Have you ever lost weight only to put it back on again?
Or maybe you started on a weight loss journey but then got off track and quit before you achieved your goal?
If either of these things has happened to you, you might have felt like a failure.
You might even be wondering if losing weight is possible for you, or maybe it’s all just a waste of time?
Well, I’m here to tell you it’s definitely possible!
But sustainable weight loss – or weight loss that stays off – isn’t something that happens overnight.
Like any worthwhile goal, it takes planning and patience – and there are some key things you must have in place first if you want to lose weight and keep it off for good.
In this article, I’m going to share the 5 steps that will set you up for sustainable weight loss success.
1. Forget about dieting
If you want to lose weight, your first thought might be that you need to go on a diet.
But dieting is a TRAP that many people fall into that rarely delivers long-term, sustainable weight loss.
Instead, it locks you into an endless cycle that can be hard to get out of:
- You restrict food to try to lose weight.
- You feel deprived and want the foods you can’t have even more.
- You give into temptation and eat the forbidden food. You think “I shouldn’t be having this” and don’t really enjoy it – or you eat more because, “What the heck, I’ve ruined the diet now, I might as well have the whole lot.”
- For a short time, you might feel better.
- Then you feel guilty and restrict yourself again, or eat to make yourself feel better.
- And so the cycle continues.
If this feels familiar, you might feel like you’ve failed or feel angry at yourself for not having the willpower to resist.
But the truth is, you didn’t fail the diet – the diet failed you.
Dieting creates a deprivation mindset, which is not only unsustainable but also really unenjoyable!
And what tends to happen is that you end up craving the ‘forbidden’ foods even more, or think about food all the time, which can lead you to overeat and even gain weight.
So, the first step to sustainable weight loss is to let go of the idea that diets are the answer.
(They’re not.)
Once you do this, you’ll be in a much better position to start making some simple, sustainable changes that will help you lose weight AND feel great.
2. Understand your eating behaviours
Eating food is a biological need – but there are also lots of other reasons why we eat that have nothing to do with food!
For example, you might eat even though you’re not hungry:
- in certain social settings
- out of habit
- because you’re trying to soothe an emotion or comfort yourself (also known as emotional eating).
And there’s nothing wrong with any of these things – we all do them!
But it’s important to recognise and understand them, so you can come up with other strategies that will help you achieve your goals.
For example, if you know you eat when you’re bored or stressed, then finding other ways to comfort yourself that don’t involve food is important if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
3. Master your mindset
If you’re like most people, you might think that weight loss is all about what you eat.
But actually, losing weight is less about the food you put in your mouth and more about the thoughts that are in your head.
If you have a long history of unsuccessful dieting attempts (that is, losing weight but not being able to keep it off), then the fear of failing again or thinking nothing in the world will work for you is a limiting belief that will sabotage your efforts.
On the flipside, self-belief is the number one predictor of weight loss success, and if you believe you can, you will!
Successful and sustainable weight loss also requires you to adopt a growth mindset.
This means you approach your weight loss journey from a place of curiosity, not judgement, and are open to learning and trying new things.
There’ll always be ups and down on your weight loss journey, but with the right mindset, you can overcome any challenges and will be much more likely to achieve your goals.
4. Focus on healthy habits
When people decide they want to lose weight, they often try things like fad diets or intense fitness schedules that promise fast results.
But while they might work initially, they’re not usually things you can stick to long-term.
Instead, successful and sustainable weight loss is about making small incremental changes and adopting healthy habits that make a BIG difference over time.
For example, it could be simple things like planning your meals in advance, eating one meal a day without distraction, or only eating until you’re comfortably full.
By concentrating on introducing one habit at a time, you’ll find they slowly become a way of life, which is really the key to making any sort of lasting change.
It’s not just about your eating habits, either.
Physical activity is also important if you want to lose weight, but the biggest barrier for most people is doing it consistently.
That’s because most dieters choose exercise based on how many calories they’ll burn, rather than choosing exercise they actually enjoy.
The trick is to find an activity that makes you feel good and then commit to making it part of your daily or weekly routine.
When you do this, you’ll be much more likely to stick with it, which will go a long way to helping you achieve your weight loss goals.
5. Get support
The final step to setting yourself up for long-term weight loss success is to make sure you build in some support.
Whether it’s your family, friends, a coach or an online group, knowing there are people cheering you on can make the world of difference when you’re trying to make positive changes in your life.
They can also provide some accountability, which can be hugely helpful when you’re working towards a goal.
Even just following body positive accounts on social media can help you feel inspired and empowered as you continue on your weight loss journey.
Whatever you choose, remember you don’t have to go it alone.
There’s plenty of support available, and it will make losing weight and keeping it off SO much easier (and much more enjoyable!).
And that’s it! Focus on these 5 things and you’ll be well on your way to achieving sustainable weight loss success!
Want to lose weight and keep it off so that you can say goodbye to dieting and hello to being the energetic hands-on mum you want to be?
What you need is a new approach that doesn’t include relying on willpower or following a restrictive diet, plus some support and accountability to help set you on the right track.
That’s where I can help!
You’re invited to join my free masterclass: How to End Emotional Eating in Just 5 Steps that I’m hosting on Tuesday, 23 August 2022 at 1pm and 7.30pm AEST (Syd/Melb).
In this free live masterclass, I’ll be sharing:
- The 3 biggest reasons why you emotionally eat or can’t stop emotionally eating.
- My 5-step plan to end emotional eating that doesn’t include relying on willpower or following a restrictive diet.
It’s the exact same framework I teach my 1:1 clients in my 30-day End Emotional Eating program.
And now I’m going behind the scenes and sharing it with you too!
Click here to save your seat
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