If you have tried to lose weight many times and you’ve recorded little or no success, I want to let you know that you are a weight loss failure. But before you get mad at me for being so cold, I want you to know that it is not necessarily a bad thing.

Everyone who has ever embarked on this journey and succeeded was once a weight loss failure – we all tried multiple times and failed. The good thing about multiple failure is that you know m ultiple ways not to do a certain thing.

For instance, you tried clean eating and exercise, it worked, two months after you are fat because you went back to your old ways. You should know that that technique won’t work, right? But many of us want to eat our cake and have it. You want to eat what you like, when you like, the way you like and expect to get results you like… Well now you know! We have all heard the saying that it is insanity to repeatedly do the same thing the same w ay and expect a different result.

I cannot over emphasise how important it is to be consistent. This is probably the only thing that differentiates the people who eventually lose weight from those who don’t. Those who lose weight are not physically stronger, or more intelligent than those who don’t. The only difference is that those who reach their goal decide to keep going despite the pain, discomfort, despite the scale not moving, despite the clothes not fitting even after all the sacrific es made – they simply keep going!

I get a lot of emails from people who tell me the things they have done to lose weight and how they quit after a few attempts and I smile because even in their confusion, there lies the answer. I wonder if they ask themselves, “What if I kept going?” They express a lot of fear. I hear things like, “are you sure I can ever lose weight?” “Are you sure this will work for me?” It almost sounds like they have absolutely no control of

their lives, like they do not know where they will end up tomorrow, like their lives go wherever the wind blows. Listen, wherever you are right now as you read this, is a direct result of all the decisions you made or failed to make. Imagine where you want to be this time next year and start now to work towards it. Like I explained earlier, focus on the small picture, build your vision board and most importantly, keep going! You can make it if you want to. You may think you want it bad enough until you cannot move your leg the next morning after exercise. Sounds familiar?

Which brings me to the next point – count the cost. Do you start a journey without calculating the cost of transportation? Do you start building a house without first estimating the building cost? You should not, so you do not end up with an abandoned project, stranded half way. Most people are usually excited and pumped up about the idea of being slim, fitting into a nice dress for a birthday or wedding but somehow forget that they need to make some lifestyle changes and be consistent until they get their desired results.

HOME WORK

1. Count the cost. Calculate the number of hours, days, weeks or months you require to meet your initial and ultimate goals.

2. Calculate what it will cost you in terms of money, time, gatherings, parties, etc

3. Come up with a plan of how you intend to remain consistent this time around. What needs to be in place?

Accountability? Support group?