3 UNDERRATED Fat Loss Advice | Follow THESE!
#fatlosstips #fatlossjourney #getlean
Fat loss is a goal for many people and with each new year, there's a highly motivated resolution for many to get into better shape.
The problem with new years resolutions is that the foundations of it is usually built purely on “pent-up” motivation and that in itself is not enough to accomplish most goals, especially long term one like weight loss. And that’s because long term goals can’t be sustained solely on motivation.
1. #1 Is to set achievable goals and when it comes to weight loss this is absolutely key. If you have 20 lbs you want to lose and you want to accomplish it by the end of the month, you’ve already set yourself up to fail. It’s not a realistic goal and it’s hardly a healthy or sustainable one at that. So how do you set achievable goals? Well really it’s quite simple: break them down. Things are much easier consumed when they are in bite sized pieces and weight loss is no different. Again, let’s say you have 20lbs that you want or you think you need to lose. Set that as a long term goal, maybe three to 4 months. But in the meantime, just focus on losing 5 lbs. Once you’ve reached that, lose another 5 lbs. From there, you can then decide if you want to take a quick break from dieting or if you really even need to lose another 10 lbs. But setting achievable goals has to be your first priority b/c if you don’t have one…what are you trying to accomplish? The mindset of wanting to accomplish something ambitious is great. However, very ambitious goals will generally work against you. What I mean about this is that if you set a goal that’s out of your reach, you’ll become frustrated with a lack of progress. And this is especially true with fat loss. And because of this, many people give up. You want your goal to reflect the next stage of your development, even if you have to go about it from a modest approach.
2. Number 2 is accountability. I think a lot of people these days view the concept of accountability as a negative thing. But I think it’s because so many of us fail in being accountable. And when we fail, it doesn’t mean that we’re inherently bad. It just means we haven’t found a method of staying accountable to a goal we’ve set up. Essentially, we haven’t found a way of staying accountable to ourselves. For instance, have you ever felt that it’s easier to keep promises to others than it is to yourself? Studies have demonstrated that social accountability—or, having other people to which you’re responsible—influences behavior in a substantial way. In this context, accountability can be a gym partner, your significant other, a friend or even an online community. Basically, someone who can positively reinforce you. But let’s say you’re someone who’s just not comfortable right now with sharing your goal to another person. Can you still be accountable? Absolutely. You can use an app to detail your daily efforts or to send you reminders. You can write a journal to yourself indicating what you have done. You can email yourself each night before reminding you what improvements you made and what you seriously need to work on. Or take a picture every day or week detailing your progress. As long as you have something tangible that you can reference and visually see progress in, your ability to stay accountable is dramatically improved. I don’t think people don’t want to be accountable. I just think for most people, it’s not a concept they think of at first. We’re far more willing to work hard to fulfill an obligation to someone else than we are to fulfill one to ourselves.
3. And number three is focus on building a habit. One of my favorite quotes is “Habits change into character.” If someone is losing weight, I could easily list 10-20 simple things they could modify that would get them closer to their goal. But unless they employee these tips daily or at least consistently, results aren’t going to happen. Habits are what shape your behavior, for better or worse. Successful behavior, which will transform your body, is a collection of habits. Tracking your calories is a habit. Staying hydrated is a habit. Going to the gym is a habit. Walking for an hour a day is a habit. And yes, at the beginning you may HAVE to track them. But with time, they become less about conscious tracking and more about routine actions.
If all you’re doing is setting a goal and wishing for the best, you’ll never see results. You’ll just end up waiting for the next year.
This is because goal setting is usually based initially on inspiration. But once your inspiration disappears, what are you left with?
That’s why building habits is the most critical advice I can give you. Habits build character. Habits are things you do without thinking, which in turn, become a natural routine. And if you combine habits with achievable goals and accountability, you’re going to see substantial changes this year.