5 Reasons You are not Hitting Your Fat Loss Goals (that have nothing to do with food or exercise)

Get Your Mind Right

Get Your Mind Right! is one of my favorite mantras.  So many people attempt to make changes in their lives without setting their minds to changing.  In order for you to hit your fat loss goals you must get your mind right.

In my experience as a fitness professional the main reason people do not succeed in hitting their health goals, has little to do with nutrition and exercise and everything to do with their mindsets.  

In this blog series, we are going to look at 5 major reasons why people do not hit their fat loss goals.  These are in no particular order, but I would like us to take some time to really marinate on the first two:

Why am I not hitting my goals?

You want to commit to a healthier lifestyle and you have made some changes, but you aren't seeing any results.  You may have started cleaning up your eating, juicing, taking a weight loss supplement, and have joined the gym.  Yes, there has been SOME improvement, but you're not where you want to be and it doesn't look like you're going to get there anytime soon.

What gives?

You can't isolate the physical dimension of your life

My own personal philosophy of health and wellness is that we are 3 dimensional beings: Mind, Body, and Spirit. Trying to compartmentalize each dimension does not work.  Each of these dimensions are interdependent on one another and trying to fix one without working on all of the others is futile and will ultimately lead to failure.

I can tell you as someone who is training for purely physical reasons that my mind and spirit is involved in the process.  My mind has got to be COMMITTED to the goal that I have set for myself.  My spirit is what keeps me going every day and helps me to persevere past the discouragement, the negative self talk, and gives me the faith to BELIEVE that I will hit my goals.  Having these 3 dimensions interdependent on one another has given me a healthy perspective of competition.  It isn't about thinking my life is going to suddenly get better because I have competed onstage in a bikini and heels...it's about fulfilling my goal to myself.

Why am I not seeing results?.

So let's look at 5 Reasons why you are not hitting your fat loss goals that have nothing to do with diet or exercise.

1.  You are making your weight the sole focus of your unhappiness.

One of the Biggest Loser contestants said it best.  “I lost all this weight but I still have a mortgage, credit card debt, and student loans.”  She learned a lesson most people learn when they hit their fitness goals:  It isn't going to solve all of your problems.  If you're miserable at 25% Body Fat, then you will be miserable at 2% Body Fat.

Now does losing body fat help you to feel better and give you more energy? Yes of course!  I think everyone should try to be the healthiest version of themselves and I KNOW that exercise helps to improve your mood and outlook on life, but if you're one of these people who say,

If only I lost 30 lbs my entire life would be different.

I have news for you:  No it wouldn't because those same insecurities and problems you have would manifest themselves in a different form once you lost weight.  

When people make weight the sole focus of their unhappiness this motivates them to try every quick fix that is on the market.: Lose 10 lbs in 10 hours by drinking cow urine and rubbing cat poop on your hands before eating!  

We all know that quick fixes do not work and people do not sustain the changes on these extreme plans and they will be right back where they started (or even worse off) and more miserable than ever.

My advice is to find out what is really making you unhappy.  I guarantee weight gain is a symptom  of your unhappiness but not the sole cause.  Perhaps you are lonely. Many people are lonely and eat to fill the void of not having anyone around.  Begin to address the loneliness issue and then become mindful of when you're eating because you're bored or lonely.

Other times people may be sad, depressed, or stressed out and this leads to binge eating.  It may be time to seek professional help for these issues and I urge people to begin to work on the inside and the changes will begin to manifest on the outside.

2. You're not ready to commit to a program/plan

There is no shame in not being ready to commit to a program and plan.  I have wanted to compete for 2 years but I knew last year I was not committed.  This year I made up my mind that I was going to do it and so I committed in my mind that I was going to follow through with it.

When it comes to people interested in my training services, I don't believe in overcoming objections. When people are ready they will come and sign up.  I will not chase people down because I don't have time for that and I'd rather pour my energy into people have committed in their minds to hit their goals.

People who are pressured into buying sessions or gym memberships do not stay with it and usually fall off because THEY did not commit to the program/plan.  The salesperson talked them into it.

On that note, let’s talk about what you’re committing to:  It doesn’t have to be about cosmetics.  When you are ready decide upon a goal. It doesn't have to be to lose bodyfat.   It could be that you want to be able to go hiking over the weekend or play basketball.  When you've decided what you want to do, COMMIT in your mind that you are going to follow through with it.

Mark my words:  If you're not committed, then you won't see your goal through. Oh yeah you may last a few weeks, but the first distraction or temptation that comes up you will fall all the way off.