3 Steps to Sustaining Weight Loss
I think it was around the end of February maybe even the first day of this month (March) when I came into the restaurant and two of my wonderful sweet employees were discussing meal prepping and how they not necessarily wanted to lose weight, but they wanted to be healthy. For one, that made me so super happy because how awesome it is to acknowledge the difference. For two, how flattered I was that they looked to me for advice in some way. I told them I could help them, but that they needed to keep in mind that what works for me may not work for them; and what works for their friends, may not work for them. See everyone has different goals when it comes to being healthy, exercising, and losing weight. What defines healthy? What defines thin? Fit? Ultimately, I believe being healthy is finding a regime that makes YOU happy. That makes YOU feel confident, fun, flirty, sexy, and truly like you. A regime that you do not dread maintaining, one that comes easily, and one that suites you and your lifestyle.
People say they want to lose weight every day, all around me—My first question is, is this weight loss permanent? We all want it to be permanent I would imagine. I suppose that’s a realistic want for most, so we’ll stick with that. I’ve been on my fitness journey since just before I left for Hawaii. At this point of my journey I can easily say, I never ever would say “I eat healthy”, more so, “It’s just the way I am”, but I’d be lying if I said this was always the case. I used to not know what to wake up and eat, I’ve gained and lost weight more times then I care to admit in the last 4.5 years. It wasn’t until in the last year that I’ve hit a weight that I think is here to stay. I should say I’ve hit a point in my journey that I’m comfortable with, leanness, muscle mass wise, and diet wise. To me that is crucial to the way we maintain our various different journeys, levels of education, and our various levels of complacency on this topic. So today I’ll tell you 3 things we need to do in order to sustainably lose weight.
1. Educate
I honestly do not think I could un-teach myself all of the things I’ve learned about losing & maintaining weight loss. It keeps me that much more on track. Once you hit this pattern, and not that this is necessarily a good thing, but once you know how bad something is for you, you subconsciously shy away from eating it, or from doing it. Once you know what is good for you, on every level, (mentally, physically, emotionally), you will subconsciously make the right decisions for your body. Which maybe that does not comply with the whole “if you want it, you should eat it”, but realistically, that term only applies when you haven’t had that certain thing in months, it doesn’t mean every other day, it means moderation. From the amount of things, I’ve read to the amount of things I’ve experienced, I believe it’s impossible to turn back. One of the best parts? I still have SO much more to learn. Everyday I’m learning, I’m reading articles everywhere, comparing + contrasting to keep me educated and focused. Educating yourself is a key aspect to maintaining healthy physical + mental wellness because it makes undoing the process so much harder.
2. Motivate
I’d be lying if I said motivation was an everyday thing for someone who goes to the gym 6-7 days a week. Realistically some days my heads not focused, and I’m aggravated that I’m even doing the workouts. But the truth? You will not change if you do not challenge yourself. Find something: experiment, grab a friend, compete, educate yourself on a type of exercising that keeps you engaged, and doesn’t have you dreading the next day. Don’t beat yourself up. Read, write, research different ways to make your exercises more enjoyable. Change it up every day. I remember when I first started working out aside from playing sports my whole life, when it became something I consciously had to do- I walked on the treadmill every day for 45 minutes at a fast pace. I dropped so much weight over a short period of time, but A) was running out of head fuel to drive these 45-minute lulls, and B) had absolutely 0 muscle mass. No fun. All around, terrible, and not a sustainable way to keep weight off. Now, my adult self-incorporates MANY different ways of exercising every week à all on schedule of course. But still- seldom do I find myself dreading the gym and you can too!
3. Partner Up
Finally- find a friend, find a co-worker, and talk about it! Tell each other things you’ve learned, get a Fitbit if you’re able, or even better use your smart phone (mostly all of them have the track step feature on them now). Compete with each other –who can get the most steps? It’ll be a fun little challenge. If you’re able, grab your partner, your sibling, or again, your co-worker. Go on a walk. Cold weather is no excuse! Jackets, hats, gloves, get that fresh air! Bonus? You won’t be bored & another bonus? It goes by much faster with a friend and makes it more likely that you’ll do it if you have someone else pushing you or waiting on you!
I hope this helps you, truly. Like I told my sweet girls, just because this works for me does not mean these things will work for you, but that’s the beauty in this whole process. Find what works for you & go after it! We have one life, one body, and that is so so important to remember every day! Live by this rule. We want to live life the fullest and it begins within ourselves, and our various journeys to greatness. Make it one that lasts. I really hope you do.
-K