7 Reasons Most People FAIL with Weight Loss

    It is apparent that weight loss is a critical need within our society. With the exponential gains in technology making it easier to get things done without having to move, and an abundance of food available at our fingertips at any given moment throughout the day, it's painfully obvious that the US has developed an obesity epidemic. What's worse is that our natural human mental and physiological tendencies trip us up even more. Our bodies prefer to have excess body fat "just in case," and try to create energy stores while fighting against the depletion of current stores. Perhaps the most important part is the role of our minds, which prefer taking the path of least resistance AND the most pleasure…a dangerous combination when trying to develop and adhere to a nutrition and exercise program.

    That is why the True Way to Fitness teaches that the mental aspect of fitness is so vitally important. Many different physical training systems and nutritional programs work IF CORRECTLY FOLLOWED. If you don't get your mind right though, you won't adhere to the program and results certainly won't come.

    Below are 7 of the most crucial reasons that the average American "tries" a diet or workout program and it doesn't work. In reading the list, realize that knowing what the obstacles or problems are will significantly increase your likelihood to be successful yourself because you can avoid the pitfalls and focus on getting RESULTS.

 

1. 
   Lacking MOTIVATION. This one gets mentioned all the time in reasons for not achieving weight loss, but it's really a misnomer. It's not really a lack of "motivation"; it's a lack of RECOGNIZING AND TAPPING INTO THE "WHY." An individual that is overweight definitely has motivation to lose the weight…it affects all areas of life: self-esteem, energy levels, success and achievement in work and career development, home life and interactions with significant others…the list goes on. However, most do lack an understanding of their deeper, true motivating "WHY" and just as importantly, how to draw from it. When you think about losing the weight, you have to ask yourself: Why does it matter? Why do I want this? How will my life be better as a result of achieving this? What is it going to mean for me when I achieve it (what is will this do for me)? The answers to these questions are EXTREMELY POWERFUL, and they will absolutely MOTIVATE you beyond your current circumstances to take action and follow through. Once you identify your true WHY, keep coming back to it (daily) as a reminder. When you don't feel like following through or don't want to go on, use your WHY as a reminder and you'll realize that what you REALLY WANT is to satisfy your deeper, driving WHY.
   
2. Lacking a PLAN. This one seems like a "duh," because few things in life get accomplished without first mapping it out. I assure you that the pyramids weren't just haphazardly put together without a well-formulated and thoroughly discussed plan. You may not see this as quite so significant as building the pyramids, but shaping your body and making changes in your everyday lifestyle are not simple tasks so you must take the time to design a game plan. I realize many people don't know how to develop a training program or how to organize the day-to-day eating habits that will lead to a weight loss goal. That's why it may be beneficial to find a fitness professional that can map it out for you. Get the help necessary to make it happen, but don't forego the entire process (of weight loss) simply because you don't take the time to get an appropriate plan in place. Additionally, a plan is going to include setting appropriate goals to act as your guide. You need immediate, short term and long term goals to achieve your overall vision of losing weight (and keeping it off). The immediate goals are for the day-to-day tasks that break it down into manageable chunks you can handle right now. The short term goals help you see significant growth toward the goal so you are encouraged to stick with it and push through to the completion of your long term goal, which would be the accomplishment of losing the 20 or 30 or 50 pounds, whatever it is that you need to lose. I am a firm believer in SMART-W goals, which means they must be: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound and Written. As humans simply keeping things conceptual isn't enough, so giving ourselves SMART-W goals makes it more concrete…something we can visualize and strive to achieve.
   
3. Lacking EXECUTION. If you do not follow through on the plan, then you obviously can't expect to see real results. Truthfully, it all comes down to self-discipline. Every single one of us struggles with self-discipline, in one way or another. Some can't seem to complete work tasks unless they are driven by some outside force (boss requires it). Some can't seem to keep themselves from overeating. There are lots of ways that our self-discipline is challenged daily. But luckily, like most things in life, self-discipline can be developed. You CAN learn to say "no" when you need to, and "yes" when needed. Self-discipline and execution can be as simple as "staying the course" and reminding yourself of your true motivation, but it will not always be easy. All fitness and nutrition programs require FOLLOW-THROUGH to be effective, and here is where many people drop the ball.
   
