As written for SophistiCareer:  http://sophisticareer.com.au/half-the-woman-i-was-how-i-lost-70kg-naturally-part-3/

With my diet and exercise education in full swing, and my new regime producing some great results I still had a niggling feeling that something was still missing. This ‘something’ would give me the edge and change my life forever. This third and very crucial step was to get my spirit right.

I’m not talking religion here – far from it. I’m talking about dealing with all that stuff going on in-between your ears. Without it I knew I would slip back into old behaviours and patterns, and the weight would return with a vengeance.

I began to research how much the subconscious contributed to my weight. It turned out – a lot. The more I researched, the more I realised that dealing with my unresolved issues was going to be the answer to keeping the weight off for life. In fact I estimate that at least 50% of long-term weight loss success can be attributed to having the right mindset.

But I also learned it’s almost impossible to get the right mindset without some help. And, wanting to ensure my new mindset stuck, I decided to multiply my chances fourfold: by reprogramming my subconscious, dealing with my past, cleaning out my life as well as rewarding myself.

Reprogramming the subconscious is not as weird or scary as one might think. Marketers and advertisers have been doing it for decades without us even knowing. I decided that, quite frankly, I would rather be in control of what went into my head. So I began by listening to weight loss hypnosis CDs and I even saw a hypnotherapist. My results got better as I found it easier to stick to my eating and exercise programs.

To deal with my past I attended counselling sessions, training courses as well as a clearing practitioner. Sometimes issues would be resolved quickly, other times it took a few sessions. Sometimes there were tears, other times heartfelt joy and laughter. But it felt good to get rid of old baggage and discard it like an old out-dated overcoat that should never be worn again. And guess what? My results improved again.

I started clearing out the rest of my life – writing overdue letters and cards, rectifying promises I’d made but never fulfilled. I cleaned out my kitchen cupboards, my wardrobe and even the garage shed. I got things fixed that weren’t working or I threw them away. I returned things I’d borrowed and got back things I’d lent. I paid all my bills on time, and tidied up my finances. I not only did a complete spring clean of my surroundings, I clean swept my entire life.

I became a ‘to do list’ convert, ticking things off as I did them, and adding several more items to the bottom. But after a while, and some consistent persistent action, the never ending list began to get shorter. With each completed task I felt a sense of achievement, and renewed enthusiasm. I never got bored because I always had a long list to follow, and I got more done – lots more. And as a by-product I also seemed to start reaching some long terms goals I never thought possible: a new career, car and house (I kept the same husband though!)

I celebrated – often. I set goals for my weight loss: small goals were rewarded with a new CD or DVD; larger goals included treats like a new hair style, a facial and teeth whitening. Two of my major milestones were rewarded with hot air ballooning over the Yarra Valley and flying a glider. All the things I wanted to do, or never had the courage to – I set them as goal rewards – and did them.

The rest, as they say, is history. I’ve kept the weight off now for more than 7 years. Losing 70kg of ‘excess baggage’ has given me health, happiness and a newfound sense of freedom I could never otherwise have known. It took time to implement all three steps into my life and it was difficult at first to get my mind, body and spirit right. But I persisted and once I had aligned my mind, body and spirit it became easier to achieve my goals.

So no matter how far away your goals may seem right now, all you need is the courage to take the first step, and to find the commitment to keep moving forward. If I’ve done it, you can too!