Anyone who is overweight or has ever been overweight knows that there comes a day and a time where you’ve had enough. You have turned your head the other way for too long and it’s time to confront the problem and make the change you always knew you should. This moment shows itself in a variety of magnitudes. For some people, it is an emotional low that wakes them up and for others, it is their rock bottom. The depth of suffering and the desire to change will determine how aggressively they attack making change. Unfortunately, this wake-up call is oftentimes just one of many…

Starting a weight loss plan and truly losing weight for the long term do not go hand in hand very often. For the majority of individuals, it takes many attempts to figure out the formula that is right for them. Even worse, some never do.

I will highlight 3 of the many reasons people fail in hopes to help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls I see.

Reason 1 – Doing someone else’s plan

This shows itself in pre-made workout & nutrition plans, the newest fad diets, and gimmicky systems that prescribe specific supplements. If it’s premade odds are it ain’t gonna last for you! These programs are so deceiving because they take advantage of the human metabolism to drop weight fast.

If your goal is to drop weight fast these plans will work! And that is why they remain so popular.

These plans may be the square peg that fits your metabolism square hole just right, and because of that, the weight will fly off! But your personality, lifestyle, preferences, schedule, and responsibilities are not taken into consideration. The intangibles that make up who you are and how you live your life every day are unique to you. The plan that works for you will have to be a far more abstract and specific shape than that square peg you’re trying to force into your round hole.

Think about it, I’m sure you’ve been down this path before. You hit that moment where it is time to change. You find a new sexy diet and workout plan that promises to use the latest research and science to solve all your problems. You dive in headfirst with optimism and enthusiasm. 1 week in you’ve, already lost 4 pounds! The next week, another 3! You start to get confident, almost cocky and you loosen up the discipline. “It is so easy to lose weight. I can probably keep losing even if I start to introduce some of the things I used to enjoy, like rest days or dinner and drinks at the bar.” The weight loss comes to a screeching halt. You try to jump back into the swing of things on Monday but you’ve made the cardinal mistake. You reminded yourself how great life is indulging once in a while and the motivation is gone. “Is life worth living if I have to be this strict? Is there no room in this plan for me to live spontaneously? I don’t know if I can pull this off for the rest of the week let alone the rest of my life…”

And just like that the plan that seemed too good to be true really is. There was no lying in the advertisements for the plan, but there was a bit of misleading. It is what it is and it does what it does. But what you didn’t realize is, this “perfect” plan is perfect for someone else.

Reason 2 – The all-or-nothing mindset.

You come to the depressing realization that this premade plan from internet heaven isn’t the right fit for you. The wind is sucked out of your sails, motivation is back to an all-time low, and negative thoughts snatch up all the real estate in your head. In a condition like this, there is little hope to salvage any of the good pieces of the program. You doubt yourself. You doubt what you thought you knew. You believe you are destined to be overweight forever. Just like that, your “all in” approach comes to a crashing halt and you’re left with nothing. No hope. No focus. No goal. No motivation. No boundaries to what you are willing to feed yourself.

This all-or-nothing mindset is a roller coaster. You may know these people, and you may be this person. This person loses weight fast and puts it on faster. When they’re in the groove it’s all they talk about. Every moment of every day their food and exercise engulfs their life. They seem superhuman and you only wish you could harness some of that. But as soon as life throws a speed-bump and their 10/10 day turns into a 7/10 day they are burned out and defeated. You stop seeing them at the gym. You stop seeing them on social media. Suddenly they have new interests and hobbies that are far more comfortable.

This mindset is so common that we see it in all areas of life, usually from the same people. This person goes through seasons. In the summer they are socializing and focused on living life to the fullest. Filling every weekend with excursions. Filling every gap of time during the week with an event or a treat at the cafe. “Living their best life”. Fall comes around and their mind shifts to work/school/business. The balance shifts into another area of focus that they take their deep dive into. Winter is all about home as they begin to make things more warm and cozy. New house projects, decorating, family time, and hosting for the holidays. Then spring hits. As they shake off the winter chill they realize it’s been 9 months since they were health-conscious and the scale shows it. Clothes are fitting tighter than the year before. As more time is being spent outside and fewer layers are being worn to cover up they realize the damage and their confidence takes a nosedive. Back to the grind to get that beach body!

Reason 3 – Information overload/Majoring in the Minor stuff

Having been through this cycle many times our test subject has lots of past experience to draw up their new plan from. They look back on what worked in the past in hopes to lose the extra 20 pounds before bathing suit season. “Atkins worked great – meat and cheese all day baby! But wait, plant-based worked great as well, salads and soy here we come! I should get back to intermittent fasting and starve the fat off my body! Or should I speed up my metabolism with 6 small meals a day, heck it works for the bodybuilders! But what about that shake cleanse that got me ready for that cruise, I’ll just eat liquids for a month and be bikini ready! No, No, No, I’ve got it….I’ll do it all at once and get 5x the results.

Think about it. You or someone you know definitely took this approach and confused the f*$ck out of themselves for a few weeks before throwing in the towel. The information overload here is obvious, but what do I mean by Majoring in the Minor stuff? This is a concept I am borrowing from Martin Rooney, the king of simplifying the problem and keeping the focus on the important stuff.

If you’re tired of being overweight and you’re ready to invest in a coach to help get started, you know where to find me. If you’re not ready to make that leap, then keep tuning in, more info to come!- If you’re buying the newest fake sugar substitute for your coffee, but using 5 packets 3x a day, you might be majoring in the minor stuff.

– If you’re buying fat-free milk, but eating processed foods loaded with vegetable oils, you might be majoring in the minor stuff.

– If you’re going keto, but eating only salami, cheese, and fake almond flour dessert snacks all day, you might be majoring in the minor stuff.

-If you’re buying organic, grass-fed, and pasture-raised, but you’re still getting shitfaced every weekend… You might be majoring in the minor stuff.

-If you’re only eating beef jerky all day because “it’s keto”… You might be a redneck…. And you might also be majoring in the minor stuff.

Major Stuff: Remove Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Processed Carbohydrates, and other processed foods. Drink lots of water and avoid ruining your coffee and tea with crap. Eat enough protein. Eat real foods, foods that you can identify where they came from. Exercise often.

Minor Stuff: Anything they put on packaging or marketing materials to make you believe it is healthier than Real Food.

Real Food: Meat, Fish, Eggs, Vegetables, Fruit, other stuff from the earth.

Not Real Food: Anything that was originally on the real food list and then got tampered with. Also, anything that wasn’t on the real food list.

In conclusion, You are a unique snowflake. There is a lifestyle that fits YOUR needs and keeps YOU healthy. You are the biggest component of that. You are the one responsible for that. You are the one who will be rewarded. No one can do it for you, and no program will solve all your problems. Set reasonable goals. Make reasonable changes. Be honest with yourself. Continue to move in the right direction.