Have you ever taken an honest attempt at losing weight, and find yourself frustrated, discouraged and down?
Maybe you’ve tried the new fad diet your coworker raves about. You heard and saw what great success they had, and thought “Hey, if it worked for them, it’ll probably work for me!”. You went to the store, got everything you needed, and kicked off Monday morning ready to pursue the body you deserve!
But after a short while, what happened? You attended some social gatherings and slipped. You went back to your old habits, or found the new way of eating too restrictively. Maybe you gave up, or maybe you got some results and yo-yo’d back to where you started.
We’ve all been there- myself included! And what I want to share with you today are the 3 top trends of people who have been successful losing weight and taking back control of their behaviors.
What I’m about to share with you has been studied by The National Weight Control Registry, and I’ve seen myself coaching thousands of clients individually. The ongoing study has followed tens of thousands of participants in their quest to lose anywhere from 30 to 300lbs!
As the old saying goes, “success leaves clues”, and that’s exactly what we’re going to discover right now!
#1) Track Your Behavior
The number one trend of those who are successful in losing weight, is they track their behavior. It’s that simple. Why is this so effective, because it builds awareness.
It’s extremely easy in the moment to say to yourself “Oh, it’s no big deal, it’s just this once” or “it’s just a cookie!” and so on. Those little exceptions pass by in an instant and we’re unaware of how often they actually occur.
By taking the time to track, we raise our level of awareness and better understand what patterns we exhibit. For instance, maybe your breakfast and lunch routine is spot on, but dinners are where you go overboard. Maybe you snack throughout the day and don’t realize it because you’re so busy!
Whatever your pattern is, you first have to identify it and that’s why tracking is the key! There are so many apps, wearables, and tools out there today that make tracking simple. There’s no right or wrong! Experiment, and find the method that works for you!
#2) Have A Plan
The second trend of those who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off – they have a plan.
Planning ahead can help ensure that you have the right foods at the right times when you actually need them.
How many times have you been stuck late at the office, or are driving home exhausted and hungry and decide to pull over for fast food for the sake of convenience? Oftentimes, this happens even though we have good food waiting for us at home!
By creating a plan for yourself, you’ll be able to put your mind at ease and satisfy your hunger in a healthy way.
A plan can come in all forms! Perhaps you meal prep in bulk so you’ve got all your meals for the week. Maybe you sign up with a meal prep company and have your food delivered to your door. You could also map out which restaurants have the healthy food you want, and only allow yourself to order from there when you have to. Your only limit is your imagination!
#3) Get A Coach or Accountability Partner
The third most successful trend is to get a coach or accountability partner. Pursuing a goal is much easier when you have someone to guide you or someone to help keep you on the right path.
Working with a coach who knows what to do and will provide you the appropriate tools and strategies can literally change the course of your life. Be sure when looking for a coach you ask them about who they help and how they help them. It’s okay to interview them and make sure they’ll be a good fit for you.
If the cost of a coach is too much right now, that’s okay! Find a close friend or family member and ask them to be your accountability partner. Try checking in with them at a consistent interval. Once every other day or even once per week is a great start! Knowing that you have to report into someone and be honest about your behavior can be incredible motivation to stay on the straight and narrow.
Conclusion
By employing these three simple strategies you can have a tremendous impact on your behaviors. Each one can be powerful by itself, and influence your patterns beyond eating.
My suggestion is to pick one, and give it an honest try for at least a week. Make an effort to stick with it, and see what comes up for you. You might find more out about yourself than you thought.
Once that week is up, rotate to the next one! Utilizing any one of these strategies can be a gamechanger. Over time if you can combine them, you’ll be able to have a profound impact on your behavior and the future of your health!
