Here’s Why You’re Struggling To Lose Weight (and how to fix it!)
If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, it may be that you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Here’s how to fix it and achieve your weight loss goals!
Most people know how to lose weight.
They know that they need to eat more healthy foods, fewer junk foods, exercise more, and be less sedentary throughout the day.
But despite having this knowledge, they continue struggling for years trying hundreds of different diet plans and riding the same old cycle of starting and quitting a few weeks in.
Well, because I truly want to see you succeed and achieve your goals, I'm going to be brutally honest with you right now...
The reason you haven't lost weight is because YOU haven’t taken responsibility and fully committed.
It's not a problem of information. It's a problem of application. It's a problem of adherence.
The good news, though, is that fixing this issue is simply a matter of flipping a mental switch and taking complete responsibility for your health.
Once you do this and eliminate the mental roadblocks that have kept you in a perpetuating cycle of dieting, you'll realize that you have total control over your weight loss journey.
You are the one who gets to decide whether or not you achieve your goals.
Nothing and no one can stop you.
After reading this article, you'll understand what it takes to be in full command of your weight loss results.
Why You've Struggled To Lose Weight For So Long
Like I said above, the reason so many people struggle with weight loss has less to do with the exercise and diet plans they follow and more to do with struggles from within.
Here are a few of the biggest reasons I see people fail.
You're Married to One Way of Dieting
"bread makes us fat!"
"diet soda causes obesity!"
It's easy to get sucked into flashy claims like those above.
Heck, you maybe you've followed the advice and removed bread and artificially sweetened sodas from your diet and wound up losing a few pounds.
Of course, it probably didn't take long to stop losing weight or put the pounds back on again...
Nevertheless, each time you catch the weight loss bug and try to be healthy again, you go back to what has worked for you in the past despite the fact that the results were temporary.
Just because something sorta-kinda-maybe worked doesn't mean it's effective for long-term results.
The only way you'll be able to stay consistent with a diet plan is if you enjoy the approach and it works well in your daily life.
You're Measuring the Problem in Pounds
Are you obsessed with scale weight? Do you think that losing "X" number of pounds is the solution to all your woes?
Let's play a quick game:
Who do you think is mentally struggling the most?
Person A - wants to lose 20 pounds
Person B - wants to lose 50 pounds
Person C - wants to lose 100 pounds
Person D - doesn't want to lose or gain weight
This is actually a bit of a trick question...
We have no way of knowing which person is mentally struggling the most based on the information given.
If you're hoping that losing a specific amount of weight is the answer to your problems, then you're setting yourself up for even greater disappointment.
Success and happiness aren't measured in pounds or appearance; they're conscious choices that we have to decide to make.
I have clients that are making progress but still considered overweight who are ecstatic about how far they've come and what they've accomplished.
On the other hand, I know people who have achieved shredded six pack abs and the "perfect" physique who detest their body and complain about every little imperfection...
I thought that losing weight was going to be the answer to all of my problems.
"Once I lose weight, THEN I'll be happy. Once I lose weight, THEN I'll feel comfortable in my own body."
It seemed like such a simple fix to me...
Unfortunately, the more weight I lost, the more miserable I became.
When I achieved my goal of losing 140+ pounds, I ended up hating the way I looked even more than before!
It wasn't until I realized that being happy and comfortable with my body was a CHOICE that I could appreciate the progress I had made.
Don't get me wrong, having a goal weight or look you want to achieve isn't a bad thing. The problem comes when you attach your identity and happiness with reaching a particular physical outcome.
Don't make that mistake. Realize that you're good enough now.
You can be happy now.
You'll be amazed how much easier it is to lose and maintain a lean and healthy body once you allow yourself to be happy at any weight.
You're Waiting For Life to Settle Down
"I really want to lose weight, but I'm just too busy right now. I'll just wait until [insert date here] to start."
I can't count how many times I've heard something like this...
Here's the deal: life will always be busy. There will always be a reason to put your goals of losing weight on the back burner.
You need to stop waiting for the "perfect" moment to start losing weight. It doesn't exist. The only way you'll succeed is to stop waiting and make your health a priority in your life TODAY.
You Don't Want To Lose Weight
That might sound a bit strange, but it's more common than you'd think...
A lot of the time, people want to lose weight because of what someone else said or did to them. Someone directly or indirectly told them they were fat or they think losing weight will impress a particular person they admire.
External validation to be acknowledged by others can be a strong motivating at first, but it won't last.
Why? Because you are the one who has to put in the hours of work - not them. You are the one who has to plan, prep, and monitor your diet - not them.
The only way you'll lose weight and keep it off is to be internally motivated. You have to want it for yourself. If not, you'll end up burning out and giving up.
How to Overcome Your Struggle and Finally Commit To Losing Weight
As you can see, most people start losing weight for the wrong reasons. They rely on external factors such as physical appearance and social validation to keep them motivated.
External motivators can help with getting started, but until you find and identify your internal motivation for losing weight, you're in for a long and bumpy road of diet cycling...
So, how can you go about finding your internal drive to succeed? Here are a few tips that'll help!
Don't Go on a Diet... Seriously
The word "diet" has been severely beaten and morphed over the years.
