Regardless of whether you need to lose 10lbs or 100bs these weight loss solutions are highly effective and will give you results.
I’ve been talking about weight loss solutions since 2010. Let me give you a little history just in case you’re new here.
I started my weight loss journey in 2010. I lost a total of 40lbs, put 15 back on, and lost another 5 – so in reality I’m 30lbs lighter than I was 8+ years ago. I still would like to lose another 20lbs but I’m happy that I’ve maintained a 30lb weight loss for almost a decade. I’m not going to lie – it’s not easy. Trust me, there are days pizza and chips win. However, I learned a lot on my journey and that keeps me going.
In 2011, I began to write about my journey on Organize Yourself Skinny. As you know, I share my struggles, lessons learned, tips, recipes, and all kinds of weight loss solutions. Through my blog I’ve talked to MANY people from all over the world about their own triumphs and struggles with losing weight. So not only did I learn from personal experience I’ve learned a ton from others too.
One important piece of information I’ve taken from talking, and working, with others about their own weight loss journey is this….
Regardless of the amount of weight you need to lose the weight loss solutions are the same. I’ve worked with people who needed to lose 5lbs, 30lbs, and over 100lbs – and guess what? While their experiences were different the process was relatively the same. There isn’t a different formula for those that need to lose more or less – we all need to do the same things.
I wanted to bring this up because I’ve had many readers, over the years, contact me and say something like this:
“I have over 100lbs to lose and don’t know where to start”
“I have so much weight to lose, it doesn’t feel possible”
“What do I need to do to lose over 100lbs”
When I read these emails I feel the desperation in their words. They feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and don’t know what to do first. I get the feeling they are looking for a different type of weight loss solution. It’s almost like they feel a “standard” weight loss program could never work for a person in their situation, that once you hit 100lbs overweight there’s a different book. I empathize with the way they feel because I felt the same way when I first started out.
I assure them it doesn’t matter if they need to lose 100lbs or more the weight loss solutions are the same. There isn’t some crazy unattainable formula created just for them. We are all in the same boat! This often brings another email back filled with relief, hope, and excitement. I love those emails!
Of course, I’m not insinuating losing weight is easy. There are all kinds of roads, plateaus, hills, valleys, roadblocks, etc – that’s why it’s called a journey. What I’m saying is the solutions that work to lose 5lbs will also work to lose 100lbs or more. However, it’s up to you to put into practice the weight loss solutions I share.
Okay, let’s get to it.
Weight loss solutions whether you want to lose 5lbs or over 100lbs
Change your mindset
Creating a weight loss mindset is the hardest part to losing weight. Think about it, most likely, you need to change DECADES of bad habits. These are habits you’ve learned to depend on. You need those habits to cope, celebrate, and simply get through the day. It’s what you’re used to.
Therefore, the first thing you need to work on is your mindset. Changing your lifestyle require a different way of thinking. Remember, change only happens with change. If you change your mind then the rest will follow.
The best way to do this is to stay intentional every single day with your weight loss goals. What does this means? This means to think about, and make decisions, with your goals in mind. Get on the scale, journal, join a challenge, or even blog about it. The key is to keep it front and center so you don’t go back to old ways when you’re not paying attention. The more you think about it the less likely you are to stray.
Remember this…
It takes abut 3-4 weeks to form a new habit. So, for the first month, it’s important to stay laser-focused on the new habits you want to take on. The first week is often the hardest but after that it’ll start to get easier.
Changing your mindset also means removing the denial. I spent years thinking I was eating healthy and 140 pounds. Then I started to track my food and got on the scale – guess what? I found out I was eating over 3000 calories a day and actually weighed close to 180lbs!! Stay in tune with reality.
Get to the root of the problem.
Alright, I’m going to give a little tough love here. Why are you overweight? What caused you to gain 10lb, 20lb, 30lb, or 100lbs? Why are you struggling with removing bad habits that are keeping you overweight? Trust me, it’s more than a craving for Doritos.
I’m assuming if you could stop eating certain foods, or control your portions, you would. So, it’s more than that. Why do you continue to rely on bad eating habits?
