This is an excerpt of my Free Weight Loss Plan, the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan.
You can lose weight by adding good habits or eliminating bad habits. I would suggest a combination of both. But, how do you get rid of your bad habits?
Step One: Learn Your Bad Habits
The first step to eliminating bad habits is to know what they are. You know what it takes to lose weight. You have to eat less and move more. So what are you doing in your life that is preventing you from eating less and moving more?
Take an entire week and write down all of your counterproductive behaviors and activities. Make the list as long as you possibly can.
- Are you eating too many calories at lunch?
- Are you not working out three days every week?
- Are you eating too many fast food meals?
- Are you not walking your 10,000 steps a day?
- Are you stressing too much?
- Are you not sleeping enough?
The list could go on and on. Try to write down fifty things you are doing or not doing that prevent you from eating less or moving more.
Step Two: Figure Out Why
You now know what you are doing to prevent yourself from eating less and moving more. Now, figure out why. In order to stop a behavior you first need to know why it is occurring.
- Are you eating too many calories at lunch because there are no healthy options at your workplace?
- Are you not working out because you cannot afford to go to the gym?
- Are you eating too many fast food meals because you do not have time to cook?
- Are you not walking your 10,000 steps a day because you keep forgetting your pedometer at home?
Step Three: Pick the Worst Habit
You now know how you are sabotaging yourself and why you are doing it. Now, pick the worst habit. Choose the habit or behavior that is preventing your weight loss the most. This will be the first habit you will eliminate, because doing this will create the most weight loss.
Step Four: Strategize Solutions
You chose the habit you would like to eliminate first. Now, it is time to strategize solutions to change this behavior. Sit down, and write as many strategies to eliminate the habit as you can. Write down at least twenty.
If your problem is that you eat too many calories at lunch because there are no healthy options at your workplace, you could:
- Bring a bag lunch every day.
- Talk to your cafeteria about adding healthier options.
- Eat outside of your workplace.
- Set up a system with 4 of your co-workers where you take turns bringing everybody in the group healthy lunches.
- Bring a meal replacement shake every day.
- Change jobs.
- Talk to a supervisor or an executive about healthier options.
- Get some co-workers together and order healthy lunches for delivery.
Those are just a few solutions. You should write down more. Write them down, no matter how stupid or silly you think they are. The silliest ideas can sometimes provide the best results.
Step Five: Pick the Best Solution
You have created a thorough list of solutions. Now, pick the solution(s) that you think will work the best. In the example above, I would choose to bring a bag lunch every day, because it would be the least expensive option.
Step Six: Evaluate Your Success
After one month, evaluate your success. Were you able to eliminate the bad habit? I used one month, because it takes at least a month to eliminate or adopt a new habit. In my example: Was I able to bring my lunch every day and am I now eating fewer calories during lunch?
Habit Eliminated
Congratulations, if you successfully eliminated the bad habit. Now it is time to eliminate another bad habit so choose another habit from Step One.
Habit Not Eliminated
Do not consider it a failure, if you were not able to eliminate the habit. It is a learning experience. Now, you can try the solution again, choose a new solution to the same habit from Step Four, or choose another habit from Step One.
Weight loss can be enhanced and better maintained with strength training. For more information on my favorite strength training tool, read my review of the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells.
Photo by Duke LeNoir.
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