You can’t lose weight because of this fact, among other things, the speed you want the weight to drop off isn’t realistic to the discipline you need to sustain it. Notice I didn’t use motivation here, because being motivated to start this journey isn’t going to be enough for you to be consistent when you stop feeling like it and that fountain of delusion runs dry. Here’s two ways you can approach this weight loss game, fast and furious, or slow and controlled.

When you decide to use a fast approach to losing weight, you have to understand that your life is going to dramatically change in ways that are going to challenge your determination. Let’s define “fast approach” as a 2lb + weight loss goal per week. You’re going to be uncomfortable with how little calories you’re allowed to consume plus the little energy you’re going to have as a result of this.

There’s a quote i recently read I like that goes like this: “you can have anything you want but you can’t have everything you want”

Are you prepared to give up time being social? When you meet up with friends, it usually involves food and drinks. You can say bye to those because it’s not fun being around people who aren’t on a diet when you are and it’s also not fun being around people who are on a diet when you’re not.

Are you willing to track every single calorie? Tracking calories sucks but it’s a necessary evil for knowing how many calories you’re eating to ensure you’re in a calorie deficit. It’s a skill you can learn with practice and something that’ll stay with you for the rest of your life. You don’t need to track calories forever either; the people who promote intuitive eating are the ones who spent time understanding food composition (protein, carbs, fats) and learned there’s no such thing as healthy or unhealthy foods. There are foods that’ll help you reach your goal and foods that’ll hurt your timeline for reaching your goal.

When you decide to use a slow and controlled approach to losing weight, you have to understand that change takes time and if this was easy, nobody in the world would be fat. Nobody brags about having the fastest sex or being able to scarf down food instantly, unless you’re in competition, and the same mindset should be used here too.

When your calorie deficit isn’t steep, you have more freedom in your life to make the process more enjoyable. You can have more “fun foods”, you can go out more without feeling guilty, and you don’t run the risk of sacrificing muscle for a lower number on the scale. When you take your time, you optimize your ability to make life-long habits which will prevent you from regaining weight after you’ve stopped dieting.

The more realistic you are about your goals and approach, the more likely you are to be successful with transforming your body. But if your mindset isn’t starting in a good place, your journey is going to be short-lived. Dieting isn’t for the faint of heart and it doesn’t take rocket science to figure out a weight loss plan.

What will separate you from those who succeed versus those who don’t is having a clearly defined “why” and a willingness to accept failure as a lesson for going forward. You’re going to encounter obstacles that will test you and my hope for you is you’re the person who adjusts their speed instead of calling it quits before you reach the finish line.

“The man who loves walking will walk further than the man who loves the destination”