Narrowing Down To the Root Issue

There's a common reason why people get stuck in a certain phase of weight loss. The phase is getting from knowing they need to change something, to actually doing it, mentally deciding on a change, and following through.

The reason for it though, is kind of complicated. The "How" of weight loss when you're going at it by yourself is not an easy one for anyone and the answers, of course, vary from person to person.

No one wants to overhaul their entire life to lose weight, there's family to think about and schedules.

There's so many methods, diets, exercise regiments, products, types of foods, supplements, little "hows" to tweak.

Then there's the trust factor. How to actually trust that anything is going to work? Will it be like last time, when it didn't work for some reason?

I remember a quote I read during my nutrition coursework that stuck with me: "The diet that works best is the one you can stick to."

Haha! Easier said than done, right?

Then there's that "How." How to stick to it? That's what I want to cover today.

So today's post is really for the person that wants to change, but isn't sure how to get started. I have some good, simple ways to get started, and then two ways I can help you. For free.

So picture this: you've found this awesome weight loss plan somewhere and it requires a ton of stuff. At least an hour of exercise 4+ days a week, and they're hard! And meal plans, so you know what to cook and eat each day, regardless of what you "have a taste for." Then you have to give up x, y, z, w, v, and .... yeah you get the picture.

Super restrictive plan. These are destined for failure. And they're likely a money grab because they look so perfect, but maybe lead to more, something more expensive and like repeat expenses, like products!

Why?

Because you are doing too much, too fast, and your body is given no time to adjust. The body seeks comfort and familiarity.

And after that adrenaline wears off, it's gonna rebel in the form of cravings, less willpower and laziness that feels good.

And you're back where you've started? Anyone been there? Yeah, me. Totally guilty.

So what should you do instead? Here's my top 3 tips:

Start small, with only 2-4 changes. Decide on those changes, write them down, make your shopping list around them, make your routine and calendar around them, and figure out a way to make yourself accountable to them.

2-4 things. Examples like cutting out pop, cutting out sugar, walking around for an extra 15 minutes, walking around the house during commercial breaks, ordering take-out one less time per week, preparing your coffee with a healthier ingredient.

These things don't seem so scary.

2. Think about where your weaknesses are. What do you need to change in your lifestyle the most? Write them all down on a piece of paper. Rank them. Focus on the top three. Use those as a starting point to implement.

3. Decide on one big thing to change. Just one. Exercise? Great, change your exercise to have a good plan each week, but wait on food. Your food intake? GREAT! Revamp your lunches to always be something healthy. To cut out fried food when you're a huge fan? Awesome. You may start to see results from that immediately.

And work that into your routine for a few weeks until it's habit. That going back to the way you used to be feels wrong. Then it's time to add something else.

You're so much more likely to to stick to something healthier when it's a little at a time. You don't go through this sort of shock.

Does the topic still seem a bit overwhelming?

I can definitely help with that.

First, I'll be starting a 4- episode mini-series in my podcast (PAFE-Cast). The first one, which goes live in a few days is called "The P In PAFE" and talks about what a good weight loss plan should include, whether it's yours, someone else's and of course, mine for my clients. Then I'll continue through the letters over the next few weeks.

Second, starting in 1 week, almost to the minute, I'm running a free informational challenge for 4 days. You'll receive a ton of information exactly on this topic. This runs from October 12-October 15, Tuesday through Friday. Click the link at the top of the page to register!

It's titled, "Get Healthier While Busy" and is geared toward super busy people that aren't sure how to implement healthier habits when they already feel full up, timewise. The link is in the comments.

No cost for either! So if any of the above information felt like you and your thoughts from time to time, this is definitely for you!