The misunderstood psychology of weight loss — how to lose 30 pounds PART 7

Mental Toughness

What causes 99% of people to stay overweight? It’s a lack of mental toughness. When it comes to losing weight, gaining muscle and generally staying healthy, it’s all about habit and routine. You need to get very, very good at doing the same thing over and over and over and over again. That’s the secret to success at anything.

Here are some tips that have helped me stay on track over the years.

If you don’t feel like working out:

·         Build a gym at your house or put a gym in your office (my gym is 5 feet behind me as I type this from my office. When I need a break from working, I spin my chair around and hit the weights).

·         Don’t think about the actual workout — just get in your car and start driving to the gym. When you get there, read your “why” statement on your phone and put on some music to get you in the mood.

·         Take your shirt off and look at yourself in the mirror. Visualize the body you want and then get in the car and go straight to the gym.

·         Change your workout. You should change it every 6–8 weeks anyway. Mix it up if you get bored. Swap exercises, switch between free weights and barbells, machines and body weight exercises, etc.

·         Ask your partner for a reward that will be waiting for you as soon as you get back from the gym. You know what I mean.

If you don’t feel like eating well:

·         Eat what you crave, but log the calories in MyFitnessPal and make sure you keep under your calorie count for the day. If it’s chocolate, eat a few squares, not an entire bar. Get just enough to satisfy you then stop.

·         Go out and eat at a restaurant. Mexican food in particular (beans, rice, chicken and vegetables) has a great macro-nutrient profile (high protein, moderate carbs) if you avoid the cheese and fried items.

·         Eat something high in protein first, like a protein shake or tuna. Protein fills you up and will curb your appetite. You might still eat the bad stuff but you’ll eat less of it.

·         If all else fails, just give in. Have an “off meal” and on your “off day”, just have 2 bad meals instead of 3. As long as you’re making progress every day, don’t beat yourself up for falling off the wagon every now and then. It happens to everyone.

·         Finally, realize that if you eat poorly now, the “good food” like chicken, tuna, rice, sweet potato, spinach, kale, quinoa, chia, etc will taste horrible because your body is used to (and craves) the taste of salt, fat and all the other processed crap. Over a few weeks your taste buds will adapt and you will start to crave the good food. Sounds crazy but it’s completely true.

Transforming your body will transform every other area of your life too. Your mood will improve, you’ll have more energy and as a result you’ll demand more from life. You’ll stop settling and will have a new self-confidence which will make you a better partner, friend, parent, boss, etc.

Don’t set a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. They never work. Instead, do the work and be a role model for everyone around you. Find your “why”, create a workout program and make it part of your routine. Eat well 80% of the time and don’t be too hard on yourself when you mess up.

After a few weeks you’ll see progress. After a few months you’ll wonder how you lived without the gym and without your new-found energy. You’ll need new clothes and you’ll start to receive compliments from people you haven’t seen in a while. Those positive feelings will push you to work even harder, leading to more positive feelings and more progress.

https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-misunderstood-psychology-of-weight-loss-how-to-lose-30-pounds-in-2016-c26fbd8e16f3