Creating Better Habits for Weight Loss

If you're like the majority of the population out there, you've gone through some struggles with weight loss and sustaining your results.  
Maybe you tried a new diet or dove headfirst into a new workout routine and then you got tired of it, or fell off track and then reverted back to your old habits.  Any weight you had lost returned and you feel the cycle start over again.
Frustrating, I know and I get it.  Sustainable weight loss or habits changing can feel like it's so far away and every time you try, you just go back to what you know as normal.

The truth is, to see longterm results, like real life-changing results, you need to change your life.  
What does that mean?  Must you lose your life completely, adopt a new identity, with new friends in a new town just to stick to longterm weight loss?  No.
But you need to accept that to keep up with your results for good, you will have to change your habits and create a new normal for yourself.  For example, if your daily habits involve watching TV the majority of the evening and you struggle with cooking at home, it can be hard to change those habits to new ones when all you've ever done in the evenings is to watch TV and order in.  

You don't necessarily need to change everything about your daily routine all at once.  Generally speaking, when people change too many habits too quickly, it's hard to adhere to those changes permanently.  To be more successful, you can focus on some small, and doable changes that can add up to a larger impact.  For example, if you tend to sit on the couch and watch TV during the evenings, you could go for a walk as soon as you get home.  If you know once you hit the couch you won't get back up, go for a walk as soon as you get home.  Or if you can't miss your show, watch TV while walking on the treadmill.  Something as simple as that can easily be incorporated into your daily routine without feeling like you're making too big of a sacrifice.

Focusing on making permanent, yet attainable changes to your daily habits helps you focus more on longevity and stability rather than just focusing on the end goal of "I want to lose 50lbs!".  

Here is how you do it!

1. Set yourself some goals that are specific and measurable.  For a simple example, eating 3 servings of vegetables or fruit in a day is much more specific than saying, "eat more veggies".  Another goal could be movement or activity for at least 30 minutes a day or aiming to get 10,000 steps each day.  These are not only attainable but much more to the point than saying "be more active".
2. Once you make yourself one or two small goals, give yourself 30 days to stick to that plan. Why?  Because giving yourself a timeline to achieve that goal can make you more motivated to make it a daily habit!  Mark 30 days on a calendar and set yourself daily reminders for 30 days to start whatever new habit you've decided to do.  And each day, take action towards that plan!  Once the 30 days are over, and you've realized that yes, you can do this, you will feel so much more motivated to take action towards another positive habit to work towards your goal!
3. Create an accountability system, whatever that may be.  Some are very motivated by social interaction, so a buddy system or a group of friends who hold each other accountable.  Tell your friends and family what your goals are.  Social media can be a good tool to use, document your 30-day journey if you feel like that will help.  Daily journaling or a calendar where you mark off each day that you attain your goal.  Be creative!
4. Consistency is key!  If you are on track or achieve your goal of 10,000 steps for 25 out of the 30 days, did you fail? No, in fact, that is 25 days of consistency that you achieved when before it would've been maybe 5 days out of 30!  Focus on being consistent rather than perfect.
5.  Be patient with yourself.  We are of course in the process of changing your life, and that means you've gotta be patient with yourself.  If you slip and go off track, your options are to a) give up or b) get back on track!  That's it, so be patient with yourself and be aware that results take time!

I hope that you find these tips helpful in creating and sustaining habits.  There are hundreds of tips on how to create and stick to habits for weight loss or any other goal, but for the sake of simplicity, I shortened it down to 5.

Do you have some goals you'd like to set and want to try the 30-day method?  Send me an email at jackie@fitlikeagirl.ca with "30 Days Calendar" in the subject line and I'll send you my 30 Days Daily Habits Calendar.  Totally free and no strings attached! I just want to help you be the best you can be!

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