You want to eat much healthier; you really want to make it happen and finally get rid of these pounds for good. But life just seems to get in the way all the time and you're wondering why you can't just effortlessly move forward.
Sometimes the biggest obstacle is not food or your busy schedule; it's your mindset. Here are 8 things that can stop you from making progress on your weight loss journey.
1. You know what to do but you don't do it.
You've spent hours researching information about nutrition and you know what you need to eat. But somehow you can't manage to sit down and plan your meals, find time for grocery shopping, let alone cook those healthy meals you know would help you reach your goals.
Most of the time, this is because you're afraid of failing. One of the greatest things that stop you from moving forward is the fear of failure. To get back in the game, you need to realize that avoiding your battles won't make them go away; you have to face them, one step at a time.
2. You keep waiting for the perfect time.
You think now is not the right moment; the holiday season is coming, you've got this new job, and you think "later" will always be better because you'll be prepared. The truth is the perfect time will never come.
Again, it's fear of failure that's lurking around the corner. What you need to do is stop letting doubt, fear and uncertainty kick in. Fear is part of the game and will always be there. You need to be courageous and dare to get started, now.
3. You don't believe you can do it.
As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "believe you can and you're half way there". If you don't have the firm belief that you can succeed, you won't push yourself too hard, you will refrain from taking action, and in the end you won't get the results you want.
Maybe it's what adults told you when you were a child, or maybe you're letting your own limiting beliefs dictate every move you make now. You need to work on yourself, and come to a place where you believe you are good enough and can succeed.
4. You avoid the truth.
This is what keeps many people stuck. You know you snack too often, or you eat too many convenience foods, or you don't sleep enough, plus you are angry at yourself for packing the pounds in the first place. And you don't want to admit all this because it would make you feel bad and guilty.
Once you're being honest with yourself, and you admit the truth as a cold hard fact, not as something that makes you feel guilty or "not enough", you can make great and fast progress. The truth can be hard to deal with, but ultimately it will set you free.
5. You let a few negative people sabotage you.
There will always be some people who will be critical and negative, no matter what you eat or look like. They will find dozens of reasons why you can't lose weight or be healthy, implying you don't have what it takes to succeed.
Most of the time, this is because they lack self-confidence, they failed at the same venture in the past, or they feel challenged by your dedication and don't want to have to question themselves about their own weight.
Don't let them sabotage your efforts. Instead, try to surround yourself with positive people who will be supportive and cheer you up instead of dragging you down.
6. You're judging yourself far too much.
Are you having a negative inner monologue every time you look at yourself in the mirror, or whenever you're having chocolate cake or some good cheese on your pasta? Are you being hard on yourself every time you're not having a "healthy meal"?
Then, you are judging yourself too much, and this prevents you from moving forward. What you need to do instead is create a positive story about yourself and about your goals, focus on everything you've accomplished already and on every positive change you make to your diet. This attitude will make things a lot easier for you.
7. You want your diet to be perfect.
Wanting to have the perfectly healthy diet can be a huge obstacle to getting results. Just like the perfect body, the perfect diet is an ideal, which means it doesn't exist. Going after it will make you freeze and feel stuck and miserable rather than move ahead.
It's a much better approach to accept you're not perfect and slowly make improvements to your current diet, one step at a time. It will also boost your self-confidence as you're moving forward and start getting results.
8. You're not being consistent enough.
This may be the biggest obstacle that keep you from moving forward. Most people struggle with consistency in one or more areas of life. The truth is that in order to lose ten, twenty or more pounds, you first need to lose one pound. Then you need to keep repeating what works, consistently (and change strategy when it no longer works because of physiological adaptations).
Keep the vision of where you want to be intact and vivid in your mind. Don't be afraid of "getting off track" or "falling off the bandwagon"; simply be consistent day in and day out. And you will get there.
My goal here is to give you encouragement to believe in yourself, keep going, be patient, and speak to yourself with kindness and love. You can do this.
Anne Ricci is dedicated to helping women eat more real food, boost their energy and feel good in their body. You can join her tribe and get personalized tips at AnnesHealthyKitchen's Community.