When I first started my weight loss journey, I honestly had absolutely no idea what I was doing or where to start! I kind of had a roller-coaster couple of years with lots of wasted time, because I didn't know how to motivate myself or to cultivate self-discipline. I had let myself get to a place of weak resolve and was very easily led off course from my fitness goals.
Maybe you're standing at the beginning of your weight loss journey and are in a similar place; you don't know where to start or the goal looks too big. Today, I want to share some tips that I wish I really understood a few years ago that could have helped me not waste so much time.
- Decide on an attainable goal, and put it in writing.
In my closet, I have a list of weight loss goals I would like to accomplish, and the dates by which I would like to accomplish them by. Since I know that I am not a "lose 27 lbs in a month" person, I've set most of my goals at an average of 5-6 lbs lost per month. For example, I write that I wanted to get to 199 by Mother's Day, 190 by my son's birthday in July, 180 by my birthday at the end of September, and 170 by the New Year. Breaking it up like this gives me attainable goals to work for all throughout the year. This structure works better for me than saying "I want to lose 50 lbs this year."
- Don't try to think about the whole process at once
Rome wasn't built in a day, but they worked on it every single day. When you first start losing weight, especially when you have 30+ lbs to lose, sometimes it can be incredibly overwhelming to look at the whole goal at once. When I started losing weight, I was sorely disappointed to realize that it was a slow process. Never mind that I had spent about three years GAINING weight, I wanted to lose it all in a few months! When I found that I could only lose a pound or two a week, and sometimes none at all for several weeks, I completely psyched myself out. I would start thinking about the long, tedious process and I would become SO discouraged.
Now, I try to focus on the 24 hours in front of me, and what I can do in THAT period of time to get me closer to my goals. Can I eat well for 24 hours? Can I exercise once today? Can I make sure to stay active TODAY? Can I focus on my goals TODAY? Can I abstain from sugar and carbs TODAY? When you think about it this way, you can empower yourself and stay motivated.
- Find one exercise you enjoy.
The best workout is the one you will actually do consistently. This may sound silly, but it's a great place to start. You don't have to enjoy all exercise, but it's great to try everything once. Once you do, you may surprise yourself! For example, I now know that I LOVE Zumba, but only because I went out on a limb, stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new. I also love going to the gym and doing a combination of cardio and weight lifting, so I can mix up my gym routine and my Zumba workouts for optimal fat burning. Some people like running, walking, weight lifting, yoga, group fitness classes, streaming home workouts, crossfit, etc. Find what you enjoy and do it regularly.
- Find an eating plan you enjoy
Along the same idea as the last tip, the best diet is the one you will actually do. As much as I love and believe in Keto, it doesn't work for everyone's lifestyle or food preferences. If you don't enjoy any of the food included in the diet, you probably won't stick with it for very long. For some, it works better to do weight watchers, macro counting, paleo-eating, vegan or vegetarian eating... but again, find a method of eating that you can enjoy and practice consistently.
- Keep yourself motivated
The most popular question I get asked whenever I post to social media about my weight loss is "how do you stay motivated?" The short answer is: I DON'T. Nobody "feels" motivated 100% of the time. Motivation is kind of like bathing, eventually the effect wears off and you're probably going to have to practice it regularly. Remember how it feels to not be where you want to be yet. Remember how great you will feel when you start accomplishing your goals. Remind yourself that you are worthy of investing in. Tell yourself that you are on this journey to make your life better and improve your health. Surround yourself with people who support your goals and do not try to derail or discourage you. Follow social media accounts of people who are practicing the same diet as you, and unfollow the accounts that make you want to give up. And, at the end of day, remember that sometimes, all of these things won't work and you'll just have to discipline yourself to continue on anyway. Discipline is staying committed to your goals after the "mood" leaves you.
- Stay Consistent.
Your body and metabolism want to know that this change is for real, not just something that will come and go. If you are overweight and in poor health, your metabolism has become accommodated to your lifestyle, and probably has not had to work very hard until now. When you change your lifestyle, your body will be challenged to keep up with what you are requiring of it. It will sort of be a shock and will probably feel strange for a little while. However, in the same way that your metabolism got used to eating poorly, it will get used to you eating healthy and exercising. Sometimes, it will resist the change and cause your weight on the scale to plateau or even hold on to water, but this will pass. Keep going and stay consistent.
Remember, your goals won't always look like the people around you, and your methods won't always look the same as their methods. Sometimes when I tell people that I am eating a low carb, high fat diet, people look at me like I have three heads! When I order a burger at a restaurant but ask for them to hold the bun and swap the fries with broccoli, I can be met with eye-rolls and odd looks. But, at the end of the day, I am doing this for me, and I believe in my Ketogenic lifestyle. For me, that's enough!
Which one of these tips do you think is most important? What would you add?
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