Have you ever started a workout program or new diet, swear you're doing everything right, then after 2 weeks ask yourself, "Is this working?" You wonder why you haven't seen the magical results that you had expected in your imagination and when that's going to happen.
3 days later you are nowhere closer to your 25 lb weight loss goal and you think to yourself, this isn't working and you quit. You see your friend Tracey posting about her new diet and think, I should try that, maybe that will work. So you do the new diet because it's totally different than the last one, try it for 2 weeks, not see any immediate results, get discouraged, quit! Rinse and repeat for the next 10 years or more!
You wonder why nothing seems to be working although you swear on your life you've tried everything and you're doing everything perfectly. You start to convince yourself something is wrong with you. Maybe your metabolism is broken? Maybe it's the glutens? Maybe it's your hormones? Maybe you're not doing the right workouts? Maybe you should try another new diet?
I can tell you right now, it's not any of the above things. In fact, I can almost guarantee that its something completely different you haven't thought about yet.
You haven't been consistent or patient enough.
Listen, your results are going to take longer than you expect. You won't see magical results 3 weeks into your new diet. And if you do, I can guarantee that it won't be sustainable in the longterm, and those results will not stick around. 3 weeks into your new diet sure as hell won't suddenly undo years of unhealthy eating habits either.
I've talked to so many people about their nutrition and this scenario happens:
We discuss calorie deficits, sustainable nutrition and consistency. They understand what is needed and start tracking their calories and work on healthy nutrition changes. 2 weeks later, they tell me they haven't been consistent, constantly going over their calories or not tracking at all. Yet are feeling like they should have better results, hmmm. Then a week later, they ask me if they should try keto/paleo/macros, etc, because they aren't seeing results fast enough and they want to try something else to see if that will work. Meanwhile, they can't consistently stay in a regular old calorie deficit for 3 weeks!! But for some odd reason, they are convinced that a new diet will be the secret to magically losing weight faster than what they are doing now.
Constantly changing your diet from one to another, cutting carbs out one week, adding them back in the next, keto, paleo, vegan, cabbage soup... whatever. In the end, these miracle diets all do the same thing, a calorie deficit. One is not inherently better than the other, it's whatever you can be consistent with over the longterm! If you can't be consistent with your nutrition and get frustrated after 3 weeks before starting a new thing, you're not going to see results like you want.
You need to accept that these things take consistency, patience and time to achieve. By constantly wondering "is this working?" you're only going to leave yourself frustrated because results aren't coming fast enough to your unrealistic expectations. Which will lead you to jump onto the next thing and rinse and repeat gaining and losing the same 10lbs.
Instead of asking yourself "is this working" try instead asking yourself, "how consistent have I been?" When people start to get impatient with results, they need to have an honest look at how consistent and patience they've been. Being consistent for 3 weeks is awesome, but if you're impatient and expecting miraculous results in that time, you're going to be left disappointed and discouraged.
Think of it this way: you did not gain 20lbs or get out of shape in 3 weeks, so you cannot expect to lose that same weight or get back in shape in 3 weeks. It's completely unrealistic.
So what can you do to help with your consistency and patience?
1. Stop putting a timeline on your progress.
What's your rush? Why do you have to lose 30lbs in 4 months? There's no end date here. What happens when you reach that 30lb weight loss? Will your life miraculously change? Instead, focus on the journey. Lame and cliche I know, but it's a cliche for a reason- its true! If all you do is focus on the number on the scale and getting to it as fast as you can; you won't actually focus on the sustainability of what you're doing.
2. Create a consistency calendar.
A great way to help with consistency is to make yourself a goal for it. My recommendation, make yourself a goal for the next 30 days, and as the days go by, mark which days you're on track for your goal and which days you aren't. Make it for a goal that's realistic. For example, let's say your goal is to be on track with your nutrition and in a calorie deficit for weight loss. Don't set your goal for being consistent 30/30 days, that's setting yourself up for failure. But you can aim for 24 days out of the 30, which is 80%. That way it gives you a goal of being consistent, yet not perfect.
Alternatively, if your goal is to move your body or exercise 3 days per week, get a 4-week calendar and track which days you workout.
Using a consistency calendar is great to keep yourself honest with how much effort you're actually putting towards your goals. You can see for yourself if you've been on track as much as you think you are or not.
(I have a consistency calendar that you can download and print off HERE)
3. Don't focus on restriction.
A calorie deficit is required for weight loss, yes, BUT that doesn't mean you need to over-restrict yourself to eating a very low amount of calories all the time. It also shouldn't involve cutting out a bunch of foods and classifying food as "bad" and "good".
By sticking to a diet that relies heavily on restrictions, or eating too little, you're setting yourself up for trouble, and it will lead to bingeing or falling off track too easily. Allowing yourself to be in more of a slight calorie deficit will allow you to have more wiggle room with what you can eat and fit in things you enjoy in moderation. Yes, it will take longer to lose weight than a severe calorie deficit, but you will actually be able to reach your goals slow and steady and maintain it in the end!
Once you start focusing on being patient and consistent you will actually make it to your goal! Why? Because you will then stop wasting time jumping from one thing to another, stopping and restarting. We all know how annoying it is when you're on a road trip to hear your kids say "Are we there yet? How much longer?" Stop asking "is this working" and instead focus on staying consistent and patient with what you're doing. In the end, you will not only reach your goals but be able to maintain them because you actually stuck it out on your journey and didn't rush the process.
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