by JJ Smith
3. Remove energy vampires from your life.
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Energy vampires are people whose mere presence or conversation drains or sucks the life out of you. Energy vampires suck away all the positive energy from your life. Some people are not kind, nice, or supportive and you should minimize or eliminate the time you spend with them. Some of us have family members and friends ruining our self-esteem every day. Even if they are your flesh and blood, try to remove yourself from their presence as much as possible. Hurtful words negate any progress toward self-worth and self-love. If you have a plan or vision for your life, you have to guard your mind and spirit against negative critics and energy vampires.
I am always monitoring my energy level around certain people. If I feel my energy dipping or my mood saddening in someone’s presence, I will limit my exposure to that person. Negativity, just like positivity, is contagious. Be sure you are attracting positive energy in your life at all times. I love myself and the vision I have of my life too much to let negative, bitter, or small-minded people discourage me. I can transform any conversation with anyone to a place of positivity and enlightenment because my life and success depend upon it.
4. Create mini-habits to learn consistency.
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Losing weight requires a new set of habits. Your past habits are the reason you are at your current undesirable weight. So, you will need different habits in order to get a different result. Because it is easy to revert back to old habits, creating new ones will be like creating a fortress that is strong and reliable and will help you minimize setbacks on your journey.
A mini-habit is a small action or behavior that you do every day that is designed to help you achieve lasting change by ensuring consistent action over time. It can be so small and simple that it can take less than a minute to complete. The body and brain change best at a slow pace over time so the mini-habits align to help you achieve lasting change.
Examples of daily mini-habits include:
• Read one chapter in a book.
• Listen to one song that inspires you.
• Drink one green smoothie.
• Do ten jumping jacks.
You may feel like you can do more, and of course you can, but by making it so ridiculously simple, you can get to a point where you always do it without fail. When you always do something, you become unstoppable, plain and simple.
The best way to know if you have created a good mini-habit is to think about whether you can still do it on your worst, most unproductive day. If you can succeed in doing your mini-habit on your worst day, then you will not fail. You’ll also feel inspired by your consistency and naturally increase the habit day after day, week after week. If the habit was to do ten jumping jacks, you may find yourself doing fifty or a hundred in no time. However, you are only required to do the mini-habit each day. Having a low requirement, but exceeding it every day, is great for mastering consistency. It propels your upward potential toward greater habits, which leads to greatness in your life.
5. Create obstacles to avoid temptation.
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You always have a choice in everything. You have options. I remember when I used to work in an office, I would go to unhealthy restaurants with friends at lunch every day. Each morning, I would say, I am eating healthy today or I am bringing a healthy lunch. But as soon as lunchtime came around, I went to eat at unhealthy restaurants with my friends. Eventually, I made the decision to eat healthy at least three days a week to accelerate my weight loss. So, I started to schedule my meetings closer to lunchtime so I would not have time to go out to lunch. This would keep me stuck and not able to go out to lunch with my friends at least three days a week. This worked better for me, and I was able to get more work done and get out of there on time each evening. This was helpful because no matter how many times I packed lunch for myself and carefully planned my meals, my friends at work would sabotage my efforts. That was not their intention, but even those who love and care for you do not always support you day in and day out. Be sure you have a plan to avoid obstacles and temptations that you encounter each day. Another way to achieve this is to do your grocery shopping online to avoid impulse buys when you walk the aisles.
6. Get someone in your household to hold you accountable.
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Our eating habits are greatly influenced by our culture and by family and friends. Think about the people you eat with most often: loved ones, friends, and lovers. For a lot of us, food equals fun. We eat to socialize, celebrate, and show love to one another. How many people can say they eat right until they get around their family and friends? Our family and friends have the strongest influence on how successful we will be in changing our habits and living a healthy lifestyle. They often encourage us to indulge or tell us we look good and do not need to be on a diet. Whenever we tell someone we love that we are making some changes and getting healthier, their response will have a large effect on whether we succeed or fail.
Studies show that people who do not get support from loved ones are less successful in achieving their life goals. When you communicate to a family member that you are trying to lose weight, it is essential that they understand that your new lifestyle is important to you and show support and encouragement. If they do the opposite, or criticize your food choices, you will have a harder time succeeding, and this disagreement will become a source of stress and tension in the relationship. The ideal situation is when a family member decides to change their behavior along with you. That way, you can hold each other accountable. That way, if they challenge you and say “we” are not exercising enough, then you will not feel bossed around because they are speaking for the both of you. This kind of support will not feel condescending or judgmental and will increase your chance of success.
