I see it all the time…
People looking to lose unwanted body fat jump from one weight loss “tactic” to another.
Often times these tactics involve the latest diet craze or fad.
When one doesn’t work after a few days of using it then they jump to the next tactic – then the next.
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Sound familiar?
One problem with this approach is that they never establish a weight loss foundation – a platform, so to speak, from which they can launch a successful weight loss strategy – one that will not only work over time, but one they will be able to stick to for life.
The solution is simple. Simply put in a little time and effort to build the proper foundation using my 5 step strategy below.
Do these 5 things to lose weight BEFORE you even go on a diet.
How to Build a Weight Loss Foundation
1. Focus On Getting Started, Not Finishing
It’s often recommended that you visualize your desired outcome when working towards a goal. In the case of weight loss, you may visualize yourself fitting back into the jeans you wore in high school or finishing a 5K.
But sometimes this visual can be daunting and leave you paralyzed without making any progress.
Simply getting started working towards your goals can be the most difficult part of the process.
Can you relate?
Instead of focusing on the 10, 20, 30+ pounds you have to lose and being daunted by the task, just start doing small things that will get you closer to overall success.
Doing simple things such as cutting out bread, starting to workout with weights and get rid of all the junk in your house are great places to start.
Once you do enough of these things they will begin to add up and snowball. Before you know it you will be picking up momentum and the goal of losing so much weight won’t feel as daunting.
Take Action: Just do something, no matter how small, right now to get you started working towards your goal.
2. Progress, Not Perfection
Not only can the simple act of getting started paralyze you, but the thought of doing everything perfectly can also stop you dead in your tracks.
Have you ever considered starting a new diet but then realize you have a social gathering a few days away so you put off starting until after the event?
If yes, then you know what I mean.
However, having this kind of mindset needlessly wastes valuable time you could be using to move closer to achieving your weight loss goals.
You see, to lose weight you don’t have to be perfect.
You do have to make some serious lifestyle changes but being perfect at everything you do isn’t one of them.
If you focus on eating real food and being active every single day you can afford to attend a party and indulge a little bit.
You don’t have to completely avoid your favorite foods all together. You just have to avoid them enough to see the needle on your bathroom scale move down.
Having this mindset will allow you to keep moving forward and working towards your weight loss goals.
Take Action: Focus on progress not perfection when it comes to losing weight.
3. Control Negative Self Talk
Admittedly, I have a very loud voice in my head telling me I suck and that I will fail.
I’ve never really admitted that to anyone, people think I am very strong and confident. And really, I am those things.
But I hear my own voice telling me otherwise, especially when I have a lofty goal set for myself.
I’ve tried and tried over the years to make that voice completely go away, to no avail. So I’ve had to learn to minimize her voice and not listen to what she says.
What’s your negative voice in your head telling you?
- That you don’t deserve to be lean and healthy?
- That you don’t have the will power to stick to new, healthy habits?
- That you could never get back into the jeans you wore in high school?
You MUST figure out a way to ignore this voice like I did.
The best way I’ve found to accomplish this is to simply take action and do the work necessary to meet your weight loss goals.
Take Action: Ignore the resistance in your head in the form of self sabotaging thoughts by taking massive action towards your goals.
4. Social Support
Social support is what you get when you surround yourself with people who will help motivate you and hold you accountable.
There are a few ways you can go about enlisting social support:
First, get a workout buddy. This works great when it is a friend who you can schedule workouts with throughout the week. This can be a great time to catch up and spend time together while motivating each other to keep working hard.
The best part is that it is very hard to cancel on your friend if you don’t have a good excuse.
Second, you must get the support of your spouse and everyone else who you live with.
For example, if you’re going to start eating a real food diet then you must make sure that your husband and your children help keep processed and other fake foods out of the house.
There’s nothing worse that your significant other housing a bowl of your favorite ice cream every night while you suffer watching them.
Third, you could hire a Personal Trainer at your local gym or find an online weight loss coach you can check in with regularly. They could also provide you with an effective weight loss strategy if you don’t have one for yourself.
No man or woman is an island and we do occasionally need a little extra help. So make sure to take advantage.
Take Action: Find a workout buddy and/or weight loss coach and make sure everyone in your house supports your weight loss efforts.
5. Know Your “Powerful Why”
Your powerful why is what I call your ultimate reason for wanting to lose weight and reclaim your health.
You need a really powerful reason WHY you want to lose weight.
It has to be something so motivating that you won’t let ANY obstacle stand in your way of achieving it.
Otherwise, no external motivation in the world can kick you in the behind enough to meet the goal if it really isn’t what you want to do.
Although I saved this step for last I believe knowing your “why” is THE single most important step you can take when trying to lose your unwanted body fat.
Period.
The problem is, most people have no idea how to discover what their powerful why really is. In fact, many of my weight loss clients *think* they know what it is but come soon to realize they were way off.
To help you discover YOUR powerful why, I developed a step by step strategy you can grab for FREE here. http://bit.ly/1dL8yhr
Action item: Discover your why – your passionate reason to lose weight, improve your health and feel better that you can be passionate about.
Wrapping Things Up
Using my 5 step strategy above for developing your weight loss foundation is the key to our long term weight loss success – even before you go on a diet.
In particular, discovering your “powerful why” can single handedly keep you motivated enough to start your journey and provide you with the will power to overcome any obstacles that might get in your way.
Feel free to leave any questions you have in the comments below and I will be happy to answer them for you.
This article was written by Susan Campbell who is a #1 best-selling fitness Author and the Founder of the WeightLossLaboratory.com, where people go to discover her unconventional strategy to losing weight permanently, based on scientific research and self-experimentation.
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Jessica says
I’m always afraid to start trying green smoothies because I’m worried I’ll hate them. I’ve been using a pretty good (clean) green powder for a couple months now with fruit smoothies in the mornings. I got used to the taste of that, but haven’t really seen much benefit otherwise.
I have a Ninja blender (the auto iq one) and I’m also worried the “real” greens won’t blend up as well.
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