4. Not DOCUMENTING.
   A simple thing that doesn't have to take a lot of time. Tracking your progress and identifying on paper what you have done thus far are extremely helpful elements of following through on a weight loss program. How many professionals, in any business, don't record their results and review it on some sort of a regular basis to look for patterns? You simply must be doing this to see any sort of significant improvements in your program, and those that don't do it miss out on so much because they don't see changes from day to day. Everyone needs to know their baseline (starting point), and what they're specifically doing (eating, workouts) and noticing (changes in energy, attitude, how clothes are fitting) each day. In the military, it is said "if you didn't document it, it didn't happen!" Make SURE it happens by recording as you go.
   
5. Not ADAPTING. I'll keep this one simple (it can otherwise get complex): adjust as needed. If things aren't working or something unexpected comes up, try to adjust and get back on track as soon as possible. Martial artists live by the principle of adaptation, as fighting and much of life don't go as we each may have expected. Adapt and overcome. If you can anticipate the unexpected, even better! Plan for interruptions and distractions, but don't get derailed by them if they happen. Even though you set a plan for your weight loss program, things inevitably will come up and you will have to adjust. Don't dwell on it and certainly don't quit; just get back on track as you "adapt and overcome."
   
6. Lacking SUPPORT.
   "No man is an island" (Thomas Merlton), and this is certainly true when it comes to achieving a major goal like weight loss. You need to have a strong support system in place, not just to keep you motivated and encouraged, but to ensure that your environment doesn't cause you to stumble. I have seen countless times where an unsupportive spouse or workplace makes it so difficult for an individual to stick with a workout and nutrition program that they quit and never really achieve their goal. Not everyone around you needs to be 100% on board, but they at least have to make an effort to avoid creating more difficulty for you along the way. Things like getting an accountability partner, a workout partner and/or a coach are all important aspects of creating a community of support. You need the help of others to get through this…remember: you are no island.
   
7. Lacking ENDURANCE. There's no doubt that humans prefer instant gratification over the prospect of long term results. We are inundated daily with challenges and obstacles against a weight loss goal, and to be honest, it's just plain easier to give in! We think, "oh, well…it's only one piece of pie and I deserve it, I've had a rough day at work (or I've done so well on my diet thus far). I can do it just this once." Which, it's partially true…you do deserve it (you deserve EVERYTHING and are extremely valuable as a person) and just this once it wouldn't kill you or crush your program. However, psychologically that's not usually what happens. We give in and it causes a downward spiral effect. We have more than one piece and then feel guilty, which leads to a whole "there's no use now, it's all gone heck" attitude. From there we pretty much give up hope and often times go right back to where we were before…with no results. The endurance spoken of here is a sort of mental endurance, being able to stick with it for the long run. That means we need to have an approach of LONGEVITY, where we not only can accomplish our original goal, but be able to SUSTAIN it throughout the course of our lives. Enduring through the struggles of the immediate for the big picture goal (that deeper WHY mentioned above) is pivotal for optimal success in any fitness goal, and ultimately for all of life.
   

 

So what does this all mean? How does this help you in your quest to lose weight, or just plain be more successful in any area of your life?

 

My goal with personal training, martial arts and any type of fitness pursuit is to enhance everyone's results by bringing together the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of fitness synergistically to improve overall life, and that means helping you see what obstacles stand in your way. When you recognize what's stopping you from success, you can do something about it…awareness is the first step. This, and all my posts, books, training programs and interactions are about empowering you to take control of your life and make the most of it. Take from it what you will, but I guarantee that if you decide to get something from it, you absolutely will.

 

Coming soon is the launch of my ebook, The True Way to Fitness (The True Way Fit Program), and it will include an actual program that lays out exactly what to do to achieve your fitness goal…especially if it's to lose weight. There will be exact workouts requiring little or no equipment, videos on the basic skills of martial arts and how to incorporate them into your training, an effective nutrition program that takes away all the guesswork and confusion that's floating around the fitness world today with all the fad diets and much, much more. Stay tuned for updates about it and a free report that will be available soon! I am extremely excited about getting this in your hands and making a life-changing impact on your health one individual at a time. Let's change the world one body, soul and mind at a time!