Enjoy the Ride! How to have fun on your weight loss journey

Mindset

Apr 21

Keeping weight off is a lifelong process. If you loath how you’re going about it you’re never going to keep the fat off, because there’s no way you’ll keep doing “the things” you did to lose it.

Even if you could pull off a lifetime of doing things you don’t like to do, who would want to?! That sounds terrible.

We’ve gotta transition into new habits that are enjoyable, bring us a sense of satisfaction, and that fit into our life.

We’ve also gotta find a way to be happy and content with who we are while we’re losing the weight.

But how in the world can we be appreciative of where we are when we still have progress to make? It’s such a paradox to find this balance. And it doesn’t come naturally. But you can get there. It won’t happen right away, but with a little effort you can move from someone who:

>>> hates her body

>>> hates dieting

>>> hates working out

To someone who:

>>> enjoys making improvements to her body while still loving who she is now

>>> finds a way of eating that helps her hit her goals and is enjoyable

>>> has developed consistent exercise habits to have a strong body (and has a good time doing it)

Sound like a fairy tale?

I thought so too! For real.

I was such a junk food junkie and I didn’t really enjoy working out. Oh heck, if I’m being honest I even LOVED to smoke and have a weekly binge drinking fest. I mean, if smoking were healthy I’d probably still do it.

So, if I can get to a place where I LOVE making my body better, ANYONE can!

No more…

>>> yo-yo dieting

>>> doing exercise to punish ourselves for “eating bad”

>>> starving after a binge

>>> completely ignoring our food choices and wishing for a better body

These things will not do!

7 Ways to start enjoying your weight loss journey

#1 - Have Realistic Expectations

Nothing will take the wind out of your sails faster than things not going how you expect them to!

Have you ever went to see a movie that everyone was raving about, only to walk out thinking “Ah, that was OK. I don’t know why everyone’s making such a fuss about it”?

Overhype! When we expect something to be magical...a movie, a vacation, your wedding day, whatever the thing is…

if you build it up in your mind, the reality of it will hardly ever live up to your expectation. And then we feel disappointed. And disappointment often leads to quitting.

Here’s how this plays out for weight loss. We eat healthy for a few days and when our clothes don’t fit any different, we think it’s not working, and we stop doing it.

Or, we lose some weight but we don’t look like a fitness model so we’re never happy with what we have. Which leads to feeling unsatisfied and often leads to quitting, even though we might be on a great path.

I have seen women who are making truly fantastic progress QUIT altogether because it’s not happening the way they think it should, and in their mind, that equates to it not working at all.

If our idea of what it will take to hit that goal does not match up with our expectations, this can be a huge disappointment. Going into it thinking things will be super easy, that we will never have to get uncomfortable, or that we’ll never have a setback is a recipe for disappointment.

Truths about weight loss:

>>> It takes time - be patient

One thing that helps with this is to shift your focus towards building a strong and healthy body, even if you do have weight to lose. This way, if the weight is coming off slower than you would like, you’re still happy with the changes you’re making because they’re making you healthier, which is also a goal.

You’re less likely to view your actions as a “waste of time” because the scale doesn’t land where you want it as fast as you want it!

>>> You have to learn new habits

Learning new habits isn’t easy, or everyone would be doing. But it is doable. There is a ton of free information out there on habit-forming and habit stacking. The key is to go slow and be consistent. Hire a coach if needed.

>>> How strict you have to be will depend on how lean you want to get and where you’re starting point is

If you have a lot of weight to lose and you currently eat the Standard American Diet, you will probably lose weight just by switching to a whole food diet. You may NEVER have to count a thing! Just switching to whole foods will help correct some of the overeating, nutritional deficiencies, and will naturally cut back caloric intake all without you having to do any math.

Now, if you’re already fairly lean and wanting to lose the last few vanity pounds or have some popin’ abs, you’re going to have to track. There’s no getting around it for most people. But that’s ok. If your goal is more aggressive, you’re going to have to be more aggressive. Just go into it knowing that!

>>> You need a plan, ya can’t just wing it

Like anything worth doing, weight loss requires a plan. There are a million ways to lose weight, and I always suggest you start with the end in mind so you can keep it off. No matter what strategy you implement, have a plan, evaluate how it’s going, course correct when needed, and be patient and consistent.

When you accept that it will be hard work, but that it will be worth it, you’re much more likely to succeed and to start to enjoy the process!

# 2 - Be Clear On Exactly What You Want

You’re going to have times where you’re rocking it out. Cravings are low, energy is high, you’re enjoying your workouts, and the scale is moving. But then you’ll have times where…

you’re not feeling it, cravings are high, you’re doing everything right but the scale isn’t moving!

This is where progress dies if we’re only relying on motivation. Motivation is very fickle, it’s an emotion. And it will fail. But we can’t fail just because motivation does. We have to be DEDICATED, not motivated. There’s a little more about staying consistent when motivation fails here on this blog post.

One of the key things that will keep you going when you don’t feel like it or things don’t seem to be going the way you want, and that’s knowing your “why”.

What does that mean?

Knowing what you want and knowing in detail why you even want it. Here’s how this works.

Start by writing down what you want to accomplish. Maybe it’s to lose weight, have more energy, or simply to be healthier.

Now, ask yourself why you want that thing. Then ask yourself why again, and again, and again, until you’re to the real pain point of why you truly want this thing. Let’s work through an example.

I want to lose weight.

Why?

I want to lose weight so I feel better in my clothes

Why?

I want to lose feel better in my clothes because when I go out now I spend the whole night sucking in and worrying about how I look and I’m not even focused and having fun because I’m so self-conscious all the time. I’m done feeling this way!

Ding ding ding, there’s a real why!

Write it down. Review it often. When you don’t feel like sticking to your diet “just to lose weight” you just might do it when you consider you have a date out with your girls in a few weeks and you remember that you don’t want to feel that way.

How in the world is this enjoyable?

Well, when you start, it’s not. But ya know what is enjoyable? When you start to move toward that goal. When your pants fit a little looser. When you stick to your meal plan for 5 days in a row when you usually cave at the end of the first day. When you promise yourself you’ll go on at least 4 walks this week and you keep that promise to yourself.

Nothing feels better than having some purpose and keeping promises to ourselves. And knowing your why will help you stay the course.

Write down your why!

# 3 - Celebrate Your Wins

This should really be number 1 if we’re listing them in order of priority. There’s nothing worse for our mindset than hitting a goal, and moving right onto the next goal, with no time to celebrate or reflect on a job well done.

How you choose to celebrate is up to you. If I hit my activity goals for the week, things like eating the way I wanted and getting to the gym, I just do a little happy dance. I track everything when I’m getting really serious, so seeing it all ironed out on paper and then knowing I hit it is celebration enough for me, because I’m a list gal, and hitting it feels damn good!

If I have a big goal, I love when I can line it up with an event I’m looking forward to. Confession: I love getting dressed up and feeling hot in my clothes. I mean, who doesn’t. For me, feeling great on vacation, a night out with my girls, a wedding we are attending, etc. is plenty of celebration for me.

But you decide what’s right for you! I know people who take themselves and their significant other on a little weekend get away after hitting a big goal. Or who have their favorite dessert every so often after sticking with their plan for a long time. Maybe you buy yourself something you’ve had your eyes on for awhile. It can be as simple as sending your tracker or an update to your accountability partner and getting back a motivating emoji.

It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it totally can be! There’s no right or wrong here. The possibilities are endless. But the key is to do it, and to do it at regular intervals of success, not just with the big goals!!

CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE!

It is ok to be happy with a job well done.

# 4 - Shift Your Mindset

From self-loathing and punishment to self-love and betterment

A lot of times when women start on a weight loss journey they are miserable. No energy, hating the way they look, and they’re disappointed with themselves for letting things get so out of hand. I hear it all the time, and I’ve experienced it myself.

Now, if that’s what was needed to get your feet moving on this, great. But now you’re doing it, so we’ve gotta get rid of all that self-loathing. It creates a vicious cycle of punishing yourself with your diet and exercise. It’s not fun, it’s not productive.

So how do we shift?

Start to give yourself a little grace! Like you would for a loved one that was trying to make self-improvements. You wouldn’t want them to beat themselves up about every little thing, so don’t allow yourself to do that either.

Instead of viewing your activies (diet and exercise) as ways of punishing yourself for previous bad behavior, start to think in terms of building a strong body.

Instead of thinking…

I have to go to the gym tonight because I ate this cupcake, I’m such a loser.

Think…

I’m blessed to be able to go to the gym and build a stronger body.

Instead of thinking…

Since I’ve been such a fat a@# for the past 5 years, I’m going to buckle down and just eat vegetables until I have the body I want.

Think…

I’m going to find foods I like that give my body what it wants, so I feel and look better.

Diet and exercise are not punishment!!!!!

Start to view food as something that is yes – pleasurable, (but equally important) as something that fuels this beautiful body that God gave you to do life in. Don’t punish your body or yourself. Instead, view your body as this amazing housing of the Holy Spirit and treat it kindly.

When you start to love and care for your body, the weight comes off. The details fall into place. You don’t need to do anything too extreme, and anything you do should come from a place of betterment, not punishment.

When you catch yourself in the midst of self-loathing or are tempted to punish yourself in some way, pause and practice a little gratitude. In fact, I recommend having a gratitude practice every morning to start your day. Just take a minute to reflect on or even write down a few things you’re grateful for, and one should have to do with how awesome you are!

