There’s two times of the year when we hear the most about diets and weight loss: New Year’s, when everyone is setting their resolutions, and summer, when everyone wants to look good in their bathing suits for beach season.
So many people have failed on diets in the past, but that doesn’t mean you should lose all hope and stop trying. But because of these past failures, people become so discouraged and don’t even know where to begin again.
Here are five things you can do today to start your new journey on the road to a better body, increased vitality and overall better health.
5 Steps to Weight Loss
1. Forgive yourself
I know you feel bad that you’ve been unable to reach your weight loss goals. Let it go. Stop wallowing in self-pity because it’s a waste of time. Forgive yourself for being sloppy and begin resolving the issue.
One difference between winners and losers in life is that losers focus on the past and winners focus on the present and future. Today you’re in a fight and moving toward a better tomorrow. Stop beating yourself up and begin focusing on becoming fit.
2. Become committed
At its root, dieting is a battle of wills. It’s you against yourself, the ultimate contest. It’s the old you who wants to keep the comfortable eating habits versus the new you who is struggling to emerge and give birth to a more healthful way of living. The new you has a chance if you begin strong with some early weight-loss results that motivate you to keep fighting. It all boils down to commitment, and how much you want to be fit.
There’s no way to sugar-coat this: you’re either one hundred percent committed or you’re going to lose the struggle. Until you make a serious, full-blown commitment, you will always struggle with your weight.
3. Stop making excuses
There’s no excuse for your weight loss failures. It’s a combination of laziness, failure to prepare, lack of exercise, poor food choices, emotional eating, and a host of other self-induced habitual behaviors. All the excuses we hear on TV about addictive foods, cortisol, the evil food manufacturers, and all the other excuses are irrelevant.
Don’t waste your time making excuses because none are available. So you’re fat, so what? So are 1.4 billion other people in the world. Now it’s time to resolve the issue. Grow up emotionally, toughen up and fix it.
4. Embrace change
Most people resist changing their habits. In order to be successful in your weight loss journey, you need to embrace change. Stop resisting and start embracing because once you do, the process is much easier. The struggle for habit change lies in your best interest, so why not embrace the change and welcome the new eating and exercising habits?
Become excited about these positive, life-affirming, and healthful changes. Embrace the exciting changes and you’ll make the journey more comfortable and satisfactory.
5. Program yourself for success
Most of us have been taking advice from well-intentioned people doling out egregious information. Your programming is your responsibility, and it needs to be a reflection of the success you want to achieve. Bombarding your mind with positive messages of hope, inspiration, and motivation is a starting point. Another strategy is listening only to people with uplifting ideas that move you closer to your goals.
Reprogramming yourself for success requires time, but it works and is worth the effort for every area of your life where performance is important, especially for losing weight and getting healthy.
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Steve Siebold is the author of Fat Loser! Mental Toughness Training for Dieters. Download five free chapters at Fatloser.com.
Featured photo by Roberto