…and What to do About It.
You have probably uttered these words or have heard them more than a few times – “I am sick of being overweight!” or “Starting on Monday, no more junk food, no more beer and I’m going to the gym!” or one of my favorites “I am fully committed this time. This is for real.”
There you are, ready to take action, nothing can deter you this time. You are going to lose weight. You are going to workout and nothing can stop you. You have said the right things, you’ve got your mantra and a new attitude. This time really will be different.
And then the train runs right off the rails. “Why does that happen?” you ask yourself. “Everytime I am so gungho and then – meh.” Turns out there are quite a few reasons for this and these are the top 5 reasons that you can’t lose weight.
1. You don’t have a WHY. Having a WHY is important.
If you don’t know why you have your goal then chances are you won’t complete your goal. You need a sense of purpose to keep you going during the good times and the bad times. If you don’t know WHY you are getting out of bed at 6am to workout chances are you won’t last very long.
Be specific about what you want and write it down. “I want to lose 30 pounds in 4 months. I will lose 8-10 pounds per month to meet my goal.” Then write down what will happen when you reach your goal. “When I lose 30 pounds in 4 months, I will reward myself with ____________________.” The more you value your reward, the more likely you will be to earn it. Make the reward count.
2. You believe your BS.
You describe yourself as someone who can’t do this or that. I can’t cook. I can’t get up early. I can’t get through my day without a mucho grande caramel coffee drink. I can’t keep up with anyone else. I don’t have any time.
If you believe these things about yourself to be undeniably true, then how can you change? The only reason those excuses become true is because you tell yourself the same negative things over and over.
The truth is you can change. You can get up early. You can cook for yourself. And you don’t need to keep up with anyone else because this is about you – not them. Sometimes you need a little help to do these things but that is ok. By the way, you do have time. Make the commitment and make the time.
Be positive and live up to your word. Talk about the good things that are possible and make it happen. Think about being better everyday and then be better.
3. You can’t let go of your bad habits.
You say you want to change but you are entrenched in your current way of life. “I don’t have time to workout” or “I don’t want to prepare food in advance because it takes too much time” or “I won’t eat vegetables and forget about drinking water because I need my coffee.”
Your results are a product of your habits. All of the small things you do or don’t do add up over time. Your choices result in positive or negative effects. If you want a different result then you have do something different. Change needs to happen.
When you start making changes make it simple and super easy. Pick one thing and make it easy to accomplish. Build on your success day by day, week by week, month by month. Small changes equal big results.
4. You want it to be quick, easy and painless.
That’s right, you believe in magic. You believe you can lose 30 pounds in 30 days. You believe you can have 6 pack abs and still eat Cheetos and drink 64 ounce sodas.
There is a ton of hype and marketing in the fitness industry about the amazing transformation that awaits you. When it doesn’t happen, you throw in the towel and go back to your old ways. Or worse, you hop on the latest fad, throwing caution to the wind, eat watermelon for 30 days and do 10 minutes of abs once a week wondering all the while why “it’s” not working.
Get your expectations back to reality. It took you more than 30 days to put on 30 pounds and it’s going to take time to get it off. Focus on what you can control right now and realize that you are going to have to be patient. Take the long road and map out a plan for a year. Again, go back to small, easy steps and build over the long term. It is the best way to be successful and stay successful.
5. You want to do it all NOW.
You have just written out your plan. 100% clean eating, no cheat days. Exercise 6 days per week, sometimes a run and a group class on the same day. You are cutting out all dairy, wheat and never eating another dessert.
Does this sound extreme or accurate? Whenever you make too many changes at once your likelihood of completing anything is almost zero. In fact, the only thing you might get 100% right is your frustration level.
One more time to hammer it home: small changes equal big results. If you truly want to make changes that stick, you have to buckle down. No more excuses, no more whining but you need to be honest and realistic about what you can do. Maybe you can’t run a half-marathon in a month but you could in a year. You aren’t going to lose 30 pounds in 30 days safely and keep it off but you will over several months.
Best of all, you don’t have to deny yourself a fancy coffee or rich, over-the-top dinner. It has to be in moderation or for a very special occasion. You will be the one leading the charge and inspiring others to follow in your footsteps.
You can do this. And when your WHY is strong enough, you will do this and nothing, no excuses, no second guessing will hold you back.