There’s no getting around it. Losing weight (and maintaining) is hard.
And lately, for a lot of you, it seems to be extra hard.
Coping with the pandemic, dealing with winter (especially here in Iowa) and sometimes just feeling a bit depressed and discouraged can all take a toll on your spirits.
Over time, all of those things pull your motivation down and it simply feels too hard to find it back.
I remember a few years ago when a client named Cheryl was ready to give up. “It’s too hard!” she said.”
“I really want to… no, I HAVE to lose some weight. But lately, I can’t seem to get anywhere. It’s just too hard to do it!”
It’s a theme I hear a lot. Most of you really do want to lose weight, but you struggle to stick with a diet or program because it’s “just too hard!”
And you’re right. Losing weight IS hard, especially when you’ve done it a lot of times before.
Counting calories or points, eating salads instead of cookies, pushing yourself to exercise when you hate it–sometimes it just seems like way too much work.
So how do you keep going when you think you can’t take it? And how do you stay on your diet when it feels way too hard?
Here are couple of reminders that will help you stay strong through your challenging times in life.
1. Change your self-talk
Whether you’re planting a garden or following a weight-loss plan, your thoughts play a big part in your ability to be successful.
Henry Ford once said, “If you think you CAN or you think you CAN’T, you’re right!”
So when you decide it’s “too hard’ to accomplish the goal, you may actually prove that you’re right by letting up on your efforts.
Instead, remind yourself many times a day that you CAN do the things on your goals list.
You CAN follow a healthy eating plan, exercise regularly and keep yourself on track.
2. You can do hard things!
Here’s another important idea. Remind yourself that you can do hard things.
Take a minute and recall some of challenges you’ve faced in the past. If you’re like most people, you’ve done a lot of hard things in your life.
Giving birth, working at a job, moving to a new city–all of these fit the description.
In reality, you CAN do hard things.
So instead of blaming this for your diet failures, remind yourself, “Of course it’s hard. But I’ve done a lot of difficult or challenging things in my life, and this isn’t any different. I can do hard things!”
I’m not suggesting that it’s easy to lose or maintain your weight. But easy is not the goal. What’s important is making progress and achieving outcomes.
3. Of course, I can do this!
Natalie Goldberg, one of my favorite authors said, “If writing was easy, everyone would do it.”
These words always comfort me when I’m struggling with finishing a book or even this newsletter. Just because something is hard doesn’t mean I can’t do it.
Weight loss works the same way. If it was easy, there wouldn’t be so many overweight people in the world.
And when you are successful with reaching your goals, you do it in spite of the fact that it’s hard.
This week, focus on believing that you CAN stay on your weight-loss plan, then affirm that thought every day and make it come true!
Parts of this article was excerpted from my email support program,
Elevate Your Success.