After reading Fat Loss Made Simple, many of you reached out to me about how hard it is to stay patient and consistent with your efforts. You want results and you want them now! I get it! But when results aren’t coming as quickly as you’d like, you have 2 choices: give up or keep going.
This article will give you 5 keys to staying patient and consistently working toward your goals.
Celebrate Small Successes
Part of why losing weight can feel like such a grind is because you don’t give yourself enough credit for the little things. You have a big, hairy, audacious goal that you want to reach and all you really care about is reaching it.
While that drive and ambition is great a lot of the time, focusing too much on the eventual outcome can distract you from or overshadow all the wins in the meantime.
Rather than only being proud and rewarding yourself when you reach your ultimate goal, regularly celebrate the small stuff along the way.
As tempting as it may be to celebrate each pound released, I encourage you to focus, instead, on aspects that you can directly control.
At the beginning of the week, sit down and write out your action-based goals for the week. Get specific with exactly what you will accomplish – and when – throughout the week and hold yourself accountable.
At the end of the week when you’ve done all the things you said you would do, treat yourself to a small (not food) reward for your efforts.
Make a list of all the free or inexpensive rewards that will motivate you so that you’re never at a loss for what to do to celebrate your wins.
Have Realistic Expecations
One of the most common reasons that women give up on their goals is due to disappointment, frustration, and resentment at the fact that results may not be coming as quickly as they’d like.
Being aware of what kind of progress is probable, healthy, and realistic, is really important in helping you stay patient and consistent.
Read all about realistic expectations here.
Set Yourself Up for Success
No one is always motivated.
The people who achieve their goals do so because they’ve set their lives up for success. They rely on habits, planning, and routines to get them through periods of low motivation without disruption. They show up and do the work, even when they don’t necessarily want to.
I’ve written all about motivation here.
Remind Yourself Why You Care
The other key to staying consistent through ebbs in motivation is to remind yourself why you’re even bothering in the first place. Why is achieving your goal important to you?
Not just the surface level, “I want to lose weight so that I look better,” but actually dig deep and get to the emotional root of why it’s so important.
A great tool for helping figure this out was popularized by the Toyota Motor Corporation and is called The “5 Whys.”
Try asking yourself these questions and writing down the answers:
Why are you trying to lose weight?
Why is that reason for losing weight important to you?
And why is that important?
What difference will that make?
And why will that previous thing matter?
Most likely, by the end of this line of questioning, you’ll have realized that it’s not just about seeing a certain number on the scale – it’s about feeling a certain way that’s so important.
Once you’ve identified why your goal is really important, put that reason on display anywhere you might need to see it as a reminder of what you’re working toward.
When you’re feeling frustrated, impatient, and ready to throw in the towel, that reminder will make you more likely to stay consistent.
Have Support
Having someone to answer to if you don’t follow through on your goals is a huge help at keeping you consistent. You might not feel like working out or meal prepping but knowing that someone is going to notice will make you more likely to do it anyway.
A friend or family member can provide amazing support but if you feel like the people in your personal life are too forgiving or understanding when what you really need is some tough love, consider hiring a coach to do just that.
Additionally, the value of having someone to vent to and/or a shoulder to cry on can’t be overlooked.
It’s totally fine to feel impatient or frustrated at times throughout the process. It’s just not fine to let those feelings convince you to quit altogether.
Validating those emotions and talking them out with someone you trust is a great way to acknowledge them so that you can work through them and move on.
If you need help with any or all of the above, I’m accepting a couple of new clients into my signature weight loss program, Gone For Good and I’d love to see if we’d be a good fit!
