Losing weight is at the top of many New Years resolutions. In fact, next to saving money, it might be number one. Unfortunately, most people will fail at their weight loss attempts before February.
To help you succeed at a healthier lifestyle and ultimately losing weight I have put together my 5 P’s to Successful Weight Loss. These concepts, though seemingly basic, have been quite powerful for me in my own weight loss experience.
Prioritize. If this is the year that you are finally going to adopt a healthier lifestyle and lose weight then you MUST make it a priority and commit to change. You can spend all the money in the world on every diet and weight loss plan but if losing weight is not a priority then it will never happen. Weight loss is more of a mind game then a food game. Once you convince your brain to do it the rest becomes easier.
Plan. Next you will need a written weight loss plan. Notice I say written. I have found weight loss success to be achievable when goals, objectives, and daily tasks are written down. It’s like having a weight loss to-do list. Start off with the bigger goal (ex. lose 40lbs) then break it down into smaller manageable goals. Next create monthly, weekly, and daily tasks. Of course, make adjustments to your plan as needed.
A basic weight loss plan should include:
- Weekly (or monthly) menu plan. This plan should reflect the foods you and your family will be eating for breakfast, lunch, and snacks every day. Having a menu plan will help tremendously with keeping your calories, nutrition, and other dietary restrictions in check.
- Weekly work out schedule. It is important to fit exercise into your daily routine. Don’t feel like you need to join a gym (unless you want to) in order to exercise. Exercising can be as simple as turning on the radio and dancing with your kids for 20 minutes. Or doing lunges around the living room. The point is to just get moving.
- Weekly healthy living and weight loss goals. Setting weekly goals keeps your weight loss plan manageable and within your capabilities. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when thinking about losing 40lbs than it is to just think about losing 1-2 pounds that week.
- Obstacles you might face and how to overcome them. For example, is your family revolting against any type of change? Is your time stretch to the max? Are you nervous about cooking at home more? There are a million obstacles that will try to road block your success. Break them down from large to small then create a plan that will help you triumph over them. Easier said than done, yes I know, but trust me once you start writing out your plan and thinking everything through you will start to feel much more confident dealing with personal weight loss challenges.
Your weight loss plan absolutely needs to be realistic. Do not sabotage your weight loss efforts by creating a plan that implements drastic changes or deprivation. This type of plan will have you bouncing right back into the comfort of your bad habits in no time.
Prepare. Following through on a weight loss plan is much easier when you are prepared ahead of time. One way to do this is to make ahead and freeze meals. Doing this helps have the healthy meals and snacks listed in your menu plan ready to eat. Also, having your workout clothes ready can be the deciding factor on whether you get on the treadmill or not. Preparing ahead of time takes some forethought and effort up front but it is the key ingredient to moving forward on your weight loss plan. Preparation gives a plan movement!
Patience. This is a big one. More often than not weight loss is about breaking years of bad habits and rebuilding new healthy ones. This takes time and does not happen overnight. When I started my weight loss journey I had 10 years of bad habits to break. It was not easy. However, once I started to slowly implement healthy changes my weight began to reduce and my body started to transform. I lost on average 1-2 pounds a week. It takes time but it will happen.
Persistence. There will be many times you find yourself regressing back to old habits or struggling with healthier ones. It is natural to do so. If chocolate has been one of your coping mechanism over the last 20 years it is going to be hard at times to cope differently. That’s ok. Learn to forgive yourself. Nobody is perfect and everyone struggles at times. Take your weak moments and turn them into teachable moments. Don’t ever give up!
