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How to Lose Weight and Actually Stick to It

How do you lose weight and actually stick to it? Here is some practical advice to help you set up your goals and CRUSH them!

Losing weight is hard.

You probably know that already, though. A lot of times we already know HOW to lose weight- we just need help sticking to it. Life gets in the way, and we let our health drop to the wayside for awhile.

That was me as well. In 2015, a health scare caused me to step back and take a look at my life, and I realized I HAD to make a change. After losing 20 pounds in 8 months, I learned a TON and have made it my life’s purpose to help others make that change as well.

Today I want to show you how to lose weight and actually stick to it. It’s super hard, as you know- but I want to give you practical advice and encouragement today!

Mistakes people make when losing weight

They overwhelm themselves super quickly

Maybe you’re guilty of this, too: You clean out your entire kitchen of all the “bad foods”, buy all the “good foods”, and by the end of the week your fresh produce is spoiled because you got yourself in too deep and couldn’t stick with all the healthy cooking.

The problem is, some people simply try to do too many things at once. When you try to change your entire lifestyle in the span of a week, it’s no wonder you give up! The key to consistency is baby steps- one small change at a time.

They’re not eating enough

Wait, you mean you have to eat MORE food to lose weight?

So picture this. You’re at a restaurant and want to be healthy, so you order a plain salad with fat free dressing. All that’s on it is lettuce and tomatoes basically, and about an hour later you’re absolutely starving.

What do you think would happen if you added grilled chicken or hard boiled eggs to that salad? Suddenly, the extra protein and fat is there to keep you full MUCH longer.

In fact, protein actually helps you burn MORE calories. The body works harder to digest protein, so as the body heats up to digest it, it burns extra calories. You ever eat too much meat and you get those “meat sweats“? That’s exactly what’s happening.

Their goals are simply unattainable

Want to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks? Or run a half marathon next month with no previous training? You might be setting yourself up for failure.

See, those are really lofty goals. A healthy rate of weight loss is 1 pound per week, maybe 2 pounds depending on how much you have to lose in the first place. And half marathons usually take about 12 weeks to train for.

As you can see, these goals take patience and time. But unfortunately, we tend to have the NOW NOW NOW mentality and give up when things don’t happen fast enough.

how to set Smart goals for weight loss

SMART goals are perfect for any kind of goal, not just weight loss. It stands for:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound

I go into more detail in this post on how to set SMART weight loss goals, but having your goals written out in SMART form makes you more likely to achieve them.

How to actually stick to your weight loss goals

Making the goals is easy. Sticking to them is another story.

It was so hard for me back in 2015. Getting started is the hardest part because you have to gain momentum. I did good for a couple months but then fell off- happens to the best of us!

But in that time, I learned there are 2 keys to weight loss. And without them, you’re going to be stuck in a loop of starting something new and giving up soon after. Those 2 keys are: Accountability and Consistency.

Accountability

Whether it’s keeping a checklist of your tasks, having a workout buddy, or even a Facebook group, knowing you have to be accountable to someone or something is going to help you stick to your goals.

That’s why Weight Watchers works so well for people. They go to a meeting once a week, and knowing that they have to tell other people how they’re doing motivates them to do the best they can.

My accountability was John. We were actually losing weight together and using MyFitnessPal to track our food. And I knew that I had to continue putting my food in the app because he relied on me for tracking dinner. That alone kept me going.

See: How to Use Fitbit and MyFitnessPal to Lose Weight

Consistency

Consistency is HUGE. It’s moving forward no matter what, even when life gets hard. It’s getting up early to work out before the kids wake up.

And it may seem futile at first, especially since you don’t see results right away. But SMALL steps lead to HUGE success.

What do you think works better: Adding one extra vegetable per day for two weeks consistently, or suddenly trying to add 5 extra servings and giving up after a week?

You’re more likely to stick with your plan if you break it down into small steps. So show up every day, no matter what. Tell a friend, write it down. If you’re consistent, all these tasks become a habit, ingrained in your daily life. Soon enough, you won’t even have to think about it.

How to turn your goals into habits

Now that you know how to set your goals and how to stick with them, you might be wondering how to actually get started. You might need a jumpstart of sorts.

I believe there are 4 pillars of weight loss:

  • What you eat
  • How you eat
  • Exercise
  • Meal planning

All 4 work together to create the foundation of your journey. And in Weight Loss Kickstart, I teach you how to implement those one small step at a time.

In this 4-week, self-paced course, you’ll choose ONE small task to work on every week based on one of the 4 pillars. You’ll add an extra vegetable; take a short walk every day; even work on creating a meal plan.

And depending on how committed you are, you could see a 4-10 pound weight loss. This program WORKS, but only if you do!

If you’re ready to make a change, one small step at a time, I invite you to check out Weight Loss Kickstart and see how it can help!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.