To lose weight and keep it off doesn’t have to be as challenging as we make it out to be. Chicken and broccoli don’t have to be the only meals you eat for the rest of your life. Contrary to popular belief, in order to lose weight and keep it off, you just have to implement small strategies into your daily routine. Small strategies can be anything from drinking more water or increasing your step count to drop pounds. Weight loss is not a trip or a vacation, it's a journey with detours and some recalculating. You are destined to experience some setbacks every now again. To keep heading in the right direction with your weight loss, here are five things you can start or go back to whenever you need a little help.

1. It's all mental

We are creatures of habit and we can not get away from that even if we try so hard to do it. The habits that you have formed have been ingrained in your brain for a long time. The object is to create healthy habits and really keep them constantly on your mind. When you first start your journey, you feel excited and hopeful because you might notice a change on the scale or in your energy levels and moods. But sooner than later, those old unhealthy habits start to creep up and really try to knock you off course. That little fiery devil is sitting on your shoulder telling you, “Grab that sugary snack, you deserve it. Today was a stressful day!” Maybe it’s turned on the T.V after dinner, instead of going for a walk around the neighborhood with the family.

To get back on track, you have to reboot your mindset. Losing weight is a combination of healthy habits that add up over time. You have to decide that you will not be bullied by your mind anymore. Make changes that will help you with your progress. Like set boundaries for yourself. Start out small and slowly increase your boundaries.

2. Plan

To make eating healthy an automation in your life. Create a schedule or plan of what you are going to eat and what time you are going to eat it. Your body will start to expect to eat at this time regularly. When you have regular eating habits you control your hormones and balance your blood sugar. Set up a day for meal prepping, so you already know what you are eating in advance. There will be days where you have a “setback” or you “F*#K Up”, it happens. But, the idea is to have a plan to get you right back on track.

3. You Come First

Yes, you are busy and have a ton shit to do, we all do. But, in order for you to be successful, you have to put yourself first. You can save the world without saving yourself first, it’s impossible. Think about letting go of some of your responsibilities for a better you. Designate and delegate tasks to others to help you out. Successful people have people to who they delegate their work and focus on the things they are really good at and love to do. If you’re stressed and hurt, you can’t help someone who is stressed and hurt. Instead of washing the dishes again for the 5th time, let them sit and go for a walk or a bike ride.

4. Trust The Process

If the weight is not budging at the moment, it's okay. It just means you hit a plateau, and we all hit plateaus. Your body is very intelligent and adapts to everything. Your hard work is not going unnoticed, it’s just adapting. It just means you need to change your program up and give your body something different than what it is used to. In this state, it is super important that you stay consistent and persistent with your new healthy habits. Make sure to continually log your food, track your measurements, and take progress photos. This will help as a reminder of how far you have come and keeps you accountable for trusting the process.

5. Counting Sheep

Probably the most important thing and least talked about is sleeping. Studies have shown that people who slept more were able to lose more weight than those who slept less.

When your body doesn’t have enough sleep it is not able to regenerate and replenish. This makes weight loss not the focus and extremely hard to move forward. The majority of people do not get enough sleep. Also, studies have shown that a lack of sleep has a negative effect on your hormones, causing you to be hungrier when you are tired.

If you’re stuck with your weight loss, try adjusting your sleep first before exercising more and reducing your calories. Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Yes, that includes the weeknights, weekends, and holidays. Focus on small incremental changes, like 15-20 minutes of sleep, and work your way to 7-8 hours of sleep.

If you need a trainer or a guide with your fitness journey, I am always available to help.

As always, commit, chase, and conquer!