You say you want to lose weight. You say you want to be healthy. You say you are going to workout.
Today, majority of people will say they are unhappy and want to lose weight. A good percentage of the time, they will have full intentions until they don’t see immediate results. They then lose sight of why they started and quit. This leaves them unhappy again until they say they want to lose weight and be healthy and decide to start over again. It’s a recurring process and I see it all the time. I don’t understand.
If you say you want something, why do you keep quitting? Why don’t you stick with it and make it part of your lifestyle so you CAN be happy?
And I know, easier said than done. But honestly, it’s not THAT hard. Maybe you are making it harder though. I think the idea of it being hard is the idea of “diets” now a days. First, it starts with going into it with the right attitude and mindset. We are so fixated on instant gratification that if we don’t see results within MAYBE a week of starting our “diet” we immediately think it’s not working and it’s too hard and go back to our old ways. Because that was obviously working way better before….
My point is that when you change your mindset from going on a “diet” to making it a manageable lifestyle, you might be able to find peace of mind. Don’t focus on instant results and instead stay consistent and stick with the process, while enjoying it, then you actually see those results you desire and more so can actually BE HAPPY!
So what am I telling you to do? Find what works for YOU! Whether you want to live paleo, gluten free, “clean eater”, or IIFYM… do what allows you to be happy! I personally have tried them all and IIFYM is my favorite. Reason I say this, sometimes people on “diets” restrict themselves so much, they are just so miserable and end up failing from binging on everything they restricted themselves from. The goal is everything in moderation. Sometimes you just have to have that cookie dough blizzard to keep your sanity, or that beer on the weekend to celebrate life with friends! 80/20 Rule. Get 80% of your food from healthy sources and 20% can be flexible with treats. Allowing yourself to enjoy life is not going to ruin your diet. And this is what I have learned over the past couple years.
And even though this post is mostly dedicated to nutrition, because that is 80% of the equation, workouts are still critical too. But often times people think they have to have extreme workouts. I say if you are just starting, gradually work your way up with workouts and as you become stronger and stronger, you will be able to do more intense stuff. If you run yourself into the ground right from the start, you will be exhausted and not stick with it. If working out just sounds awful to you, find something active that actually sounds FUN! If you don’t look forward to your workouts, how can you expect yourself to stick with them? Go rollerblading, jump on a trampoline, go for a walk on your lunch break with a friend, or even go walk around the mall and call it your cardio for the day. I am just making a point to start where you can and then continue to gradually push yourself out of your comfort zone so you can constantly improve.
And lastly, maybe the most important, DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. This can be one of the hardest parts!
Don’t think that just because someone lost a ton of weight while training for a marathon, that you need to run a marathon to lose weight too. Don’t think that just because someone drank fresh juices 3x’s a day for 7 days straight that you need to do the same to drop weight. And Don’t make a deadline that you HAVE to lose X amount of weight by a certain event and then be depressed when you don’t meet your goal. Sure goals are great, but don’t give yourself a deadline and have that be the sole reason you want to lose weight. You have the rest of your life to get fit and become comfortable in your own skin. And remember that you didn’t get to where you are in one week, so it will take more than one week to get to where you want to be. It’s you vs. you.
Hopefully this post has positively impacted you and some of my knowledge will better you on your current journey. And for those who haven’t started, I hope you’ve come to a realization and are inspired to take on a lifestyle that you can stick to. If you are ready to take the leap, even just starting with a small step, I think it can be very rewarding. Ever since I started focusing on my nutrition and fitness, it has become an addiction. To always become a better version of myself, and that transfers over to every facet of life. I have learned so much in just a couple years and I am excited to continue learning and sharing.
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