It's no wonder everyone has such a different idea in mind of how to lose weight. With the amount of information that hits us each day - the endless overload we face from 'experts' both in the media, and in the office or home, it's no wonder many people end up giving up in despair.
It's just too confusing.
Did you know that if you followed the combined advice of the top 5 diet books of the last decade, you would pretty much starve to death. That's just diet - what about training? Is it true that cardio is the best way to lose fat? A myth according to many experts. Yet just as many again insist you need cardio training daily to get results. But how much?
Here's the advice found after randomly flicking through a couple of magazines:
- Half hour 3 x per week
- 10 minutes 3 x per day
- minimum of 40 minutes daily
- Heart rate must be around 60% of your Max HR
- Heart rate must be over 80% of your Max HR
AUUUGHHHH! Is anyone else going crazy trying to follow mainstream weight loss advice? Even my head is spinning, and I am one of the 'experts'!
It's hard not to get sucked in by the latest trends and fads, particularly when each glows with testimonials and the promise of success.
Maybe this will be the one, you think to yourself.
Well I've had enough. Do you want to know The Secret of weight loss? When you cut through the crap, there are really only a few simple steps that anybody can apply ...
The Secret
1. Know thyself
2. Focus on the big picture
3. Attack the problem from all angles
4. Be consistent
Sound too airy fairy for you? Let's have a look at how applying these four steps can truly transform your body ..
Know thyself
This has absolutely nothing to do with what you physically need to do in order to lose weight, yet without it you have no chance of success. If you don't understand your 'underlying motivation' for wanting to lose weight, chances are you will not stay focused on the outcome and will allow how you feel on a given day to govern your actions.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Why do I want to lose weight? So I can feel comfortable on the beach this Summer
- Why is that important to me? Because I don't feel comfortable at the moment
- How do I mean? My self-confidence is not as good as I'd like it to be
- And why is that important? Because self-confidence will make me feel happier and more in control of my life
We call this process 'peeling the onion'. Maybe you've heard the expression - it's a bit corny, but it puts the right picture in mind, doesn't it? The idea is to really dig down beneath the layers and understand what is driving you.
Of course, you still have a bit of work to do from here! Why don't you start by learning to ...
Focus on the big picture
Rome wasn't built in a day. It's great to set a long-term goal, such as wanting to lose 10 cm off your waist in 3 months, but the kickback is that it can be disappointing when you don't see significant results immediately. This is one of the top reasons that people fail in their weight loss goals - they give up too soon.
I've found that it helps people stay on track, and feel good about themselves, when they set goals that can be achieved in a fortnight, a week, or even a day.
This could be something as simple as replacing your afternoon coffee and muffin with a piece of fruit and peppermint tea. Or doing 10 minutes exercise at home if you are having a 'non-gym day'.
Celebrate these 'small wins' regularly, and every time you meet a daily promise to yourself, remind yourself how you just took another step toward achieving your 'big goal', and how every time you continue to meet those daily promises, you are effectively guaranteeing your success in the long-term.
Attack the problem from all angles
Are you great at getting to the gym 3 or more times per week, but can't resist the lure of the cookie jar when you're back at work? Or perhaps you have a perfectly regimented eating routine, always bring a healthy lunch from home, but somehow keep justifying skipping those after-work training sessions. Maybe you're great at writing about, picturing or visualising your success; you truly believe that you can achieve your goals, but keep forgetting that you'll actually have to make some sacrifices to get there.
I'll get to the point.
It's not about a great training routine. I've seen people who train for over 2 hours a day and don't get results.
It's not about diet. I bet you know someone who seems to just about live on salad and dry cereal and is still overweight.
It's not about visualisation or the law of attraction. Sitting at home telling yourself that your new, slim body is on it's way certainly might make you feel good for a few minutes, but it won't shed the layers.
Guess what?
Put it all together, and you have a recipe for success. Try to do one, or even two out of the three, and I'd bet money that you won't lose the weight you want to lose.
Be consistent
This is perhaps the most important 'weight loss secret' of all. If there's one thing I can see that has separated the success stories from the 'it must be bad genetics' stories, it's the difference between those who are consistent with their weight loss plan, and those who only follow the plan when it's convenient.
Often those in this latter group even have really good excuses.
'I had to work late, I didn't have a choice'
'I left work too late to shop, so I couldn't prepare a healthy dinner/ prepare my lunch for the next day'
'I felt sick'
'I had my period'
'I was too busy'
'I'm just not a morning person'
The thing is, you can always find an excuse if you aren't 100% committed to your plan. Those who succeed are the ones who make it happen no matter what.
It's just part of their day, part of who they are.
For these people, exercise is not something that they do when they have time and/or feel like it. It's just a given.
Is this you?
Do you want it to be you?
Or are you destined to be one of those who has to constantly battle and re-motivate themselves to get to the gym, eat well, think positively? I promise you, the more frequently you give yourself a few days off, the harder you're making it. All that extra energy expended just on convincing yourself to get back on track! What a waste! Create a daily habit of moving your body, eating well at least 80% of the time, and feeding your mind wirth positivity regardless of what's going on around you.
Follow these four steps daily, and I promise that the chase for success will end.
Success will find you. Enjoy it - you deserve it.
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