Hey Sassy Peeps!
This week in our coffee chat, Lindsay and I were chatting about getting back to the basics to achieve success.
A lot of the time in this weight loss journey we make mistakes. Not all of our mistakes are bad…a lot of them help us learn…and focusing on the basics to get results is something I have definitely learned over the last 4.5 years.
There have been many times that I’ve fallen off course…and I have done some interesting things to get back on track…but 2 critical errors I used to make (and see sooooooo many others still making) are:
1) Trying to re-invent the wheel/find the next big thing to save me.
2) Trying to fix everything all at once.
Both of these errors are HUGE. They not only don’t actually fix the “problem” of falling off track, but they actually make it so much worse!
Let’s start with re-inventing the wheel/looking for the next “miracle”. If there truly was a magic pill/miracle to help us lose the weight (and keep it off), do you not think it would be EVERYWHERE? Everyone would be doing it! Celebrities would be endorsing it, there would be billboards everywhere, and there would literally be no other options out there…and the obesity epidemic would be cured! Yet, I find myself, in those moments of desperation, searching for that next big thing…maybe it’s Keto…perhaps I should try Intermittent Fasting…remember those Garcinia Cambogia pills? Yeah…none of those cured it for me.
So then I move on to mistake number 2…I start tearing apart everything in my world and trying to fix it all at once. I focus on drinking more water, eliminating sugar, exercising more, saying affirmations, meditating, getting my mindset in check…and by lunchtime on the first day, I’m BURNT OUT!!!! And…I still haven’t seen any results.
So maybe I keep going at this INSANE pace for a few more days…hey maybe even a week or two…and maybe I do actually drop a few pounds…but what worked? I don’t even know…and I sure as heck can’t keep this insanity up forever…so then I go backwards…I throw in the towel…give everything up and am right back to square one.
Sound familiar? I bet at least one of those scenarios does…and why? Because I am you! You are me…we are both in this journey together…and I totally understand where you’re at!
However, I know (because I’ve done this over and over again) what actually works. I know that focusing on small steps, seeing success, and then moving forward…REALLY WORKS. I want you to divide your “trouble spots” into 3 categories…write them down.
Category 1: What is going well right now. Maybe you are the queen of sleep. Perhaps you take your vitamins every day without fail. Maybe you always get your steps in. Or you avoid processed sugars…What one thing do you consistently do well? CELEBRATE THAT!!! Every single day. Remind yourself of that success. We often get so caught up in the failures that we forget about our successes.
Category 2: What is something you do okay at? Maybe you don’t master it EVERY DAY, but most days? Or you get ALMOST to your goal. Maybe you drink a good amount of water, but you add crystal light to it. Maybe you drink less coffee than you used to. Or still drink the same amount, but not from Starbucks every day now. Maybe you get 80% of your steps in. Or perhaps you workout 2 or 3 days per week. Maybe you eat PRETTY well like you do well up until dinner time. What is that one thing that maybe needs SOME work…but isn’t a total train wreck?
Category 3: Fall off the wagon, burnt to the ground, really really not going well…What is that one thing that feels hopeless? You’ve tried and tried and tried but you just cannot seem to get a handle on it. Maybe you NEVER drink water. Perhaps you do zero movement. Or maybe that sugar monkey is in full control every single day. What is that one thing that needs the MOST work? Write it down.
Now, look at these 3 categories. Celebrate category 1!!!! You are doing something awesome. You are moving forward and succeeding – that feels good!!!!!
Take category 2, and pick ONE thing that you are going to try to put a bit of extra focus on and move it into category 1. Maybe it’s those 8000 steps…you’re going to aim for 10 000. It’s not a huge leap…you can do it!!!! Or perhaps you can add in ONE more glass of water. Maybe get in ONE extra workout per week…or push harder in the ones you do. Turn that category 2 into a 1!!!! And then CELEBRATE!!!!
Now let’s look at Category 3. Going from a 3 to a 1…seems IMPOSSIBLE. But what about moving from a 3 to a 2…Perhaps we try to avoid processed sugar until dinner time. Let’s start there. Or maybe you aim to just get in TWO glasses of water a day…perhaps you move that Starbucks latte into a made-at-home latte. What is that one SMALL change that you can make to move that #3 into a #2?
THIS is how changes happen. Baby steps. Small things. One at a time. CELEBRATE! Once you MASTER one thing…you move to the next. Don’t bite off more than you can chew…bariatric bites. 😉
I promise this works. It makes it all seem more manageable and seeing and CELEBRATING your successes will keep you motivated to move forward.
Make the lists…for real.
You can do this!
Cheers,
Christina
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