Your BIGGEST Weight Loss Mistakes
What is the biggest mistake people make who are trying to lose weight?
- "All or None" Mindset
Many people in life (not just weight loss endeavors) adopt and hold true to the mindset of PERFECTIONISM or "All or None". This mindset shows itself in numerous ways, but most often, it rears its ugly head during conflict.
Many clients I have had are OK as long as everything is going well. Their choices are sound, their thinking is pure and their mood is good. However, as soon as one area of life causes stress this creates a spiral of negative thinking and their mindset goes from "I am in control" to "This isn't working, I quit!". The stress could be a work conflict or poor food choice or a missed exercise session.
This "All or None" mindset makes it increasingly difficult to attain and maintain success because the thought process relies on Perfection.
A better plan is to understand that negative situations happen to everyone and will happen to you on occasion. Learn to handle stress with proper perspective and gain the ability to understand that every choice counts towards achieving your goal or delaying it.
2. Failing to Plan
A second pitfall I often see is that many people do not plan their meals and workouts. Many people wait for motivation to strike before they act. This is the exact opposite of what needs to be done to gain success.
You must schedule your workouts as a "non-negotiable priority" and attend these important appointments with yourself.
You must plan and schedule your meals in advance. If you wait until you get hungry to think about what you are going to eat you increase your risk of making poor food choices and eating items that are not in your plan. This may lead to a loss of control (see "All or None").
3. Lacking Consistency.
Often, individuals begin a plan when they become distressed about their health, appearance and/or fitness levels. They make multiple drastic changes at once in an all-out effort to achieve as much as possible as quickly as possible. Generally, repeating mistakes from their recent past.
When you attempt to accomplish too much at once in addition to the busy schedule you may already have you can become overwhelmed and may cease a few of the more important acts of attaining your goal.
Consistency is accomplished by placing priority on the actions that are most vital for your desired outcome and continuing these actions. You cannot get to your goals with a "tomorrow" attitude.
-Robert
Debbie O'Neill
9:47 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Robert - I enjoyed reading your blog; #2 in particular really resonated with me. Since the end of June, I joined a local gym and dramatically changed my diet. I began working out every day (Cardio and weight training) and have lost 14 pounds to date (in about 12 weeks). My kids are older now (my youngest is a freshman in HS), but I work full-time and have plenty of kid-related logistical/scheduling challenges. Once school started again, I became concerned about how I would fit in my daily workout. What I found out about myself is that my health and body have become so important to me, that I (selfishly) put my workouts as a priority over some of my other responsibilities. I still get everything done, but now I expect (and insist) that my family sometimes work around my workout schedule if they need rides, etc. At first I found this a little uncomfortable because I was used to putting myself on the low-end of the priority scale. But now I am thrilled because I know taking care of myself (and feeling good about myself) is just as important (if not more so) than the rest of my priorities - and my family has adjusted just fine! :)
Thanks for blogging - I enjoy reading them and broadening my ideas about health and fitness. (and your spot-on with regard to meal planning; I make sure I always have a least 3 viable options for myself at all times - no matter where or when).
Take care! :)
Robert J DeVito
10:05 pm on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Debbie,
Thank you for such kind words and great feedback. It is certainly appreciated.
Congratulations on all of the new habits that you have created and the changes they have imparted on your life.
I am sure that you are acting as an inspiration for your family and that they are so proud of you!
Keep moving forward.
-Robert
Debbie O'Neill
8:45 am on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Thanks Robert! In fact, they are really proud of me and now such a huge source of support - even my ego-centric teen daughters :) My son, who is in the army and in amazing physical condition, always texts me asking me how the workouts are going, etc. It's really nice :)
I think my epiphaney came when I realized that as I've gotten older, I was spending a lot of time worrying about potential illnesses, conditions, and diseases and many things out of my control. Then I realized how much better my time could be spent controlling what I could control (namely my fitness and body condition as it pertains to a healthy diet) and that by doing so, I could decrease the likelihood of developing some of these horrible bodily conditions. And of course the irony is that I feel better than I have in years - both mentally and physically!
Thanks so much to you and others like you who make such invaluable information (and inspiration) available to everyone!
Thanks again :)
Robert J DeVito
5:20 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
Thank you again, Debbie.
Please stay in touch and let me know if there is a specific topic you would like to read about.
I will do my best to accommodate.
-Robert