For many, food is used to cope. This is also called emotional eating. Emotional eaters turn to food when they need comfort from the stressors of life. It’s important to get this under control because stress is going to happen and we don’t want to reach for a donut every time life doesn’t go our way. It’s important to find new ways to cope with life’s emotions.
But don’t feel discouraged, emotional eating is very common and it can be controlled. The first step is to recognize it and then work to replace the eating with something healthier – like writing, exercise, or listening to music. Again, it’s all about mindset!
One suggestion I often give is to consider going to therapy. I know many people hear the word therapy and are immediately turned off. However, therapy can be so helpful in working through any emotion that’s holding you back. It gives you the opportunity to learn new ways to cope with old issues. Personally, I find therapy (or counseling) very useful. It helps me to be mindful of my actions.
I will say this…
Therapy will only work if you’re open to it, honest, and willing to work. You can’t expect the counselor to blame the world for your problems. You’re there to take a look at your own actions and what you can do to take responsibility for yourself. Remember, you can’t control other people you can only control yourself.
With that said, once you get to the root of the problem the rest becomes easier.
Hold yourself accountable
Accountability is an absolute must no matter where you’re starting in your weight loss journey! You can’t change what you don’t know.
Accountability means having systems in place to keep your weight loss goals a priority
For example:
- Knowing how much to eat, what to eat, and when to eat.
- When to exercise, what to do, and having your gear ready.
- Keeping a schedule.
Accountability keeps you honest, measures progress, and helps you make adjustments as needed. I truly believe it’s impossible to lose 5lbs or 100lbs without accountability. You can’t depend on wishful thinking and “keeping it in your head” as an effective accountability system.
My favorite accountability tool is My Fitness Pal. It’s free and lets me track meals, exercise, water, and other things. It also allows me to plug in my weight loss progress, along with pictures. It is a great weight loss tool! Honestly, if it wasn’t for My Fitness Pal I would’ve never lost weight.
My Fitness Pal also does wonders for helping with mindset too. It’s really hard to eat that extra slice of pizza or donut when you see the amount of calories it has. The My Fitness Pal app keeps your weight loss goals on the brain. Of course, you need to use it! If you do, then it has the power to totally change your life.
Be prepared
Well if there’s one thing you take away from this post, and my blog, is you need to be prepared ahead of time. Being prepared makes it easier to make healthy choices…period.
When you have a meal plan you know what to eat.
When you take time to meal prep, those healthy meals you planned are ready to eat (or cook).
When you have your exercise gear ready you can get right into your exercise routine.
When you plan out your schedule ahead of time you start each day with a plan.
You get the point…
Taking the time to prepare is what separates those who succeed on their weight loss journey and those that don’t ←- I strongly believe this to be true!
Check out this beginner meal prep post for my best tips to get started with meal prep.
If you need more motivation to get prepared then check out – 5 things you must do during the first week of your weight loss journey. This is a favorite!
Control the chaos
Some of the best weight loss advice I could give you is to control your chaos! Chaos creates hot zones. Healthy decisions are never made in the hot zones. When you’re in a hot zone all you can think about is “how do I survive this moment RIGHT NOW”. You’re not thinking about long terms goals.
Getting the chaos in your life under control frees up space in your brain, and life, for the things you want to make a priority.
Think about this…
If your goal is to eat a healthy breakfast and exercise in the morning but never do because you’re always running late, and stressed out, then you need to take a look at what’s caused that hot zone.
Are you waking up late because you’re staying up late watching TV?
Are you wasting time searching through piles of laundry for something to wear?
Are you skipping out on exercise because you woke up late and none of your exercise gear was ready?
Are heading to the drive thru because you didn’t have any healthy breakfast options at home?
Once you get that hot zone under control it’s much easier to prioritize the other things that’ll help you meet your weight loss goals.
Check out this post on controlling your hot zones if you need help in this area.
Regardless of the amount of weight you need to lose these 5 weight loss solutions can make all the difference. The biggest thing to keep in mind is success requires action – daily action. You don’t need to completely change your life in a day – we all know that’s not realistic. However, you can focus on small changes every day. Those small changes will lead to results.
Verna Glasmann says
This article nails it all!!!