8 Characteristics of People Who Succeed in Their Weight Loss Journey

Through my blog, Trading Cardio for Cosmos, I meet and speak with thousand of women (and some men) embarking on a weight loss journey. Some are gung-ho, others are sad and depressed. Some see it as a whole new way of life, and others lament the lifestyle they’re giving up.

 

Some will surprise me, but I have found that the successful ones almost always have these characteristics in common:

 

These individuals are ready to make a change and they are embracing their new menus, meetings, food finds and support groups. They read EVERYTHING they can find (at least in the beginning), write down food finds they learn from others and have a list of new things to try. They join 14 Facebook groups and follow 10 different bloggers so they constantly have new information to absorb.

 

 

The people who are ready to change know that if they want to succeed and have a body they’ve never had before (or lately at least), they’re going to have to do things they’ve never done before. For some people that’s learning to cook, cooking at home more, Sunday meal prep. For others, it’s trying smoothies, protein shakes, even kale! For others, it’s exercise. No exercise led to their obesity, and now they’re willing to try walking with Leslie Sansone, Zumba, yoga – whatever they can to get their bodies moving.

 

Weight loss is a mind over matter game. No one sets out to overeat and be obese. They eat for comfort, out of boredom, sadness, anxiety or depression. So losing weight has to be about not only eating healthier foods, but also about learning how to manage the situations that cause us to overeat.

 

I know women who knit, do sodoku, walk, paint, run, dance and find other healthy outlets for their emotions, and those women are always more successful long-term because they learn to cope with the situations that contributed to their being overweight.

 

Not everyone meal preps, but almost all of my successful friends at least menu plan their days.

This preparation enables them to know when to eat lightly for a dinner out, add more protein for a big workout and how to ensure that even if you’re dining out you can stay on program.

Some take it farther by meal prepping some of their snacks and meals, so there’s always good food at their fingertips.

 

Here are some posts to help you succeed with meal prep:

 

Meal Prep Like a Boss

Meal Prep Hacks to Lose Weight and Save Money

 

Moderation is the greatest lesson of my weight loss journey, and I see many other success people practicing moderation as a means of having their cake and eating it too! For me, this means treating my body like a bank account. I deposit my daily points or calories and can deposit additional with exercise. Then I debit out for my meals and snacks. Want a piece of pizza or a second glass of wine? Better debit out less for breakfast and lunch to make sure you have enough left in your account!

 

People who successfully lose weight and keep it off are usually very honest with themselves about what they put in their body. More than once I’ve heard “My body keeps accurate track of what I eat, whether I write it down or not,” and it’s so true. No sense in lying to ourselves about what we’re eating because our hips (and waist and booty) will definitely remind us!

 

In our rapid-fire, ever changing society and especially as women, we work so hard to cram everything in, take care of everyone else’s needs and by the time we get done with everyone else there is simply no time left for ourselves. People who successfully lose weight recognize that putting themselves – be it their food choices, time for exercise or need for sleep – first. Or at least near the top of their list. And what they find is when they take care of themselves, they have greater capacity to take care of those around them.

 

Rather than lament the loss of a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, the people destined to succeed enjoy a portion of ice cream, but top it off with fresh berries or glitter grapes. Rather than lament the loss of a 1000-calorie burger once a week, these individuals have the burger once a month, and truly savor it.