3 TIPS To HELP YOU CHANGE, LOSE WEIGHT, AND STICK TO YOUR PLAN!
Last week we addressed the past and the Three Reasons People Fail To Lose Weight. Today we will be talking about moving forward!
The past is now behind you, you have learned from your mistakes and it is time to move forward ;-)! It doesn’t matter that in the past you quit! Today you are choosing to take action and consistently put forth effort today, tomorrow, on the weekends and in the following weeks.
Change is simple, but it is not easy!
The following are tips that will help you change and stick to it!
Number ONE: You need SUPPORT!
As H. E. Luccock so finely put it, “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play.”
It should be no surprise that the biggest indicator whether a person is going to be successful with their fitness and or weight loss efforts is if he or she has support and accountability. I’ve said this numerous times before, losing weight and getting fit is simple, but it is not easy.
If it were easy the obesity epidemic that we currently face wouldn’t be a thing. If it were easy people wouldn’t be yo-yo dieting sending BILLIONS of dollars on “health” and “weight loss” supplements. We would instead see more fit people and confident people.
For you to have success you need support and accountability. You need a partner who is genuinely interested and invested in helping YOU. Which means they are WILLING and ABLE to encourage and motivate you to lose weight and stick with your exercise and nutrition plan. They’ll be there to cheer you on and make sure you get up early to eat right and exercise. They will talk you off the cliff of the eating the whole plate of brownies. They should expect you to tell them how you were doing. On a side note, this requires you to be honest and open with what you’re struggling with it all times. And they will not let you Fade Out of the program you have chosen to follow. They will pursue you to the best of their ability making sure you stick to what you have outlined and planned.
Number TWO: You need a PLAN!
As Alan Lakein said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
I recently came upon the concept called the tyranny of the urgent. Have you ever heard of the tyranny of the urgent? I never had, but basically what it means is that if you don’t have a plan, whatever seems most urgent, at any given time, is what’s going to consume your mind and efforts. This means if your quote on quote invested in becoming healthy and losing weight…but you don’t have a plan…any random thing that pops up is going to take precedence and is going to surpass your perceived need to exercise and lose weight.
Without a plan you won’t have the urgency or a vision on how to get from point A to point B. Which basically is just fancy talk for your goal is going to take a backseat to whatever seems to be pressing you at any given moment.
Now…on the flip side, if you have a plan, you can follow it! And when something comes up, you can make an adjustment, but ultimately you know what your number one priority is and you are more to stick to the plan and course of action! Instead of getting knocked off course and sabotaging your health and fitness.
You can count on this. If you do not plan for eating right and exercising, it’s simply will not happen. So this time when you start your weight loss and exercise…you need to have a PLAN!
So, before you start, answer these questions so you can anticipate obstacles!
- When and how are you going to exercise? Maybe you will go to a boot camp, maybe you’re going to go running in the mornings and follow it up with some weight training, maybe you’ll hire a personable, funny, charismatic personal trainer (ask me, I know I guy) :-).
- What foods are you going to eat and how are you going to make sure that you have access to them? Maybe you need to get a small cooler to take with you? What will you eat for breakfast?
- How are you going to arrange it so that you can get at least 7 hours of sleep each night? Maybe you need to put the kids to bed sooner and prepare lunches ahead of times or maybe over the weekend?
The point is create a plan and stick with it.
Without a plan, without a strategy to set yourself up for success, you are actually setting yourself up for failure. I want you to plan for success! So please take some time right now and write out some ideas to help you overcome the most common obstacles that you know you will face. This way you’ll be prepared for them and you will breeze right through them, like a hot knife through butter.
Number Three: Do NOT FEAR…FEAR AND BE PATIENT
As Kellen Lake once said, “Don’t let the distance between where you want to go, prevent you from making the journey.” (Yep, I had to make up a quote to go with this point lol).
So often we stop before we even start out of fear and or impatience. You must be courageous and you must have patience. It took time for you to become out of shape and have excess body fat. In the same way it’s going to take time to get rid of it, plus this change it going to require you to be courageous!
What is your goal? What does your dream body look like? What does it feel like? Maybe you want to lose 50 lb? Shoot maybe you want to lose a hundred pounds, I’ve had two clients who have done just that. Maybe you don’t need to lose, maybe you want to be able to run a mile without being winded. Perhaps you want to be able to do 10 Pull-Ups?
The point is to not let the distance, how far you need to go, prevent you from starting and making your journey. Every single person who is in shape had to start somewhere just like you. I was once 308 lb, it took me 2 years to get to 220. Right now I’m trying to get down so that I can finally see my abs :-). It’s incredibly tough, but this time I’m sticking to it and I’m seeking accountability. I’m writing down what my goal is and letting others know about it, as well as telling them. You can do the same thing.
Now the question becomes…are you really ready for a change? It’s within your reach, but it requires you to make a plan, seek out support, and be patient and courageous. Are you in?
I hope and pray you are!
Go be awesome!
KELLEN LAKE – Don’t Limit YOURSELF! You are wonderfully and fearfully made!
PS – As always, if you want help reach out to me and let me know.
