through improved measurements, strength or endurance.

Moreover, if you blamed your weight for problems in the past, you may feel let down when certain issues remain after the pounds depart. You may have assumed that you’d quickly see your career or social life blossom. If you were always shy about your size, it may take you some time to achieve the confidence that goes with that terrific-looking person you see in the mirror.

Shift Your Old Self-Image

Sometimes, however, it isn’t just a matter of becoming comfortable with that changed person. Sometimes formerly heavy people find that they have a hard time letting go of their old self-image. It’s not that they don’t want to, but they’re so used to seeing themselves as unattractive, overweight and unworthy that they continue to think of themselves that way. Some of this can be dealt with at the conscious level. For example, simply taping before and after photos of yourself to your mirror can provide a constant reminder of how much you’ve changed for the better.

The real risk is that if you continue to hang on to your old self-image, sooner or later you may revert to that reality because it’s familiar territory. The new you, the one expressed by your new physique, is still filled with uncertainty. You may be looking and feeling great, but your kids will still get sick, talk back, break things, and bicker with their siblings. Your significant other will not always be a model of understanding and support. You may lose your job. Your car won’t promise to never break down. You’ve transformed yourself, but life still gets in the way.

Share Your Success—and Concerns

Just as it’s natural to share your excitement about the positive changes in your life, it’s important to find a way to air such concerns, whether in the Atkins Online Community or with your friends or family. Don’t let setbacks (whether real or perceived) in your personal and work life drive you back to your old way of eating. Just as you once struggled with your weight, you may now find that you are sometimes struggling with your sense of self. It may take some time before you feel completely comfortable with the permanently slim you. In the meantime, you need to consciously tell yourself, “I’m doing great, and I’m proud of myself.” Ultimately, that newfound confidence will be as powerful a motivator as the steady loss of pounds and inches once was.