I know it feels hard. To try again to lose weight when everything fails. It probably seems like you’ve tried it all.
Keto. Check.
CrossFit. Check.
Vegan. Check.
HIIT. Check.
Running. Check.
Moderation. Check.
And the list goes on…
It’s at this point you likely feel defeated. Hesitant to try again. Doubtful it will work this time.
But I promise. You’re poised to turn it around.
You can take all your failures and use them to succeed. And here are the top three ways to do that:
- Keep the Good: Reflect on all the diets and food plans, gym memberships and exercise equipment, apps and smart watches you’ve used. Ask yourself what you liked and what worked well for you. What foods keep you satisfied longer, stabilize your blood sugar, and taste good? Which exercises challenge you, feel good to your body, and are fairly enjoyable? What time of day is best for your energy and schedule to do things like meditate, meal prep, and exercise? Make a list of all these things you want to incorporate into your healthy lifestyle.
- Dump the Rest: Foods you hate? Exercise you dread? Apps that harass you? These all contributed to past failures. If carb counting makes you cranky, stop doing it. If attending meetings is annoying, find another form of support. Trying to follow rules that don’t fit your lifestyle is a set up for failure. Remember, you can use willpower for just so long. Eventually it runs out and you’ll stop. “Nothing works” you think. “I’ve failed again” you say. Not true – it was just a square peg/round hole fiasco.
- Identify Patterns: What else took your healthy habits off track? Was it late-night treats while watching Netflix? Working late? Mid-afternoon snacking? Never met a cookie…cake, chip, licorice whip, cheese stick…you didn’t like? Hitting the snooze button? Staying up too late? Not saying “no” to others when they offer food? Take each pattern and break down the trigger for each one. Then decide how to either remove or address that trigger in the future.
That’s how you lose weight when everything fails. You use those failures to set yourself up for success by creating habits around the foods, exercise and motivational tools that work well for you. You stop beating yourself up for not eating/doing all the things you hate but feel like you “should” do. You prepare for challenges and learn how to prevent or overcome them.
Failure is only failure when you stop. Otherwise it’s simply a lesson.
And know that the lessons keep coming. There’s never a point of perfection where you have it all handled. But as you learn the lessons, it gets easier. If you keep going, never accepting failure as a reason to stop, you will lose weight when everything fails.
And hey, my FREE Back on Track Challenge starts soon. You can sign up here.