Weight loss can be particularly difficult because it requires you to make serious changes to something you do repeatedly every single day.
The number of times we eat, cook for ourselves and others, visit a grocery store, or attend a social event with food makes it even more difficult to stay true to this goal.
That is why we have created this guide, to help you understand what exactly works for weight loss so that your journey can be sustainable and enjoyable.
Step 1: Identify your major struggles.Â
Every single person has their own difficulties that they have to overcome in their weight loss journey. The most important thing is having an awareness of it and being honest with yourself about the ways in which it interferes with your goal.
You might find it particularly difficult to find time to exercise, meal prep, take less sugar, or switch to healthier cooking methods. Whatever yours may be, be critical in finding it out. So that you can start tackling it and commit to taking your power back.
T1: So, your first task here is to critique your past behaviours and resolve the problem areas that have kept you from your goal. Don’t move to the next step without doing this task!
Step 2: Be specific about the end goal and what it means to youÂ
In every problem you have solved, your reasons for solving that problem must have been greater than your tiredness, the financial costs, or any bad habits. It was just so important that you did it.
The one thing that stands between you and this goal, is having a strong, undeniable, and pronounced reason. To find that strong reason, you must commit to writing a long list of whys for your goal. Some may be little reasons and others more significant, but aim for at least 20.
Some questions you may ask yourself to find these answers are:
How does this goal impact my physical and mental health?
In what way does this goal impact my family, or others around me?
In what way does this affect my confidence at work or my capacity to work?
Do I have any other personal benefits that come with attaining this goal?
T2: So your second task is to find as many reasons to fuel your action as possible. Don’t move to the next step without doing this task!
Step 3: Visualise what your life would look like if you were to accomplish and sustain this goal.
In this visualisation exercise, observe your current eating habits and compare them to the eating habits that you need for your goal. Then ask yourself, what does future you do differently? Is it something you can sustain? And something you are happy to do for the rest of your life?
The truth is, at first, a lot of people don’t mind eliminating some foods for a short period of time, but forever is a very long time. Answering this simple question before you start your weight loss journey helps you identify what you can commit to forever and what you cant.
Many people on the Tobal Body Transformation programme have attained weight loss and kept it off, so we know it’s possible. But how?
The trick is being open to trying healthier alternatives. So instead of full cream milk, try skimmed milk, or instead of frying your plantain, put it in an air fryer or boil it. These little alterations are essential in helping you stay healthy without having to give up the foods you love, which is one of the most common reasons why people give up on their weight loss journey.
T3: So your third task is to answer the question “What alternatives am I open to trying to ensure that I achieve and sustain my goal?”
Step 4: Create a healthy mindset around food
This is an especially critical step that helps to build a transformative weight loss journey. This is because your mindset produces your behaviour. What you think is possible or not possible, what you think is too difficult, and what you have concluded that you can never do, are beliefs keeping you away from your goal.
You have to be honest with your coach about your mindset about exercise, meal prepping, or whatever it is they ask you to do. Otherwise, even if you say “you commit”, your mind is already set that those things are impossible for you, so within a couple of weeks, you would find yourself coming up with excuses for not doing it. But it really was just your mindset from the very beginning.
We all have different beliefs and relationships with food as a result of our life experiences, family and cultural norms. Adding on to that, food is not only fuel for the body, it is also very enjoyable which makes it extra difficult to make this change. But, food is not the answer to boredom, tiredness, or stress.
T4: Your fourth task is to observe your eating behaviours over a period of time, possibly a week, and identify when you eat that has nothing to do with relieving your hunger, and tell your coach about these triggers, and as you have that discussion let them know your mindset about anything they ask you to do so that you can work together to resolve this in all honesty.
If you find yourself struggling to build a healthy relationship with food, and you want to tackle this head-on. Then contact experts in mindset coaching such as myself to transform the habits, beliefs, and behaviours that have led to your current weight.
Step 5: Create step-by-step phases for your journey
Luckily, Optimum Foodie programmes have done this seamlessly to keep you on a steady path to success. If you truly want to achieve this goal, please do not try to go from 0 to 100 in one month. I know you are eager to get your body goals and I’m super excited for you, knowing you will get there even if you welcome ease into your journey.
Just like a skill, you need to do the work in each of the processes to gain a healthier relationship with food and fitness every week. If you do this as best as you can, don’t be surprised when you look up one day and you notice that the weight is gone and you did it without hating the process.
This lucky reader deserves a bonus step:
This step is essential to ensure you stay consistent in what you are doing to get your weight loss goals.
And it is – To make sure you follow one process.
Today, there are a million and one weight loss gurus preaching quick hacks to achieve weight loss, but the quickest way to frustration is trying to follow everyone’s advice on how best to lose weight, the optimum foodie method has worked for hundreds just like you. So stay true to it through your journey.
If you want to learn the essential things to know about nourishing your body and eating healthy, I strongly recommend you read Odunayo’s book What Should I be Eating.
Good luck in taking your power back!
Guest writer,
Halimat. O.A.
Mindset Coach