Chapter 3 (Part 4): Want to give up? First ask yourself how not to give up.

Want to give up? First ask yourself how to not give up.

Don't easily dismiss yourself while you're trying to lose weight; go on a vacation!

Among the overweight people I've met, most of those who decide to give up on losing weight do so because of self-doubt. In other words, they feel like they're the kind of person who "gains weight even from drinking water" and can't lose weight no matter what they try.

I don't know if people who "gain weight just by drinking water" truly exist, but I think even if they do, it's extremely rare. How could such a low-probability event happen to you?

Also, to those of you who want to give up, I've certainly had moments when I'm tired of the dieting life, though not often. Eating the same diet meals every day can easily become tedious; doing so much exercise every day can sometimes make you want to slack off; and especially when you hit a plateau and your weight doesn't change for days, it's truly frustrating. I understand all the hardships of dieting. But, my dear friends, deciding to lose weight wasn't easy, so please don't give up so easily. Why not give yourself a little break from your dieting journey?

Weight Loss Mini-Break Option 1: Forget about dieting

Those of us who are trying to lose weight might weigh ourselves every day. I don't know about you, but for me, it's the first thing I do when I wake up, on an empty stomach. If I weigh less than yesterday, I'll start the day full of energy; but if I weigh more than yesterday, I'll worry all day about how to keep losing weight, which puts a lot of pressure on me.

So, in situations like this, I would tell myself, "Honey, let's stop dieting and take a vacation!"

The so-called vacation is simply a way to temporarily stop focusing all your attention on weight loss. Instead of weighing yourself first thing in the morning, start each day happily without knowing your weight. However, it's important to emphasize that even on vacation, aside from not weighing yourself and not focusing entirely on weight loss, everything else continues as usual.

After about a week of vacation, we can check on our progress. Generally, as long as we stick to our previous weight loss plan, our weight will decrease to some extent. Because once it decreases, it means we've overcome the dreaded plateau, and more importantly, we've conquered ourselves!

Option Two for a Mini-Bonus for Weight Loss: Give Yourself an Award for Your Weight Loss Journey

Losing weight is tough, right? Then let's treat ourselves! The treat includes everything except indulging in a big meal.

During my weight loss journey, I often rewarded myself periodically.

If I lose 3 pounds in a week, I'll treat myself to a day of fun at the amusement park.

If I can lose 15 pounds in a month, I will reward myself with a set of brand-name skincare products;

Once I lose weight to 130 pounds, I'll buy myself a designer dress...

In addition to enjoying the joy of winning the prize, this will also give you a great sense of accomplishment while you are losing weight. It will make you feel like you are playing a computer game and completing a level after a level, and you will feel amazing!

Giving up like that? Don't make me look down on you.

On Weibo, the topic my fans discuss most with me is how to not give up on losing weight. I usually ask, "Why do you want to give up?" The reasons people give me are varied, but most of them are not valid reasons in my eyes.

Losing weight is too hard, I can't stick to it.

People who would give this reason generally fall into one of the following two categories:

I haven't found the right motivation to lose weight, so I feel that giving up on losing weight is no big deal.

I haven't found the right way to lose weight, so it's been very difficult, and I'm a little lacking in confidence.

Regarding this question, I only want to tell a story. I remember interviewing Tao Jingying before, and someone asked her how to know if a job is suitable for her. Tao Jingying said, "That depends on whether you like it. If you like it, then it's suitable." The person continued, "How do you know if you like it?" Tao Jingying said, "If from now on, you were forced to never do this job again for the rest of your life, wouldn't you be sad? If you were sad, then you like it!"

I think that makes a lot of sense, and the same applies to weight loss. Ask yourself: "If I were to give up on losing weight today, and never intend to lose weight again after that, would I be willing to accept that?" Remember, it must be that after giving up today, you will never lose weight again for the rest of your life!

Give yourself some time to think it over. If you're struggling with it, flip a coin. In those few seconds of waiting for the coin to show the result, you should have your answer.

I'm halfway through my weight loss journey, and everyone around me says I'm already doing great.

You're diligently trying to lose weight and have made significant progress, although you haven't reached your ultimate goal. However, a group of "well-meaning" people around you tell you that your figure is already great and you can stop dieting. Looking in the mirror and at before-and-after photos, you do see a noticeable difference and decide to give up.

Such examples are very regrettable to me. They clearly lost weight very well, but failed to achieve their weight loss goals because they listened to other people's "well-intentioned advice".

