The Number #1 Thing that can Affect Weight Loss (It’s not what you think!)

·

Over the course of the past 18 years or so, both in my journey and in many others, I have noticed a commonality over and over that causes people to quit a healthy lifestyle change that has absolutely nothing to do with the program itself. In fact, this is both true for the person experiencing fantastic results and ones who are struggling with seeing the scale move. It’s not just the scale that always causes people to quit, although it can be a huge contributor.

The number one thing that can affect weight loss is not what you think, but I see it all the time. I’ve fought it myself for years. You could be doing everything right; following the food plan, drinking water, exercising, etc. and yet this one thing can cause you to quit. I see it every day in Facebook groups, but last night it hit me right between the eyes.

I thought I had beat this giant. I thought I was more aware of it coming and would stop it in its tracks, but it took one trip to a dressing room in Target for it to come back.

You see, we are going to the beach next week and I needed new clothes since most of mine from last year are falling off. I found the perfect pair of shorts and a top that I loved. I couldn’t wait to try them on. As I began to try on clothes in the dressing room, my mood changed. I became very discouraged and aggravated at myself. Nothing fit the way I wanted it to fit and every single lump, dimple, and roll seemed to be magnified. Before I knew it the fact that all of my clothes were falling off because I had lost so much weight was no longer significant to me and negative thoughts took over. I began to “talk” to myself and say:

“You might have lost weight, but your arms are so fat.”

“You can’t buy sleeveless shirts.”

“Wait, those shorts are not going to work. You need bermuda shorts that go almost past your knees those make your legs look too jiggly.”

Then, self-sabotage chimed in.

Look, you’ve been focusing on this 30-Day Keto Challenge you’ve been doing great and at three weeks in it doesn’t look like it’s worth it. You’ve exercised 20 days out of the past 22. You have downed more water than you ever have in your entire life and you’ve been watching everything you eat. It’s not working; you might as well just quit.”

Wait, what in the world happened? I know better than this. Not only have I spent years encouraging others to be mindful of their self-talk, but I have also personally been on this same journey.

Who has said something similar and unknowingly self-sabotaged yourself?

“This isn’t working for me I might as well quit.”

“I’ve only lost 4 lbs; this isn’t working. I might as well quit.”

“My clothes are still too tight I might as well quit.”

“I’ve been exercising, but my body still looks the same I might as well quit.”

“I have done everything I’m supposed to do, and the weight is just not coming off fast enough, I might as well quit.”

“I can never do this consistently. I can’t stop cheating. I might as well quit.”

“I just love sugar too much, and we are going on vacation next week I might as well quit.”

“I just need life to get easier first. I will do this later. I might as well just quit.”

 

Sound familiar? And you know what I hate the most? Negative self-talk and discouragement can sabotage us faster than just about anything else. In fact, you can be doing all the things right to lose weight then self-sabotage takes center stage, and instead of feeling proud of yourself you feel defeated, discouraged, and bummed.

Last night when I was in that dressing room, I had a choice. I could allow my self-talk and discouragement to be the boss of me and completely derail the success I’ve had thus far, or I could speak the truth. There is one phrase I’ve used over and over in my life for the last decade that has helped me to fight the giant of discouragement.

Are you ready for it? It is not rocket science. It won’t have anything to do with the scale, foods that you consume, water, or exercise.

It is 3 simple words……

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

It goes something like this. You stand on the scale and expect results but see that you are up a pound or this is no change.

“My weight is subject to change!”

You look in the mirror and are discouraged at the body staring back at you.

“My body is subject to change!”

You gave in again and ate all the food you shouldn’t have.

“Tomorrow is a new day, and my food choices are subject to change!”

You didn’t exercise again after promising yourself that today would be the day for change.

“My choices today are subject to change. I will exercise and feel great. My flesh is not the boss of me.”

Whatever critical thing that you are saying to yourself is an opportunity to speak positivity, which can in turn completely change your response. As I looked at myself in that dressing room mirror, I decided that discouragement and negativity would not win. Instead, I stood up tall and said to myself, “Girl, you have worked hard and are having incredible results. You’ve made changes and are exercising. Everything you see right now that is discouraging you is subject to change. You’ve got this.” And, just like that, I stopped the giant of discouragement from stealing the joy of my current accomplishments and my future results.

You can physically make all the health changes in the world, but changing how you speak to yourself and how you handle discouragement will be one of the most significant silent components of long-term success.

You can do hard things and whatever is bothering you today IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!

If you think you might be dealing with a weight loss stall, check out these 10 reasons that may be causing a stall.

Here is an Amazon Keto List for many items you won’t find in your local grocery store and fun snacks.

Keto Meal Plan

Don’t miss this free printable of the Very Best Basic Keto/Low Carb Grocery List.

Keto Meal Plan

Are you looking for ways to save money? Check out these 10 easy tips for eating Keto on a budget.

Keto Meal Plan

Don’t miss these keto/low carb snacks to help you stay on track.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *