Every New Year rolls around and people around the world take the time out to pick one or two things in their lives that they want to change, resolve that they will “really work on it this year” and then promptly forget their resolutions and go back to the same old things they were doing the previous year. One of the most common resolutions is to “lose weight” or “get into shape”. It’s no wonder why, our health is the most important thing we have, so it makes sense that we all want to live healthier lives. But if it’s so important, why do so many of us fail to make the needed changes in our lives? We’ll here’s a look at some of the most common weight loss fails and why trying just another diet will more than likely wont work. More importantly though here are some tips on how you can over come them to make sure you are a success on your journey along the road to fit.
Weight Loss Fail #1 – Changing Everything At Once
When we decide to start losing weight or get healthy we, as humans, really have a tendency to over do things. We suddenly decide that after Jan 1 (or any other “start day”) we will never eat “anything that tastes good if it has any fat or sugar in it or could be construed as unhealthy” then we starve ourselves, and replace all the foods we love with foods we hate and then are shocked that we fall off the wagon after a week or two. Well it’s no wonder we fail. People in general aren’t very good at change, so changing everything at once is why over 40% of people quite their new years resolutions after the first 2 weeks. Success tip #1: If you want to successfully change the way you work out and eat, go into it gradually. Start off with a healthy eating plan for week 1 & 2, then after you’ve adjusted to eating healthy, add in the exercise at a very slow rate, then increase it’s intensity each week. Sure this will take longer, but you’ll be successful in achieving what you really want, a lifestyle change
Weight Loss Fail #2 – Wanting Immediate Results.
In today’s environment of instant gratification and results, we have a tendency to get very frustrated and give up when things don’t go our way fast enough. This is true whether your fitness goal is to lose 30 pounds, to run a half marathon, or just tone up. We somehow think that we can erase a lifetime of bad habits with just a couple weeks at the gym, and by skipping a few donuts. Success Tip #2 – In order to combat this you have to do two things simultaneously. 1. Set realistic goals and understand that you won’t really see great results unless you’ve committed to at least 60 – 90 days of change. Then make sure you are not falling into fail #3.
Weight Loss Fail #3 – Focusing on the Wrong Results
While we all typically make fitness goals for a reason like “looking great in my summer swimsuit”, “wanting to be buff” or even “to lose 30 pounds” vanity and appearances alone are not significant enough motivators for us. On top of that, the number on the scale or your current pant size really isn’t an effective measure of anything. Success Tip #3 - When you are focusing on making a lifestyle change to improve your health, you need to focus on victories and results that really matter. These results should give you the fuel and motivation to keep going while your body reshapes itself. Focus on goals like finishing 30 days of a workout video, learning how to run (or walk) a 5K, lowering my blood pressure to avoid another heart attack, or living longer to spend more time with my family. When your fitness goals are about more than just looks and how much you weigh, they become a lot more valuable to you.
Weight Loss Fail #4 – Going it Alone
One of the hardest things to do in life is go it alone. Whether you’re just completing day to day tasks or trying to learn something new, it’s been proven that it’s easier and people are more successful when they do it in groups? Why? There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, a group of people trying to achieve something will motivate each team member to contribute and try harder. Secondly, when you have those days you don’t feel like contributing, the other members of your group are there to hold you accountable. Success Tip #4 – Make your health and fitness goals part of a larger team goal. Whether you do it with your family, friends, people from the office, or an online community; a team will help you get there.
Weight Loss Fail #5 – All or Nothing
This is one of my biggest challenges when I set a goal for myself, and I find it’s true for many people. We set a goal and then feel like a complete failure the first time we fall off the wagon, or don’t reach our goal. Taking the all or nothing approach to changing your lifestyle is all but impossible. It’s not realistic to go from couch potato to marathon runner in 30 days, and you’re not going to lose 10 pounds in a week either. Success tip #5 – In order to combat this it’s important to set mini goals. For example, you may want to set a weekly workout goal and then extend it by 5 minutes each week. Or you may want to get better at a specific exercise like planking or squats. If you have a weight loss goal like losing 20 pounds, set mini goals like losing the first 5. Then when you d0, reward yourself for completing that small goal, to keep you motivated for the big one.
Weight Loss Fail #6 – Not Having a Plan
Many of us set fitness goals that sound great on paper, but have no real meat on their bones. Saying I want to eat healthier is a nice sentiment, but doesn’t have any specifics behind it. This allows us to fail, by not giving us enough actionable behaviors to follow. You wouldn’t start a road trip by saying I want to drive to Alaska, then not get directions right? Then why would you decide to lose 30 pounds, or tone up, and then start the year without a specific plan? Success Tip #6 – Find a diet or fitness plan that you like and follow it! If you become part of a system or plan, all the steps are outlined for you, so it makes it easier for you to “plug in” and follow the steps, as opposed to just trying to figure it out on your own.
With all that being said, we wanted to introduce you to, and give you a free sample of , a system that we have been using that has helped us lose a combined 45 pounds over the last 90-days in addition to helping us accomplish fitness goals and improving our overall health. We’ve been using the ViSalus 90-Day Challenge and our results have been wonderful. Because you are combining meal replacements with your own snacks and meals you aren’t changing everything at once and you still get to have your favorite foods (in moderation).
You’ll have a specific plan to stick to which will allow you to get results, while also have access to a tracking and planning system to set mini goals and get great rewards for accomplishments, like getting a free shirt and entering to win $1000 for losing 10 pounds (every time you lose 10 pounds)! Because the 90-Day Challenge is designed to help you change the way you eat, it gives you a meal plan to follow, that’s healthier and more affordable than what you are currently spending on the food you are eating. On top of the meal replacement system, the 90-day Challenge also gives you access to an online support community, the ability to help those around you join the challenge, and best of all even earn your own challenge kit for free!
You also have the option of promoting the Challenge yourself once you start seeing results so you can earn the cash to buy your products and make some extra reward money.