#5 - Get Rid of Perfection

Expecting perfection from yourself along the way is unrealistic and very defeating. When we have a certain goal in mind, be it a number on the scale or an idea of how we want to look, we sometimes think that our diet and exercise routine must be 100% on point or we won’t get there.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Yes, you need to be consistent. No, you do not have to be perfect. Strive to be perfect and you will quickly burn out or become defeated with each slip-up.

When you enjoy some delicious treat that is off-plan, enjoy it! No self-loathing or beating yourself up about it. No going to the gym for punishment for that cookie.

The people who have the results you want aren’t perfectly adhering to a diet. They are consistently eating to fuel their body and exercising on a regular basis. Not an obsessive basis, a regular basis.

Striving for perfection keeps you stuck and frustrated. Live a little!

#6 - Don’t Compare

I know, I know. It’s easier said than done. You’re trying to lose weight and all you notice is everyone else’s amazing body, or how quickly your friend on Facebook is dropping weight.

Maybe you just need to do what that person is doing…

Nope! Stop right there.

Comparing your journey to someone else’s does a few messed-up things that will stall your own progress. There’s a lot of layers to this so let’s break down some different aspects and how it might negatively affect you.

>>> A different starting point

If you have 50 pounds to lose and your friend has 20 she might hit her goal before you. It doesn’t mean she “did a better job” than you did, it means you had further to go. It’s not even a similar comparison. Don’t torcher yourself by comparing your journey.

>>> A different phase of the process

You see a before and after picture on social media from some chick you went to high school with. She was super overweight, and now she looks amazing. You have been at it for a couple of months, you’re making progress, but you’re getting impatient and then you see this post and you think to yourself “why isn’t it happening like that for me?”

Stop it! This person has been at it for a lot longer. You can’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle or end, and that’s what we do all the time. We see a result or someone tells us their story and we think, “why was it so easy for them?”

We don’t always know how long it took them, how many “restarts” they had, or any other details. We just see that they have the results we want and we think they magically got there.

No, they did the work, and it was hard. Just like it will be for you.

If they did take it off super fast, don’t be so quick to adopt what they did. Many people lose weight quickly. And almost all of them put it back on, and then some!

Our culture does not have a weight loss problem, it has a keeping weight off problem. Everyone can lose it, few can keep it off.

We’re not going for fast results that quickly fade. We’re going for reasonable weight loss over time that stays off so we’re looking fly from here on out. ;-)

Don’t be quick to abandon your methods for results you think you see. You’ll never stick to anything long enough to get your own results if you’re sidetracked by everyone else’s.

>>> Everyone’s circumstances are different

Your plan has to work for your body, your schedule, and your personality.

Don’t compare what you’re doing to what everyone else is doing. Everyone else is not you!

Adopting someone else’s plan isn’t the best idea. And being impatient with your own plan because of results you see someone else getting is just a form of mental torcher.

Here’s a few examples of things that work for some people, but not for others. I’m giving you these so you can see why you need to put your horse blinders on and screw what everyone else is doing!

Intermittent fasting - can work great for some people, can cause binge eating or elevated stress in others. (Stress leads to weight gain).

Aggressive workout schedule - can get quick results, but can also lead to burnout and injury. Even some people who lose weight initially will stall or start to put weight back on if they overdo it for too long.

Ketogenic diet - works amazing for fat loss in a lot of people. But there are people who do not feel a reduction in hunger on this diet and end up gaining weight instead.

High fiber foods - in general, are super healthy and everyone should eat them. Except in people with an active inflammatory gut issue, SIBO, etc. Then, fiber is a nightmare.

Your workout plan needs to fit your busy schedule, or you won’t be able to make it work.

Your food needs to be enjoyable and not require more prep time than what you have. It needs to work for your unique body.

Get a plan that works FOR YOU, then put your horse blinders on.

If you need help putting together a plan, hire someone to help you. You can see how my weight loss Academy works here, or find a different coach that resonates with you. This is a service many people offer now, and it’s invaluable for those who are serious about keeping weight off.

# 7 - Get an accountability partner

Having a friend to cheer you on and hold your feet to the fire makes a HUGE difference in hitting your goals.

Accountability is one the most predictive factors of success. I see different statistics quoted all the time, so I’m not even going to take a guess. But let’s just say it truly does make a difference.

But where do we find these accountability partners?

Well, there are a lot of places, but the key is to find someone who won’t put up with your crap! You know the friends who tell you everything you want to hear? They aren’t the best to go to for real-life advice, and they definitely don’t make good accountability partners.

Go find that friend that’ll tell ya when your outfit looks stupid. She’s the woman for this job! If you’ve got a friend like that, and they’ve got a health goal too, that makes the best partner.

You can also find some support and accountability as you make friends in group fitness classes, plan some meet-up groups, or (not to beat a dead horse) when you hire a coach.

There are many options, but ya need a ride-or-die partner on this to make it fun and keep you going through the rough patches. (You will hit a rough patch, or 6. Plan for it.)