I’ve lost and gained the same 10-20 pounds more times than I can remember.  I was a yo-yoer for about 15 years and it took me that long to finally make it stick.  It was a lonnnnng journey but I’m so thankful for it because it brought me here so I can help make sure others don’t make the same mistakes I did.

In this article you’re going to read what no one else really talks about when it comes to losing weight. In short, I’m going to teach you how to win at weight loss.  If weight loss was as easy as sticking to a cookie cutter meal plan, or if all it took was 21 days of a program to make it stick, we’d have no issues with being unhappy in our bodies or wanting to lose weight. We’d be struggle and stress free.  But we all know that’s just not the reality. So, I’m going to give you solutions to the struggles that come along with losing weight. Then, if you want a more customized approach and accountability to reach your goals, I’ve created something for you at the bottom of this article.

If you’ve been yo-yo dieting for years, are jumping from diet to diet or can’t seem to make your results stick, this article is dedicated to you.

Buckle up cuz it’s about to get real!

1. You are absolutely, 100% guaranteed to NOT be perfect.

You know those spokesmodels for weight loss programs and the celebrities who endorse weight loss companies?  Guys- those people are paid to look like they do and they’re paid to stick to the program to prove to us average peeps that the plan works and all you have to do is buy what they’re selling. We’ve probably all heard about celebs like Kirstie Alley, Marie Osmond and Oprah who have followed meal plans, lost weight then gained it all back and then some.  This right here proves that the plans don’t work in the long haul…right?! 

While I seriously urge you (kinda begging you actually) to not join any weight loss program where you have to stick to a meal plan, I can also appreciate that everyone has their own journey and needs to do what they think will work for them.  Just know that if you decide to follow a meal plan, the chances of you sticking to it 100% is extremely slim.

Life happens and when we fight against that, we’ll lose.  Every time.  Your friends will want to go out for drinks, your family will have a get-together, you’ll forget your prepped meals at home sometimes, you’ll over eat, you won’t be hungry for breakfast, you’ll have day where you won’t drink as much water as you probably should and you’ll eat things like pizza and Chinese food.  This is life, guys.  You can’t expect to stick to a meal plan or program that doesn’t allow space for life to happen and urges you to be perfect and on the other hand, you can’t expect yourself to be perfect either because…you’re human.l

2. You won’t always feel motivated.

I know how it feels to start a new program.  Motivation is at an all-time high.  Maybe you bought a new journal to track your meals, bought new Tupperware to put your prepped meals into, you have a grocery list planned with what meals you’ll eat on which days and at which times and you’re genuinely excited about the journey ahead.

All that is great because you should be excited about making a positive change in your life.  However (you knew that was coming), you won’t always feel so enthusiastic and motivated to get shit done.  And that’s ok!  Because it’s normal!

So what do you do when motivation dips?  You go back to why you’re doing this in the first place.  What’s the reason for all this hard work?  What is it about the outcome that makes the hard work so worth it?  What’s the thing that got you started in the first place?  Your answers to these questions need to be so powerful that they propel you back into action.

Another option?  You freaking do it anyway!  It’s not always thrilling to go to the gym and it’s not always super fun to meal prep, but if weight loss is what you want, you gotta work for it! Drop the excuses and get it done.  No one else is gonna do it for you.

3. There will be some days or weeks where you might gain weight.

If you’re using the scale to measure progress or even if you’re simply using how your clothes fit to measure your progress, you probably won’t feel like a rock star each and every day.  Things like hormones, the type of foods we eat, the amount of water we drink, how much sodium there is in our foods, what kind of workout we did that day or the day before can all effect our bodyweight and can effect how our clothes fit or what the scale says.

When you’re on a weight loss journey, you can’t live and die by the scale because it plays tricks on us. Remember that it’s what we do consistently over time that effects our overall results. Even if the scale goes up a couple pounds or your jeans feel a little snugger than last week, keep going.  Keep doing what you’re doing and push through and the results will follow.

4. You’ll probably have to figure out a new way to have a social life to match your new lifestyle.

Yes, you can still go out to dinner, have drinks and eat donuts while you’re losing weight, you’ll just have to start picking and choosing how often you indulge.  You’ll probably have to plan ahead a bit more than you’re used to when going out to eat or out for drinks in order to stay on target to reach your goals.  You can do simple things like ordering the chicken dish without the alfredo sauce or opting for drinking more water than vodka.  You might have to make some sacrifices like skipping out on the fries and getting the side salad so you can have a cocktail or two and it’s worth it because you’ll be brining yourself closer to your goals while still having a social life- and enjoying your life.

All that said, at the end of the day there’s really nothing you can eat in one day that can ruin your progress but it’s important to plan your treats accordingly. Weight loss is 100% about what you do consistently and following a program that works for you.  So you can go out to dinner,, have a few cocktails and enjoy yourself and nothing bad will happen, I promise, so long as the majority of your meals are on point.

5. You’ll have to learn how to be your #1 cheerleader.

This one is hugely important.  It’s crucial that you cheer yourself on instead of beating yourself up during this big period of change.  If you eat a few less than ideal meals, give yourself a pep talk and get back on track instead of telling yourself that you’re a failure.  I’ll tell you from personal experience and I’ll speak for some of my clients when I tell you that if you’re betting against yourself and calling yourself a failure or loser or tell yourself that it’s not even worth it to try, you will not succeed. Plain and simple.  If, however, you start talking to yourself like you would to a friend who is on a weight loss journey and are supportive and forgiving of yourself, you’ll make the journey a whole lot easier and more successful!

6. It will be so worth it.

The journey is worth it. Not because when we lose weight our lives magically change.  You aren’t guaranteed to be happier, less stressed, more attractive and you might not find that perfect partner. The heavens won’t open up and shower you with all of life’s blessing that you were hoping for.  In reality, you’ll wake up and life will go on as it always does. What will happen though is you’ll be changed not only externally but internally, too.  That feeling of pride knowing you set a goal of changing your lifestyle and you achieved it. You can go shopping for new clothes and you can show off your new physique (because GO girl!) but more importantly  in your heart of hearts you’ll know that the weight loss journey was about so much more than losing excess body weight.  It was about changing your life for the better without having to be perfect, without feeling 100% motivated all the time, knowing that weight loss isn’t linear and you’ve made it through the ups and downs and that you’ve found a new support system in yourself that you may never have tapped into before. Wins all around!