How can we avoid this happening? This requires us to know what we want. If your weight loss goal is 100 pounds, then stopping at 105 pounds doesn't count as success. But if your weight loss goal is to be confident in being with the guy you love, then the number on your scale doesn't matter. When you have enough confidence, your weight loss can be considered a success.

But there's another more complicated situation: you want your boyfriend to think you're more beautiful, so you set a goal to lose weight to below 100 pounds. You work hard to lose weight, and when you reach around 110 pounds, your boyfriend thinks it's okay and advises you not to lose any more weight. What should you do in this situation?

If it were me, I would definitely stick to losing weight. My initial approach was from my own perspective, so my boyfriend's words weren't relevant. We should thank my boyfriend for offering advice because he felt sorry for us while we were trying to lose weight, but I will turn that gratitude into motivation to lose weight and give him a better version of myself.

So next time some "well-meaning" people around you try to dissuade you from your weight loss journey, just smile at them, thank them, and then act like you didn't hear anything and go about your business.

I'm sick, so I can't lose weight.

The illnesses mentioned here refer to minor ailments that can affect weight loss. For example, a severe cold lasting for a period of time, or a sprained ankle that prevents strenuous exercise. These minor illnesses can indeed hinder weight loss to some extent, but it would be a far-fetched excuse to give up on weight loss altogether because of them.

Let's start with the most common illness, the severe cold. After getting sick, you'll feel weak all over and drowsy most of the time, making exercise impossible. However, this also gives you a great opportunity to eat a light diet. Eating some plain porridge and a few side dishes each day can easily get you through the day. Although your physical activity is reduced, your food intake is also reduced accordingly, and with plenty of water to detoxify, your excretory functions will also work better. So, this kind of minor illness is more of a blessing than a curse for weight loss.

As for external injuries, unless you have your whole body in a cast, you should still have parts that you can move without much effort, right?

For example, if you sprain your ankle, your arm is still healthy. Although walking may be difficult, doing dumbbell exercises shouldn't be a problem, right? Or, if your arm is in a cast, your leg is fine, right? You can do squats and other exercises that don't affect the injured area. On the other hand, when we can't exercise due to injury, we should be even more careful about our diet.

When you unfortunately fall ill, what you should give up is not dieting, but rather temporarily adjust your dieting routine while you are sick, and wait until you recover before trying again.

Due to changes in geographical environment, I had no choice but to give up on losing weight.

Most people who give up on dieting for this reason do so while traveling. They try all the local delicacies, rush through sightseeing on tour buses, take photos when they stop, sleep on the bus, and then weigh themselves when they get back, only to find they've gained a lot of weight. Frustrated, they simply give up on dieting altogether.

During my weight loss journey, I also had times when I traveled or went on business trips away from Beijing, but I never gave up on my weight loss goals. I know that many people feel it's a real shame to go on a trip and not try all the local delicacies. But in today's e-commerce world, you can easily buy any food you want from other places online, right? Why insist on indulging in that culinary craving while on a diet?

So please, those who think that when you go to a tourist destination you have to eat your fill, change that mindset. Whether you're revisiting the place or shopping online, there are plenty of opportunities to make up for this regret after you've successfully lost weight.

If you're on a diet and go on vacation, you absolutely can't indulge in eating and drinking. Instead, you should walk around and see more of the sights. Don't bring any extra weight back with you; instead, give it to the locals as a gift, haha!

My popularity soured, and I had to stop dieting.

Will losing weight make you less popular? This might be a question for people who are very dedicated to losing weight.

Take me for example. Because I was so focused on losing weight, I devoted all my free time to exercise, which meant I missed all my dates with friends, dinners with colleagues, and family gatherings. At first, I didn't feel any change, until one day, a close colleague said to me, "Amanda, we feel you've changed. You've become less friendly with us, and we don't really like you anymore."

This incident really affected me. Having always been popular at work, this realization made me understand the problems I'd experienced with my relationships after losing weight. Should I choose to be that chubby girl with amazing interpersonal skills but no luck with the opposite sex, or a cool, slim, icy beauty? The answer is: I don't want either!

Since the reason I couldn't spend time with friends and family was because it would take up my exercise time, I decided to incorporate them into my exercise routine. I remember organizing a series of activities that involved being together and getting active, such as badminton tournaments, hiking trips, shopping, and kite flying. Soon, everyone said, "Our beloved Amanda is back!" And I, meanwhile, continued to enjoy the happy life of being popular and staying fit at the same time.

Want to give up on losing weight? It's not that simple! With a few minor adjustments, you can overcome your lame excuses.