Weight loss is something many people want to get permanently, but often end up yo yo’ing. Here’s how to get weight loss results for good!
1. Make Weight Loss A Game
Remember when we were kids? Remember how we were always running, jumping and climbing, often to our parents chagrin? Did any of that look like work to you? No, it wasn’t. But it was play. That’s what made it seem like fun. We weren’t working, we weren’t attached to any kind of specific outcome and we didn’t beat ourselves up if we came up short.
Yet many of us who are on the weight loss journey do just that. We beat ourselves up, we buy into that “no pain no gain” mantra, and feel miserable about what we’re doing to improve our lives when we should be feeling really good about ourselves for exercise, changing our diet and committing to growth and change.
Try and keep this sense of play in mind when you’re working out, shopping for healthy foods, and do make a game of it whenever and however possible. It will make what you’re doing a lot more bearable and ideally, a lot more fun. The more fun it is, the easier it will be to do, and the more you’ll want to do it.
2. Commit To The Long Haul
You didn’t get out of shape overnight, so you probably won’t get back in shape overnight. Once you get in shape, you’ll have to work to stay there.
Weight loss is a journey, not a destination, so commit to it.
Knowing that you’re on a journey rather than a destination is helpful because it gives you realistic expectations. There’s no wasted energy on thinking things that you will find out later aren’t true. Committing to the long haul may be difficult at first, but it is worth the effort, and be aware that it isn’t a death sentence. You can still take vacations, and eat all your old favorite comfort foods, just not all the time.
3. Eliminate Excuses
There is no such thing as “old age.” If you are gaining weight and you don’t look as good as you did in your 20’s, it’s not because of “the hands of time” or because you’re “getting older.” It’s because you’re out of shape. “Don’t have enough time?” Yes, yes you do. You may not have a lot of time, but you do have enough. You can get there from here, wherever you are right now. We all have our limitations, challenges, etc, but you can make it happen. Admit it. Anything else is just wasted energy. Eliminate the excuses and move forward.
4. Be Consistent
Whatever you decide to do to for weight loss, be it weightlifting, yoga, Crossfit, hiking, biking or whatever else you may do to get and stay fit, make sure to do it on a regular basis. If you have three hours a day six days a week to work out, and you want to do that, commit to it. Do it no matter what. If you have thirty minutes three times a week, do that, matter what. Often the simple act of regularity will greatly improve your chances of success.