Alejandro Arce — home Thinking in Public
No. 32 · Health

Want motivation to lose weight? Take your shirt off

Line illustration: a t-shirt tossed over the corner of a standing mirror with a dumbbell on the floor.

Do you want motivation to lose weight? Take your shirt off.

There's a feeling that shows up the second it comes off. It's either pride or shame. That's it — those are the only two options.

If it's shame, good. That's fuel. And you need to go out of your way to feel it, because most people avoid the mirror instead of using it.

Do it
Shirt off
Notice
Feel it
Use it
Get angry
Then
Do something

Repeat it — until the feeling on the other end flips to pride

So find every reason to take it off. When you first get home, take your shirt off. At the park, take your shirt off. In front of the mirror, in front of the fridge — do it everywhere. Because if it makes you angry, you'll finally do something about it. (Worked for me.)

Keep doing it until you start feeling pride instead.

Take it off. Feel it.

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