Have you been following a weight loss program but not getting the results you’re hoping for?
Perhaps you’re convinced that all you need to do is be stricter or more regimented to get results.
Before you grit your teeth and try a little harder to stick to your plan, have a read of our blog.
Because we guarantee you’re not the problem — your weight loss program is.
1. Your plan is a ‘quick-fix’
The diet and fitness industry is full of people trying to sell you a ‘quick-fix’. These are often one-size-fits-all programs that include meal plans and exercise programs, or even detox programs, that promise you a solution to your problem in around 6 or 12 weeks. The truth is that quick-fixes don’t fix anything. While they may give you some results initially, they will play havoc with your metabolism. At first your results will plateau, and then you’ll gain back any weight you’ve lost, with interest, and all you’ll have to show for it is a lighter wallet, a slower metabolism, and a bigger problem than you had before.
2. Your plan is a diet
If your weight loss program is a diet, you’ll find it hard to lose weight and keep it off. Diets usually restrict calories, certain foods, or even entire food groups. This also slows down your metabolism. However, one of the biggest problems with trying to follow a diet, is the enormous amount of stress it causes, both in your body and in your mind. Stress of any kind will slow down, or halt even the best weight loss efforts. If your weight loss program reads more like a list of do’s and don’ts and is something that you know you can’t sustain long-term, you’re on a diet which won’t lead to long-term results.
3. You’re trying to out-exercise a bad diet
Are you focusing too much on exercise, thinking you can out-exercise a bad diet? Even the most strenuous workouts will only burn 10 calories per minute. Do the math, and you’ll realise that you’ll never be able to out-train bad eating patterns. The secret to long-term sustainable weight loss is just enough of the right kind of exercise, coupled with good nutrition, and changing the habits that got you where you are in the first place. Copious amounts of exercise is not sustainable long-term. You’ll end up being burned out or injured, and unable to exercise at all. And because you haven’t changed your eating patterns or your habits, guess what will happen. That’s right — your results will stall or you’ll go backwards again.
4. You’re doing too much
Are you trying to diet, exercise every day and keep up with your busy schedule? If you are, you’re probably doing too much, which will leave you feeling stressed, overwhelmed and eventually see you burn out and give up. Stress is one of the biggest metabolic blockers and will prevent you from getting results, no matter how hard you try. Our tip is to make small changes gradually. Avoid trying to force the weight loss to happen, or trying to control everything in your life so it will happen. To lose weight and keep it off permanently, your program needs to fit in with other things in your life, like raising a family or running a business.
5. You’re trying to be too perfect
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight is trying to be perfect with everything. Perfectionism may sound like a positive trait, but it has some devastatingly negative consequences, including judging yourself harshly when you fail to meet your impossibly high standards, avoiding taking any action in case you get it wrong, and not celebrating your success. If you’re following your weight loss plan to the letter but not experiencing results, then cut yourself some slack. Many of our clients have experienced a dramatic change in their body shape, simply as a result of dropping their perfectionist habit.
6. You’re not getting enough rest
Sleep and rest is crucial for you to succeed in changing your body shape and losing weight. There is a direct link between poor sleep and being overweight. Instead of putting all your energy into dieting and exercising, focus on getting better sleep. You’ll find your mind will be clearer, your mood better, your energy levels higher, and your stress levels lower — all of which will help you lose weight and keep it off, without feeling overwhelmed.
7. You don’t have a clear WHY
Do you have a reason for wanting to lose weight? We don’t mean just to feel good or look good for a social occasion. To lose weight for good and keep it off, you need to have a strong reason. We call it your WHY. Your WHY will help you do what you need to do, even when you don’t want to do it. It will provide the motivation you need, when your own motivation is lacking. It will be what keeps you going, even during the toughest of times. If you haven’t found your WHY yet, we urge you to do so. You can find the steps to discovering your WHY in our blog post ‘Find your WHY to lose weight.’
8. You haven’t set a SMART goal
To achieve anything in life you need to set a goal — a SMART goal. This means it has to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Trying to ‘lose weight’ in order to ‘look good’ isn’t specific enough. It also doesn’t give you a time-frame in which you want to achieve this goal. Similarly, trying to lose 10kg in 6 weeks, is not achievable or realistic, and will only leave you feeling discouraged and disappointed, even if you lose 5kg in that time. Make sure that you have a goal that is SMART, because once you achieve one goal, you’ll build momentum to achieve more.
9. Your weight loss program doesn’t address your habits
Does your weight loss program only focus on food and exercise? If it does, any results you gain will only be short-lived. Think about it. The reason you’re in the situation you’re in, is because of your actions — which are driven by your habits and your thought patterns. If you fail to take responsibility for how you got where you are, and commit to changing your habits, you will never succeed. Once you change your habits, and develop new ways of behaving and thinking, you’ll find the weight loss process so much easier.
10. You’re not tracking data
Have you been keeping track of what you’ve been eating, what exercise you’ve been doing, your sleep patterns and how you feel each day? If you haven’t, then this may explain why you’re having trouble losing weight. Successful weight loss relies upon you keeping data. When you track information about what you’re doing, and how it impacts your body, you’ll know what works, and what needs changing. This way, you’ll always be able to keep moving forward to reach your weight loss goals.
11. There is no structure or accountability
What does your weight loss plan involve exactly? Is it following meal plans meant for the hordes? Doing whatever you like when it comes to exercise (with the belief that more is best)? And who is keeping you accountable? And we don’t mean your best friend who also likes to skip her workouts in favour of Netflix and the couch. The truth is, to succeed in long-term weight loss, you need structure and accountability. You need a plan designed to suit you, your lifestyle and your goals — not one downloaded off the internet or sold to you by someone who is more interested in your money than your success. You also need a level of accountability — someone who will help you keep doing what you need to do, in order to succeed — even when you can’t be bothered to do it.
Ditch the diets forever
If you want a weight loss program that throws away all the rules, and gets you results, we want to hear from you, because we want to help people ditch the diet rollercoaster forever. In our program, you’ll learn how to get results by exercising just 3% of your week, while eating lots of delicious food that will burn fat and keep you feeling great. You’ll also get a personalised plan to help you reach your goals, and accountability to help you get there.
