6 Things Nobody Tells You About Weight Loss
Hey Angels and Alphas,
It’s so easy to take the first step on your weight-loss journey with all sorts of ideals and expectations about what you have to do, how fast it’s going to happen, and what you’re going to look like in the end.
But as soon as you get started, you’ll quickly realize that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution that will help you get the result you want. Not to mention, you’ll likely experience a variety of unexpected feelings – both good and bad – as your mind and body start to change a little bit every day.
That being said, there are some vital things you should know before you start that will help you eat healthier, track your progress, and make all your new healthy habits stick. But unfortunately, these things are so hard to reach because of the forest of pointless or blatantly useless information out there in the weight loss world.
That’s why today, we’re here to take a look at 6 things nobody really tells you about weight loss – and how you can use them to your advantage to make achieving your goals a much easier, much quicker process.
#1 YOU MAY NOT BE BURNING AS MANY CALORIES AS YOU NEED FOR WEIGHT LOSS
There’s no one concrete way to know how many calories you’re burning during exercise. If you’re someone who works out every day and leads a generally active lifestyle, you might be led to believe that the number of calories you consume doesn’t really matter.
But then, as soon as you start tracking your food intake, you start to realize that you’re likely overestimating how many calories you’re burning during your workout or your usual day running around the office. Start tracking your intake and open your eyes as to the specific numbers and metrics you’re trying to reach for weight loss.
#2 EVEN IF YOUR FOOD IS HEALTHY, PORTION SIZES MATTER
You can spend months and years of your life thinking that you’re eating healthy. But once you start logging your intake and progress, a common problem that arises is the size and number of portions people consume throughout the day.
For example, if you’re someone used to chugging down a healthy snack consisting of mixed nuts during your lunch break, you might be underestimating the number of calories you’re consuming. 8 walnuts alone can result in consuming an excess of 100 calories. Even wholesome, healthy foods can be calorie bombs if you don’t pay attention to them, and they’ll result in heaps of trouble when trying to adjust your portion sizes for weight loss. Start tracking them early!
#3 WEIGHT LOSS DOESN’T WORK UNLESS IT’S SUSTAINABLE
Many people jump on a weight loss program, adopt a strict diet and exercise regime for a period of time, lose a couple of dozen pounds, and think they’ve won the battle.
But as soon as they get off that diet or stop watching their weight, they gain back the weight even faster than they lost it.
A lot of people have learned that they have to stop fat dieting and change their lifestyle through incremental habit changes, but a lot of other people are still left in the dark. They’re following the vicious cycle of trend diets and yo-yo weight gain, losing months (even years) of their life without making lasting progress. Leave all that behind and create a workout and diet plan you’ll have no problem sticking with for the rest of your life… and let it transform your body in a positive way.
#4 THE BENEFITS ARE MUCH MORE THAN A NUMBER ON THE SCALE
Many people are obsessed with weighing a specific weight. Even people who go on weight-loss journeys that last years, lose upwards of 100 pounds, and become a much better, healthier version of themselves… sometimes obsess over this small number and go crazy as soon as the number on the scale goes above their target.
The reality is that number doesn’t matter. What matters is having a ton of energy, looking and feeling better in your own skin, reducing weight-related pains and aches, moving around more easily, and countless other things that have nothing to do with that insignificant number. Chances are, if you’re looking for weight loss motivation, there’s more than one place you can find it.
#5 YOU CAN EASILY DEFEAT YOUR SUGAR CRAVINGS
Some people never even take the first step on their weight loss journey because they’re discouraged by the fact that they’ll have to constantly battle against sugar and chocolate cravings. They might be led to believe that this challenge is too overwhelming to even try, especially if they define themselves as someone who has more cravings than the normal person.
But the reality is, cravings are not some metaphysical phenomena – they’re measurable, manageable, and reducible to the point where they have no control over you and your ability to achieve your weight loss goals. That’s a promise.
#6 LOSING WEIGHT IS NOT A CONFIDENCE QUICK-FIX
Some people believe that reaching their desired weight loss goal will magically make them feel good about themselves. But the reality is, if you’re looking for flaws when you look in the mirror, you’ll always find them.
And as soon as you realize that the number on the scale isn’t going to make you magically happy with yourself, you can get to work on the root cause of your insecurities.
When you start journaling what you’re grateful for, doing inner work to explore the depths of your personality, and fuel that with your relentless ambition to better yourself (via weight loss,) that’s when you’ll achieve the lasting mental transformation and self-image you’re truly seeking… and not when you reach that number on the scale you want.
