Are You Prepared for Lifelong Weight Loss?

**If you would like to listen to this blog post, scroll to the bottom for the audio version.

A year and a half ago I tried Keto. It was awesome! I got to eat as much avocado, peanut butter and coconut oil my heart desired.   It was a dream came true.

Until it wasn’t.

I started in May. May was great. The kids were still in school, I had a routine and there weren’t very many celebrations to contend with. Then summer hit. The lure of ice cream treats or a cold brew at the end of an evening was too much. All my head could think about was how I was going to hit my macros just right so I had a few extra carbs just to have a lick of something sweet. 

My mind started to become consumed. “Did I hit my fat goal for today?” “I had those blueberries. Maybe that was too many carbs. What if I kicked myself out of keto?” “Actually, maybe I have a few carbs left and I can eat this extra portion of veggies. Oh, those fresh strawberries do look good, but I really shouldn’t.” 

Yes, maybe I was a little extreme with my “ketoing”, but I thought it was the only way to be skinny and happy. I stuck with it for about 3 months. Yes, physically I felt good but mentally I was a mess. Every time, I would eat something that I thought I shouldn’t, I would beat myself up. Plus, I would negotiate with myself as to how much I could eat and when I could eat. Most of my time was spent fixated on hitting my macros. (If you don’t know what macros are, good! No need to.)

Now some ketoers do not have this problem. Bless them. They are much less strict on themselves, as they should be. 

But I was crazy. If I kicked myself out of ketosis, I made it mean I was a failure. Then a spiral of mental abuse would ensue. 

There are so many topics I could talk about here, but I want to focus on this:

How you loose the weight is how you are going to keep the weight off. 

So choose wisely.

I did this so many times on my weight loss journey. I would start something; make a commitment for 30 days. In my head I was thinking, “I’ll do this for 30 days, feel better, and go back to how I was doing things before with maybe a few small modifications.”

I was delusional. One, I didn’t build a habit in 30 days (if I even made it to 30 days). Two, I went back to my “normal” routine. That meant going back to how I disliked myself before I lost the weight  and eating what I ate before. I was so excited that I was done that I would actually go overboard. The heaviness of the weight and self-loathing just came back.

Example above. I stuck with keto for a good three months. But once I started to slide, I slid way down….over my head. I gained every pound I lost back and more.  Plus, how I felt about myself and my body didn't change.

Here was the problem, I was looking for the next quick fix. I wasn’t planning for the long term. I wanted something that I would see results now. 

It was more about lasting one more day on the diet rather than creating healthy habits and a healthy mindset.

My mental health didn’t matter to me as much as my physical. I didn't understand that fixing the inside would change the outside that much quicker and easier.

I love my life and how I eat now. I actually eat very similar to keto. I don’t eat a lot of flour or sugar. Also, I like to fast just like I did when I was doing keto.

This is the distinction between then and now, my mind is so much different. My thinking about food has shifted. I manage my emotions and don't turn to food for comfort as much. This has been a game changer. My mind isn’t focused on what I’m going to eat, when I’m going to eat, where or how much. I now have the mental capacity to really stretch my faith, think bigger, make better decisions and live with more intentional joy. Plus, my energy has tripled.

This is a lifestyle now. This is something I can maintain. For once, I finally believe this won’t ever change. This is how I’m going to live and eat the rest of my life.

Oh my goodness, if I could just give you a piece of the freedom I feel now.

Oh wait. I can. Through coaching.

Friends, be very careful how you decide to use to loose weight. Take your time. Be thorough. Decided if you can live and think this way for the rest of your life.

 Don’t try to fit your life and mindset into losing weight.

 Fit losing weight into your life and mindset.

That’s how you’ll succeed.

If you want to find out more about how to create weight loss that lasts, sign up for a free 45-minute coaching session.  Click on the coaching tab above, scroll to the bottom and sign up!