7. When you have to eat unhealthy foods to avoid hurting people’s feelings, eat only small amounts.
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For many families, food equals fun. Food is love, and food is how family shows love to one another, so when you change your eating habits and do not eat some of the things you used to, family can feel rejected because you turned down a meal or dessert. And if it’s Momma who made it just for you and you turned it down, she can feel like you rejected her, not just the food. The solution is to use time with family as a cheat meal. That way, you can enjoy a festive family function without hurting anyone’s feelings. Now you could say, it is too bad if their feelings are hurt, but I am going to do what is best for me, and that may work fine for you. However, for me, if Aunt Judy shows her love by baking a sweet potato pie, I’m gonna eat it and show her how much I appreciate her.
But what you can do to not go off track is to eat only a few spoonfuls of the unhealthy foods. There is no reason to go overboard, just take enough to enjoy the dish and show appreciation for a home-cooked meal made with love just for you. At the end of the day, the goal is to enjoy your family without totally sabotaging the progress you have made. Be sure to appreciate and love family and friends and make sure those emotions are directed at the person not just toward the food.
8. When you have to eat fast food, choose the healthy options on the menu.
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There are times when you only have a few minutes to grab a meal and fast food restaurants may be your only option. So, do not be afraid of drive-thru or fast food restaurants—they are not an automatic no. Most fast food restaurants have healthy options. For breakfast, choose oatmeal; for lunch and dinner, there are usually healthy salads and wraps. It is all about choices. You just need to choose the healthy option. Salads with meat in them will give you the right balance of carbs and proteins. This is great news because a lot of us use our hectic schedule as an excuse to eat unhealthy. Just choose wisely, get a quick, healthy meal, and keep it moving.
9. When in a fancy restaurant, do whatever you can to make your food healthier.
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This is a tricky one because oftentimes a date wants to take you to a nice resta
urant, and the best restaurants typically have the most unhealthy meal options. You will have to be prepared to improvise. For example, you can ask for sauces and toppings on the side and use them sparingly. Additionally, the new trend is for restaurants to offer a low-calorie or “skinny” option on the menu. But as a general rule of thumb, high-end restaurants are all about the special preparation of sauces (often creamy) and seasonings (often salty) by a chef more concerned with flavor than healthfulness. If you are on a date with a romantic partner, offer to share appetizers or large entrees. Make the meal a shared romantic exploration without either of you eating too much.
10. Have snack options ready for those afternoon cravings.
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Doesn’t it seem that everyone gets hungry in the afternoon? That period between lunch and dinner can seem like forever. Not only that, but energy dips in the afternoon, particularly if you had a light lunch. You could also just be crashing because you are sleep-deprived. Before you wander to the vending machine, first have a glass of water, which will make you feel fuller. Then, depending upon how hungry you still are, have healthy snacks handy. Healthy snack choices that will energize you include apples and peanut butter, nuts and seeds, hummus, or protein bars. What if you forget to bring your own snacks? Then try to choose the best options from the vending machine—such as, lightly salted popcorn, peanuts, etc. Avoid high-sugar snacks like cookies and candy bars.
11. When you consume alcohol, forego the mixers.
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Oftentimes, even weekly for some, we find ourselves at a happy hour with friends and coworkers. The important thing to remember is that the mixers—sodas, juices, and other mixers—are what make cocktails so calorie-rich and unhealthy. A better option is to have liquor on the rocks or neat, with no chasers. Now, in general, alcohol is not the healthiest thing to put in your body, but it doesn’t mean it has to be avoided altogether. Choose lower-calorie cocktails, such as gin, tequila, and tonic or cognac and a diet coke and enjoy yourself.
CONCLUSION
Now for your homework: Identify at least three success habits that you can implement in your life right away. Do not just rely on your willpower and self-control to lose weight. Think about how you can control your environment to minimize temptations and distractions. Over time, these success habits will naturally lead to more long-term success.
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Have a Support System in Place
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EVER WONDER WHY more than 60 percent of adults in the United States are overweight when there are so many diet plans, gadgets, and gyms available? There are many reasons, but one of the most important ones is that too few people understand the value of having a support system on their weight-loss journey. Having accountability partners keeps you on track and leads you down the road to successful, long-term weight loss.
