7 things I learned from my weight loss journey

Starting my weight loss journey happened unexpectedly. I had thought and talked about what it would mean for me to drop some weight but I was never intentional about it until I got a very degrading comment about my body from someone on the internet. I did not expect it to trigger the emotions it did and quite frankly, it pissed me off that the opinion of someone I don’t know or care for could stir up such negative feelings about myself.

Fast forward 6-8 months into my weight loss journey and I lost 30 pounds and I’ve been doing my best in maintaining the weight, it’s almost two years now. Through out the process, up until now, I have learned so much and this article will highlight five things I learned so far that might help anyone take the first step towards starting their own weight loss journey and want to do it the traditional way.

Avoid negativity and stay positive: 

It is important that you are surrounded by people who will encourage instead on bring down your morale or make you feel ashamed about what you’re doing when on your weight loss journey. I didn’t know if what I was doing was going to get me results but I also did not want to be talked down about it so I hid to exercise when I first got on my own journey, but that does not have to be the case for you. Positive and encouraging words from close pals or loved ones can contribute highly to the success of your weight loss. 

You must also be positive about the process. Commend your efforts every step of the way, think “I can do it” instead of “I can’t”. Set your goal and be determined to stay on track till you achieve them and that cannot happen if you don’t think you can do it. 

It takes time/Patience: 

You must realize that you didn’t add up all the weight at once so don’t expect that this is going to be an overnight achievement. Everyday you decide to go for healthier meal options, go on a 30minutes run, attend the gym or workout at home, you are another step closer to meeting your goal. Allow your mind and body the time to adjust to these changes as it ends up being a lifestyle transformation. Learn to say nice things to your body while at it and I promise if you stick to it long enough, you will see life changing results. 

What you eat > How much you workout: 

Losing weight means you’re on a calorie deficit and that is largely dependent on how and what you eat. Research shows that achieving weight loss is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise. Swap sugary, unprocessed food for fruits and veggies. There are variety of healthier options to pick from and you might have to cook more than order in. For an effective result though, eating right while also maintaining a work out routine will guarantee your success. 

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Self motivation:

The morale or motivation to do what needs to be done may not always be there but you must learn to keep at it. There is only so much personal trainers, coaches or loved ones can do to encourage or motivate you as you are accountable for your actions during the entire process. The more you are able to get past the initial resistance and do what you need to do, the more disciplined you get and discipline gets you farther than motivation does. Read books like “Atomic Habits by James Clear” that give tips and techniques on how to build habit, I know it sure helped me. This will help you build mental strength to get through any resistance you might feel on some days. 

It’s always about CONSISTENCY:

Anything you do that requires a long term commitment whether it be starting a business, getting a degree, learning a skill or starting your weight loss journey, being consistent almost always guarantees success. How long can you keep at it? How badly do you want to see changes? What is your reason for doing it? Your “WHY” for doing anything will keep you in the race until you can physically manifest what you envisioned in your mind. When deciding on starting your weight loss journey, you must think long term say 6-18 months depending on your current weight and your fitness goals. 

Delayed gratification

Delayed gratification simply means putting aside immediate pleasures or desires for later rewards. Saying YES to something means saying NO to something else so when you’re out and you decide to have a salad instead of soda, you are practicing delayed gratification by going for something that contributes to your long term fitness goals that settling for the immediate satisfaction you’ll get from taking a chilled soda. Remind yourself every step of the way your reason for doing what you’re doing and I no time, the weight will start to come off.

A physical change can affect other areas positively: 

Successfully meeting your fitness goals greatly affect other areas of your life positively. Intangible traits like patience, discipline, consistency and the new found confidence that you get from meeting your goal can boost other areas of your life like how you build relationships, setting boundaries, networking, work ethics and much more. It completely transforms you into another person who thinks they can do anything they set their mind to and to think about it, nothing is really impossible. Things seem to be impossible until someone does it. 

CONCLUSION 

Lastly, I want you to be kind and patient with yourself every step of the way. This journey is not going to be seamless as you’ll have days when you eat badly or don’t exercise, make sure you don’t beat yourself up too much about it and just go ahead with your plan. Dust off and start again the next day. If you need to talk to someone, please do. Through out your journey, you will learn and unlearn so many things and make changes where change is needed to achieve your weight loss goals. Remember, think “I can do it” and I promise your mind will work with you to achieve your fitness goals while your body follows.