Future Tool #1 Do Not Be Past-Focused N ften, I hear clients say that they want to get “back” to a weight they used to be. They want to weigh what they weighed in high school or before they had the baby. I always discourage this type of past-focused thinking. I like to have clients focus on the future and on a body they would like to have in one year or five years from now. Furthermore, that past body you had ended you up here, overweight again. It wasn’t your permanent solution. This time, things can be different and this time can be the last time. Many of us have pasts filled with pain and negative circumstances. Many of us feel we have had many fail- ures—especially failed weight-loss attempts. When we define ourselves and our future abilities by these past attempts, we become discouraged and filled with regret. I like to look at my past as if it was perfect. It happened exactly as it was supposed to and there were no mistakes, just lessons and preparation. I don’t see any reason to argue with my past or wish it was dif- ferent. It is a waste of emotional energy. I choose to take that energy and focus on my future, something I feel I can have an impact on. 180 • If IAm So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?