There are some people who make up their mind to lose weight all on their own, but they are few and far between. If you are like me, you are not the type who can go it alone. Your support system can be a friend, family, spouse, coworker, or even a social media community. Whenever I fall off track, I go right to my Facebook community to get encouraged, motivated, and focused. I know almost everything about weight loss, but I still need extra support and encouragement when life gets hectic and stressful.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A SUPPORT SYSTEM?
Accountability
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It is easy to break promises to yourself to eat better and exercise. But when you are checking in with the people in your support group, you are more likely to stick to your weight-loss routine. A support system keeps you accountable to your weight-loss goals and will help you stay focused, strong, and sensible.
Since 95 percent of dieters fail within a year and more than 70 percent of gym-goers quit in less than three months, you are going to have to do some things differently if you want long-term success. Studies show that people enjoy exercise more when they do it with a friend because it feels more like socializing. The boredom of exercising is replaced by the fun of talking to a friend.
Gets You Through the Rough Times
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When your energy or motivation is low, sometimes you need an extra push. This is perfectly normal, so plan for these type of setbacks. Having a workout partner or any type of support system will keep you from falling off. A friend will catch you before you fall and encourage you to get back on the program quickly. Think of your time with a workout partner like an appointment. Even though people break promises to themselves all the time, rarely do they miss appointments. No one really wants to let someone down. You will feel much more compelled to keep your appointment when someone is counting on you.
Sets Up a Collective Goal
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You want people in your support system who understand your goals, people who will help motivate you when you feel like giving up. By having partners who support you, you will not be alone. You will have cheerleaders and mentors picking you up when you fall and helping you every step of the way. You all have a common, collective goal and remain committed to one another in achieving it.
The relationships you have during your weight-loss journey will be critical to getting to your goal weight. Even if you have tried before and failed, having someone there for support makes all the difference in the world. If you are dealing with a tough emotional situation or late-night boredom eating, talking to someone about your challenges improves your odds of succeeding.
Think about how it would be if you decided to build an extra room on your house. Think about how much time it would take, given all the mistakes you would make because you are not a builder/contractor. You have not learned the craft or the tricks to be successful in building a new room. You would have to get a coach or an expert to guide you through the process to ensure success. Without the expert, imagine how many times you would have to stop, restart, and make adjustments to get back on track.
Now imagine how much time, effort, and money you could save by simply having that expert with you right from the beginning. This person could be teaching you, cheering you on when you make progress, and helping you avoid pitfalls to keep you moving forward.
Similarly, it is difficult to lose weight on your own. This is why having the support of a coach is just as important on your weight-loss journey. A coach could be a fitness trainer, a weight-loss expert, or an online community that is a virtual weight-loss coaching program. Staying close to a group of folks who have gone down that road themselves or someone who has coached hundreds of people to lose weight before you will greatly increase your chance of getting to your ideal weight. They will provide lots of motivation, inspiration, and the proper tools, knowledge, and guidance along the way.
WHY A WEIGHT-LOSS SUPPORT SYSTEM CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE FOR SUCCESS
Over the past couple of years, I have helped millions of people lose weight. I have seen great success for some, but for others, not much progress. Losing weight really can be a difficult goal to accomplish for some people.
A great benefit of having the support of family and friends is that they can benefit too. One study found that friends and family of overweight people who lose weight also lost weight themselves. By supporting a loved one or friend trying to lose weight, you will likely begin a better lifestyle for yourself!
CREATING YOUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE
You will have your greatest success at weight loss when you surround yourself with like-minded people working toward the same goal. They will understand your journey, what you are doing, why you are doing it, and the challenges you are going through, and they can support and motivate you along the way.
It is important to create a circle of influence that is filled with positive, supportive people. They should have a winner’s mind-set and a “can-do” attitude. They should be people who will lift you up and not tear you down. They should be people who will listen but accept no excuses from you.
It is not enough just to ha
ve a support system around you, you have to take action and utilize them. You have to share your goals with them and ask that they support you as you work toward those goals. If your spouse and children are a part of your support system, it is important to let them know exactly what your goals are so they do not inadvertently sabotage you. If your husband constantly brings home cookies and ice cream, and you are struggling to resist them, try making a plan to keep the treats out of the house or have your husband not eat them in front of you. You will need the support of the people closest to you to increase your chance of success.
It can also be fun to have the support of an online support community, new virtual friends with whom you can learn from as well as make mistakes and overcome challenges together. They can share with you what has worked for them and what has not and keep you highly motivated.
