1. MAKE THE DECISION AND HAVE A REASON TO CHANGE
This is the number 1 thing you need to change your body shape for good.
There is a big difference between deciding to make a change and having a reason to make a change. Without a clear and personal reason there is no commitment or motivation. Often it takes a snap point or defining moment to gain clarity about the need to make a change – an event that means there is no turning back. It might be to do with your health, your relationship, or your self-confidence. Sometimes it is the desire to rid ourselves of negative emotions or to get out of a situation that is just not working for us anymore. I like to call this “finding your why”.
“Finding your why” will set you up with a clear picture of what you want to leave behind and what you want to attain, providing momentum for change. Are you able to state your reason for committing to changing your body shape for good? Or do you have a bunch of excuses that you are hiding behind like “I’m too busy right now”, “I don’t look that bad for my age” or “I don’t have the money for that!” It’s important to really look at yourself in the mirror and ask “do I honestly like what I see?”
Keeping ourselves accountable with tangible evidence of what we want to move away from, is a very powerful tool. Yes, before photos – we all hate them, but I’d encourage you to take them showing as much skin as you can. Then write down your “why” and put it next to your “before photos” somewhere you can see them every day, to be a constant reminder of your commitment to change.
So start to consider your “why” and identify your snap point to help you make the decision to change your body shape for good.
2. ESTABLISH A CLEAR SET OF GOALS FOCUSSED ON YOUR FUTURE VISION.
Just as “finding your why” starts to set up a framework for accountability and motivation, so do a set of goals. I’m sure you have all come across the concept of SMART goal setting, but let’s revisit it:
Specific – goals need to be clear and well defined.
Measurable – goals must be quantifiable in such a way that a person can only answer “yes” or “no” to the question “was the goal achieved?”
Achievable – The goal must cause the person to stretch beyond their comfort zone but still be very attainable in the real world.
Realistic – goals must take into account real constraints on time and resources whilst remaining personal and highly relevant to the individual.
Time-bound – goals must have a set deadline.
An example of a SMART goal for a body transformation might be “I want to fit back into my size 12 pair of jeans and be able to complete a continuous set of 20 full push-ups by the end of this 12 week training block” or “be confident enough to wear a new set of swimmers next summer and go swimming with the kids”.
Sometimes it helps to break goals down into smaller time-related sub-goals…eg. in the first 4 weeks…by week 8…by week 12. This way you can celebrate small wins to keep your motivation high and see yourself actually moving towards your end goal.
In summary, goals are linked to your “why”. What do you dream could be in your future? How would you like to feel in the future? Think of what will truly make you happy and you are well on your way.
3. ALL FOOD CHOICES ARE EMOTIONAL – HOW DO WE MAKE THIS WORK FOR US AND NOT AGAINST US?
We need food to live. Emotion is the only other reason we eat. A successful transformation may mean reprogramming your association with food. Most people know they should eat more vegetables and lean protein, whilst reducing their intake of sugary, processed, fast foods and alcohol. But we all know it’s not easy to resist those temptations and be organised enough to always have healthy food options readily available.
One activity that can help us to take stock of how well we are eating is to take 1 minute and list all of your favourite foods. Then in two columns divide this list into foods into either “staple” foods or “bonus” foods. “Staple” foods being unprocessed, low in fat and sugar, and “bonus” foods being everything else. What you may find is that most of your favourite food is falling in the “bonus” food column, but what you need is more foods in your “staple” food column.
“Bonus” foods have nothing to do with achieving our goals (dreams). It is far more effective and rewarding to become great at planning and preparing delicious “staple” foods and associating every single meal with success. Each “staple” meal becomes a step towards your dreams. Remember, every bite gets you closer to what you want – happiness and a sense of achievement.
Our current eating habits can also keep us from improving our approach to food. Generally habits can be reprogrammed over 3 – 4 weeks. Habits are simply patterns of movement that can be changed if there is a strong enough emotional reason. It’s worthwhile identifying the habits associated with your “bonus” foods and modifying your behaviour to achieve a different outcome.
4. HOW TO NOT LET YOUR MIND SABOTAGE YOUR RESULTS
What makes success impossible for so many are the psychological obstacles associated with eating. The first of which we call “the fuel shift”. The fuel shift involves shifting our body away from a dependency on sugar and refined carbohydrates for energy, and towards obtaining fuel from eating more vegetables, lean protein and omega 3 fats.
Most people have been brought up to consume a diet that is high in processed carbohydrates, low in fat and moderate in protein. The problem is, research clearly shows us that processed carbohydrates are addictive not only psychologically but also physiologically.
Physiologically, this traditional way of eating creates blood and tissue insulin profiles that are too high for our bodies to process and results in energy storage (body fat) that is very difficult to mobilise and turn into usable fuel.
Psychologically, blood glucose is your brain’s preferred fuel source and it doesn’t care how it gets it. So as soon as blood sugar levels decline below what your brain is used to, it sends out a signal to correct this. Just like any addiction, the more you consume, the more your brain needs to maintain the perception of normal levels. That’s when weight and other problems start to develop.
When people start to switch from a carb/sugar/fat loaded way of eating, they don’t do it the right way and start to experience lethargy, food cravings, headaches, feeling faint and inevitably give in. To avoid these symptoms when switching from your old way of eating to your new way,you must eat much more of the right foods to avoid the unwanted side effects.
This is the other psychological challenge – for most people, eating more doesn’t equate to fat loss. Being calorie aware by visually comparing the calories in a typical “bonus” meal with the equivalent calorie intake consisting of vegetables and lean protein is a great way to understand how much food we need to eat to fuel our body when we eat the right foods.
5. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO AVOID METABOLIC SLOWDOWN?
Metabolic slowdown occurs with a mismatch between the amount of calories consumed, compared with the amount of energy used. Two examples of this are:
- in a bid to lose weight (particularly females) some cut back on the amount they eat whilst embarking on a new exercise regime, or
- in the case of obese people, they consume many more calories than the energy they expend in daily activity.
So what is the alternative approach to avoid exhaustion, frustration, binge eating? Create the correct metabolism by matching the amount of calories consumed with the amount of energy expended, or simply eating the right foods at the right time. The right foods consist of lean protein, unprocessed plant foods and omega 3 fats.
As time progresses and your metabolic rate increases, more nutritious calories need to be consumed to keep shedding fat!
6. COPING WITH INVISIBLE SUCCESS
For most people embarking on a transformation, the first 5 – 10 kilos can come off really easy. Often you look better, your body shape improves and it’s all very exciting. However, there is a point when the returns for your efforts really start to diminish. If you’re doing everything right, understand that this is normal. It’s not a plateau, it is the point where your metabolism is re-setting, trying to adjust to your new normal.
At this point you often do one of two things:
- Give up and never achieve your goal or
- Stay focussed on your goal and make any food and exercise adjustments necessary to see what the outcome is.
Note it’s really important to have kept great data from the start of your transformation including what you’ve been eating and when you’ve been exercising, in order to made adjustments. Data is gold.
It’s also important at this time to celebrate your success to date. Acknowledge your commitment to creating new habits, as well as your fitness improvements.
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