Nowadays, we associate dieting with temporary changes in our eating habits just to lose weight.
Here's the problem...
If you start your journey with the mindset that the diet and exercise adjustment you're making are temporary, you're guaranteed to fail.
Losing weight may be temporary, but staying lean and healthy is a lifelong pursuit.
The only way you can successfully drop fat and keep it off is by permanently changing the way you eat and move.
I know it sounds intimidating, but it's actually not as bad as you think...
I've noticed a reoccurring theme with my online clients.
Every single one of them starts to enjoy their new and improved nutrition and exercise habits after a few months. In fact, they frequently report having more energy and being happier as a direct result of these healthy changes!
Figure Out Your Core "Why?"
Do you really know why you want to lose weight? I mean, have you honestly spent time analyzing why you're making the decision to better your health?
Like we discussed earlier, many people start losing weight for the sole reason of wanting to impress or gain the respect of others.
More often than not, this isn't their core "why."
If it were, we wouldn't see so many people continually struggling to lose weight and maintain a happy and healthy life.
It seems like it would be easy to identify your real reasons for wanting to lose weight, but it can actually be a rather difficult task. Luckily, there's a mental exercise that can help you quickly identify your core "why" for losing weight.
It's called the "5 Why's."
Here's how to do it:
Ask yourself why you want to lose weight (use the first answer that pops into your head). Now, ask yourself, "why do I want to achieve that outcome?” Do this three more times, and you'll arrive at an answer that is or close to your core and honest reason for wanting to lose weight.
I'll use an example to show this exercise in action:
Cindy is a 50-year-old mother of two. She's struggled with weight all of her adult life, and she's finally ready to rid the extra fat and be healthy again.
When Cindy asked herself why she wanted to lose weight, the first thing she thought about was fitting into her wedding dress again....
Here's how the rest played out in her head:
- Why do I want to fit in my old wedding dress? Because I want my husband to be proud of me.
- Why do I want my husband to be proud of me? Because it will make ME feel more confident.
- Why do I want to feel more confident? Because I want to know that I am strong enough to maintain my success.
- Why do I want to maintain my success? Because I want to live for as long as I can.
- Why do I want to live as long as you can? Because I want to be around to see my children and grandchildren grow families of their own as well as feel healthy and strong along the way!
Cindy started with simply wanting to fit into her old wedding dress.
But after asking herself why a few more times, she arrived at the answer of what she really wanted, which was to be healthy and live long enough to see her kids and grandkids grow older.
I don't know about you, but I'd say her 5th "why" is much more internally motivating than her first!
Follow and Keep Track of a Plan
So, you found your core "why" for losing weight? Excellentio! Your next step is to find a plan, follow the plan, and track your results.
While there are many different diets and exercise routine, there's one thing that you must do no matter which approach you take...
You NEED to be tracking your fitness journey.
You NEED to monitor and journal your food intake in some way.
You NEED to log your exercise so that you can make improvements along the way.
You NEED to track your body stats to make sure you're actually moving closer to your goal.
Whatever weight loss regimen you choose, you need to be tracking your process and results.
Do you know how to track your weight loss journey for quick and lasting fat loss results?
Hire a Coach
While some people can find a plan and stick to it with ease, others require a bit more direction and accountability to stay the course...
A good coach will keep you accountable to your goals and who looks at your progress objectively.
You see, we are our own worst critics.
We may look at the scale and see it's not moving (or not moving quick enough for our liking) and automatically think something's wrong. As a result, we end up making drastic changes to our exercise and diet plan that are unsustainable.
Take my coaching client, Whitney:
Whitney knew what she needed to do with her exercise and diet regimen to lose weight. Instead, her biggest problem was knowing how and when to makes changes to her plan to ensure she made consistent progress.
Once she started working with me, she was able to go put her fitness goals on "cruise control" and simply follow the plan I had for her. She stopped stressing about when and if she needed to make adjustments and simply did the work.
As a result, she was able to lose fat, build muscle, and achieve the lean and toned look she was after!
(CLICK HERE to read more about Whitney's success)
Finally, Embrace the Journey
Your current situation is going to have a big impact on how long it's going to take to lose weight and achieve your ideal body weight.
But no matter how many pounds or inches you have to lose, the only way you'll maintain your results is by making healthy eating and exercise a part of your everyday life.
You need to embrace the journey and be willing to adopt a new way of living if you want to get and stay lean.
It'll be tough in the beginning, but I promise you that it gets easier with practice. Keep at it, and you'll quickly start to see how prioritizing your body is one of the greatest things you can do for your productivity and happiness!
Final Thoughts
I know how important this mindset shift is for losing weight successfully, and that's why I created my ecourse, Fat Loss Forever.
This free 14-day course outlines everything you need to know about diet, exercise, and mindset strategies for losing fat and keeping it off forever.
If you want to enroll for free, click the button below and you'll be emailed within 5-10 minutes with your first day's worth of fat loss forever content!
14-Day Fat Loss Forever
Enroll in this FREE course and learn exactly how to lose fat, build the body of your dreams, and end your struggle with weight once and for all.
- Carter
