With the start of the new year, many of us are setting goals and making resolutions to eat healthier, work out more, and finally drop those extra pounds for good. But it's hard to say how much of our motivation will make it past the end of the month — a December 2016 study from the University of Scranton found that 48% of participants' 2015 resolutions were forgotten by February. Ugh.
Disheartening statistics aside, there are plenty of success stories to keep us feeling energized and empowered, and one of the latest is the queen of motivation herself: Oprah Winfrey. The media maven, who has publicly struggled with her weight for many years, recently shared details about her amazing 42-pound loss.
In addition to following the Weight Watchers program (a company she bought a 10% stake in back in October 2015), Oprah had another weight-loss trick up her sleeve: She actually stopped focusing on the numbers on the scale.
"At 200 pounds, I was okay," she told Weight Watchers magazine for its January/February 2017 cover story. "I have never, ever, ever been at that point. And then at 190 pounds, I was okay. If I don't lose another pound right now, I'm still okay. The fullness of life, the fullness of being, the self-acceptance — I'd never done that before. I'd always beaten myself up because I was tied to a number."
So that's it: Throwing specific weight-based goals out the window was what finally tipped the scales for Oprah. Rather than setting herself up for failure and frustration with unrealistic numerical goals, she gave herself a total mindset makeover.
"When the weight started to come off, I needed to get clear on my intention. I could lose weight to fit a dress size, or attend an event, or to make other people like me. But I couldn't keep it off for those reasons. I always put the weight back on," she said. "This time I changed the intention to, 'I want to be the healthiest I can be — physically, emotionally, spiritually.' So the process and purpose of losing shifted for me. It was easier, because my intention was clearer."
Feeling inspired and empowered? Us, too. Now go set yourself a healthy New Year's intention!
[h/t POPSUGAR
Heather Finn is the content strategy editor at Good Housekeeping, where she heads up the brand's social media strategy and covers entertainment news on everything from ABC's 'The Good Doctor' to Netflix's latest true crime documentaries.
