The #1 Rule for Losing Weight

Most Americans are dealing with the same health and fitness concern—losing weight. While there are 101 gimmicks claiming to help us do just this, it seems that all the exercise programs, supplements, equipment, and surgery has not lead to any improvement in our satisfaction with our looks and health. Why is it, then, that we always try to approach this issue from the same angle?

Most people don’t even realize the cycle they are caught in when it comes to weight loss. One year they try a new supplement. One year they try to start running. Once year they join a gym. One year they try a diet. Or more likely, every year, they do some combination of all of these. Whatever it is, there is one commonality in the way Americans approach any goal: speed trumps all.

When it comes to losing weight, we want to do it as fast as possible and then figure out how to maintain. We want to take on a gym membership, a new diet, and a new running program all at once. Whatever it takes. The only problem: it never works. We jump in head first, and one of two things happens:

1)      We don’t get results fast enough.
2)      We get results but quickly realize that the 143 new habits we just took on are not so easy to maintain.

Either way, things start slowing down, and the wheels start coming off. Soon we are back into our old routine, discouraged and no closer to our goals than when we started. 

A New Way of Thinking

If we want to make a lasting change, we have to start approaching this whole weight loss issue from a different perspective. So here’s the question: would you rather be 10 lbs lighter in 2 weeks, but back to your current weight in 6 weeks, OR 10 lbs lighter in 6 months, and 10+ lbs lighter for the next 10 years? Hopefully you would agree that losing weight slowly and keeping it off (and potentially losing more) is preferable. Why then do we take these all-or-nothing mindsets?

If you have ever achieved something great, I hope you took one thing away from your experience: persistence is paramount. Nothing is more important than persistence and in similar fashion, consistency. If you are consistent in your efforts to achieve a goal, and you stay consistent through good and bad times, you will undoubtedly reach that goal. This does not mean that you need to take any giant leaps or take on more than you can handle. It just means that you must keep working toward your goal and keep doing things every day that help get you closer. It’s about your routine. It’s about clarity of purpose. It’s about knowing where you want to be and having faith that you will get there.

So this year, if weight loss is your goal, how are you going to approach it so that you come out on top this time? You already know what you need to do to get there, but what if this time, instead of doing them all at once, you just start with one thing that you KNOW you can handle. Could you easily drink more water each day or have an extra serving of veggies at dinner? Whatever it is you think will help, pick one small item and start working on it. Take it slowly, learn from your experience, and when drinking more water is like brushing your teeth, add on the next habit. Do this and I guarantee you will lose more weight by the end of the year, while actually learning how to maintain your new weight. So what is the #1 rule for weight loss? Consistent persistence, and that’s all there is to it.