Whether you are just starting your weight loss journey or you’ve been at it for some time, today we will discuss four important questions that we encourage you to ask yourself. When you ask yourself these questions, be as real and honest with yourself as possible. There are no right or wrong answers, just answers that may help you in the long run!
1. What is your biggest motivating factor for losing weight?
The answer to this question will vary for everyone. Maybe you’re worried about your health or maybe you just don’t like the way you look with a few extra pounds on your body. If your biggest concern is how you feel in your body or what you see when you look in the mirror, ask yourself why. In what ways does your weight hold you back from living the life that you want to live?
It’s important to understand the deeper reasons why you want to see and experience change. Then ask yourself, what would change in terms of how you will feel about yourself once you reach your goal? Maybe it’s that you will feel more confident in your body.
Or maybe getting healthier will ease your worry about being around long enough to see your grandchildren grow up. Imagining how you will feel about yourself once you reach your goal can help with your motivation on a daily basis. Whenever you feel like the process is too hard, it can be helpful to remind yourself of why you want to reach your goal. If this happens, just imagine that feeling of how different things will be for you once you reach it.
2. Are your goals realistic?
Be honest with yourself with this question, because it doesn’t help you to hold yourself to standards that are unattainable or too rigid. When was the last time you were at your goal weight? Was it in high school? Before you had three children? Sometimes our bodies may not realistically get back down to a weight we once were a long time ago. Being realistic with your goal weight can make a big difference in how you feel. How different would you feel if you were a little more flexible with your goals and expectations around weight loss?
If you have an unrealistic goal around your ideal weight, it may prevent you from celebrating your successes along the way. Or you may feel like you are a failure if you never get there, despite making great progress. Negative mindsets that stem from unrealistic goals and expectations won’t help you. If you try to hold yourself to standards that are unrealistic, you may actually hinder your own progress. But if you shift your mindset around a goal weight that is practical, you will feel better about the progress you are making along the way.
This applies to any goal you set for yourself, whether it be your weight loss goal or how many times you will go to the gym each week. Sometimes it’s best to start off with smaller, more attainable goals and then work your way up.
3. What are the biggest challenges you face following your meal plan?
It’s okay if the process doesn’t feel easy. And it’s alright to admit if you are struggling with a certain aspect of your weight loss journey. If you’re not honest with yourself about what is feeling hard for you, then you can’t make steps to fix it.
It’s normal for people to experience some sort of struggle that is hard to overcome. We recommend writing a list of the biggest challenges you face and then trying to come up with solutions for the problem.
For example, if you find yourself too tired after work to cook a big meal, will it help if you meal prep on your day off? If going to the grocery store for ingredients each week takes too much time out of your day, would using a grocery delivery service help? Coming up with solutions around your problem areas can help tremendously, but if you don’t admit what is challenging for you, then you may never find the solutions that will make the whole process easier.
4. Do you need support around accountability?
Do you struggle to hold yourself accountable? Maybe you are doing this program alone while your family eats other meals and you’re finding it hard to hold yourself accountable while facing temptation every day. Or maybe you have a hard time with self-motivation and you don’t have anyone close to you who can help support you along your journey. If you’re struggling in this area, you always have the option of working directly with a G-Plan’s nutritionist. Oftentimes, people actually reach their health goals faster when working directly with a nutritionist. Not only do you get ongoing support with check-in calls and 24/7 email and chat support, but our nutritionist team can also help customize your meal plans to be even more tailored to you. The G-Plans nutritionists have worked with countless clients, so a lot of the struggles you may be having are things they are well-equipped in handling.