Many of the people that I know who have been able to lose weight and keep it off, are people that were able to figure out how they gained weight in the first place. Key: You need to figure out the root cause and work to eliminate it from your life. The only way you can do that is to be honest with yourself. If you lie or make excuses for yourself, you will only be allowing this problem to continue to exist and you will never accomplish your weight loss goals.
As a personal trainer I do my best to make my client’s fitness goals my personal goals. It is always my goal to give each client the information and guidance that is necessary to help them be successful. But at the end of the day, they are the ones that have to apply the tools that I give them. I can’t cook their meals; I can’t decide what they should or shouldn’t eat for the rest of their life. Key: The only one that can make the tough decisions day in and day out is you. No one can do it for you, no matter how much they charge per hour. A trainer is only as good as the clients they work with. It’s true that we can motivate you, analyze your nutrition, hold you accountable, and provide you proper instruction regarding exercise technique and everything else that comes with it. Heck we can tell you what to do and when to do it for every day of your life! But we can’t do it for you. You have to want your goals – I mean really want to lose that weight or it’s not going to happen.
Your attitude will be a factor in whether you achieve your goals. It is your attitude that will allow you to be patient or not. Key: If your attitude is not positive it’s doubtful that your results will be positive. You need to have a positive outlook on the entire process and most importantly you have to believe that you WILL accomplish your goals. Try to eliminate any form of negative reinforcement. We are all our own worst critics and that is fine when you’re trying to determine your cause of weight gain. But once you’ve done that you need to become your own best friend. By that I mean that you need to avoid putting yourself down, calling yourself names or trying to motivate yourself with any other negative words or thoughts. It could be as simple as telling yourself good job after a cardio session or eating a good meal, just as long as you’re backing yourself up mentally and emotionally. This might seem silly or unimportant but giving yourself plenty of positive reinforcement is crucial in helping you accomplish your weight loss goals.
Let’s face it losing weight isn’t easy, if it were we would have a fitness epidemic on our hands instead of our diabetes epidemic. Losing weight and keeping it off is something many people struggle to attempt and very few accomplish. I’m not telling you this to discourage you, I’m telling you this so you are forewarned. Key: Realizing that this battle will not be easy will help you to know what to expect and allow you to prepare for the obstacles that will try to get in your way. You will have ups and downs, physically and emotionally. But you need to have what it takes to brush them aside and keep pushing on. Being overweight is similar in part to having an addiction to a drug. Trying to lose weight can be a lot like trying to quit smoking or drinking. You may go through withdrawals and crave your old comfort foods or convince yourself that exercise has no benefit. However it happens, there may be times when you will look for any excuse to quit trying, to quit eating healthy, to quit exercising, to quit pursuing a healthier lifestyle. Key: In order for this program to work you need to commit to it. You can’t allow yourself to hijack your weight loss endeavor.
How is that for something you don’t see for sale on one of those infomercials? Today everything is instant; TV fitness wizards promise to give you “ripped abs” in as little as 4 weeks… Or even better, just take this pill and it will all magically go away. We want what we want and we want it now. That’s fine as long as what you want is a boatload of disappointment or BS. Key: The truth is – true, permanent, healthy weight loss takes time and that takes patience. Let’s suppose for a second that one of these quick fixes actually works and you lose your desired amount of weight. That would be great right? Except for the fact that this quick fix never really fixed your problem. The quick fixes never fix the cause of your problem, they just give you more justification for not confronting it and getting rid of it. “You don’t have to exercise or change your diet, sit around all day and eat whatever you want, all you have to do is take my magic pill or use my magic machine.” If it sounds too good to be true than it probably is. Key: Don’t let people use your impatience or desperation as a way to get you to buy their bull. Understand that doing it right takes time. I have seen people drop weight quickly only to put it back on and then some. But I’ve also seen people who lose weight slowly and commit whole heartedly to the fact that doing it right takes time and those that can accept that fact are the ones that will experience permanent weight loss. Continue reading →