Inspiration can sometimes come from the most surprising and least expected places. For Diane Naylor, 63, it came while watching an episode of the show Castle. As Diane made a transition to Oakhurst, California, she was surrounded by nature in all her glory. She had hiking paths, biking trails and just the right kind of weather to go for a walk or a jog.
But, Diane could not avail of any of these. She said in an interview with TODAY, “I felt miserable and depressed because of my weight. I wasn’t active at all and I couldn’t do all of the things I wanted to.” At the time, she was 400 pounds and had tried and failed at several diet plans. Feeling of dejection crept in and made her miserable until the day she took inspiration from the Castle episode.
Describing the episode and the particular dialogue that ignited motivation, Diane explained, “One of the medical examiners was telling the lead actress she should follow her dreams. He pointed to the corpses and said, ‘All those people had dreams, but their time ran out, so don’t let that happen to you.’ It was like a light bulb went off — I had a lot of dreams, too, and I wanted to accomplish them.”
When all the diet plans and medicinal courses in the world fail, persistence and motivation come to the rescue. Diane undertook her weight loss journey with pure grit and lost 225 pounds. Here are the 7 simple, yet very effective means she used to lose weight.
1. The first advice sounds the best in Diane’s own words. She says, “Don’t put it off. No one gets any younger, and the younger you are, the easier it is. I started at 59, which proves anyone can do it. Why start six months from now? Start today!”
2. Once you find the motivation to act on the goal, Diane advises to start out small. Taking one step at a time will ensure the success of those mini-goals that will eventually lead up to the big one. Diane herself started with a small walk to her mailbox which was for her a great task. She then took to biking indoors which then led to walking outdoors. Today, she goes for 20-30 mile bike rides with her niece.
3. It is quite humane to feel better once you find out that you’re not alone in struggling with a problem. Therefore, Diane advises to either join a support group of like-minded people, or just create one yourself, pooling in all those who go through the same ordeal. She herself had joined a group called Taking Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS). There are group meetings on Mondays. But the members keep in touch through messages and emails, encouraging each other to keep going.
4. Maybe the best way to alter diet would be to try something new. Diane mentions, “I learned how to eat fish. I didn’t care for it before, but I bought an air fryer which helped me cook it without the grease and I actually like the way it tastes.”
5. Losing weight is a different journey for everyone. Diane found her method of weight loss by simply eating healthy like vegetables, limited junk food and a lot of exercise. A good amount of time should be spend in charting out the most efficient method for you.
6. Nothing comes easy. When you want to see the best result, it is crucial to not give up even if the journey takes longer than you expected. Diane sums this up when she says, “It might take six or eight weeks for the scale to move, but during that time, you’ll see the inches coming off of your body.”
7. A lot of it has to do with setting priorities. Choosing to be healthy is difficult as there are plenty of extremely delicious junk items on display everywhere. But as Diane advises, it is all about focusing on one meal at a time. She believes in consistency when it comes to losing weight.
Diane found her way out of the grueling problem that held her back for years. Some of her principles were very simple and those that all of us are familiar with – no procrastination, not giving up mid-way, setting goals and deadlines, etc. However what differs from one case to another is the implementation of these principles. But Diane’s motto is that if she can, then anyone can!
Credits: today.com