I was watching a documentary once about a clinic whose goal was to convince pregnant women to stop smoking. Giving these women all the medical facts about what smoking could do to their unborn child, was not enough to convince them to stop. So then the clinic set up a program that rewarded the women with money and gifts. One by one, the women stopped smoking in order to receive the prizes.

Human beings will frequently change or modify an undesirable behavior, health or weight problem, in order to attain something desirable.

The problem is that using prizes as a goal is only temporary, just like losing weight on any diet is usually only temporary. As soon as the goal is reached, there is nothing there to make it conducive to maintain the change or modification. People will go back to smoking, or will regain the weight. To maintain the change, a person needs to have something they want "so badly", that if they don't maintain the change, they know they will lose what they want most.

Don't be afraid of the word "change". You're actually modifying something rather than changing it. The word "change" often conjures up thoughts of the efforts and sacrifices that people are unwilling to make. If you change or modify a behavior that is hurting you with health or weight problems, you can truly become the best "you" that you can be! To change or modify a bad thing, is definitely a happy, positive thing.

Just knowing you need, for example, to lose weight and the reasons why, is not usually motivation enough to be able to do it. It's human nature to do something that is difficult, for another reason, rather than do it just because it is good for us. There absolutely needs to be some ongoing something that is so important that we will be motivated to maintain the improvement. I'll use myself as an example. Because I wanted to walk and be self-sustaining, I modified the foods I ate to 90% natural and 10% man-made. By eating this way consistently, I dramatically and profoundly improved (changed) my health and weight. I now felt well enough to reach my goal. You have to feel better to get better. Once my goal was reached, I needed further and sustaining motivation to maintain this as a permanent improvement. My motivation is that if I don't maintain this natural way of eating, I will lose my ability to walk, and my health problems will return. I would be total care for my family again, and eventually go into a nursing home. This is all the motivation I need.

Everyone has a strong motivation within them if they will only take the time to think about it. What we think is a subconscious driving force for everything we do each day. Be aware and be in charge of what you think. Notice how strongly if effects the choices you make. Notice how what you think effects how you feel. Then notice how what you eat also effects how you feel.

What kind of fuel are you putting in your body?