Is your New Year’s resolution to lose weight and keep it off? If it is, read this blog!
Every year, millions of people set a New Year's resolution to lose weight and get in shape, and unfortunately, the vast majority of them fail.
So the question is, why do so many of them fail? Is there something wrong with most people, or is there something wrong with most weight loss and diet programs?
The answer is the latter. There are a lot of things wrong with most weight loss and diet programs, especially the way they approach weight loss. They expect people to change overnight. They don't consider the fact that people are creatures of habit. Did you know that according to cognitive neuroscientists, 95% of the things we do every day, and think that are controlled by our subconscious mind? In other words, they are habitual behaviors. Consciously, we only control 5% of our daily actions. We are creatures of habit.
So, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, whatever behaviors you engage in to lose weight have to become habitual. In other words, you must train your subconscious mind to take over all the behaviors that helped you lose the weight.
The way most diet and weight loss programs approach weight loss makes it impossible for the new behaviors to become habitual. Since your subconscious mind can't take over those behaviors, it is only a matter of time before you burn out and quit, thus regaining the weight back. This is one of the biggest reasons why 98% of people who lose weight regain it.
Do you want 2024 to be different? Do you want this New Year to lose weight and keep it off for life? If you do, here is the only way. Small but consistent actions. In other words, figure out what habits you need to develop in order to lose weight. Then, pick one habit that you would like to develop first and start working on it. Don't worry about the weight. Weight loss will come sooner or later. It is only a matter of developing enough healthy habits.
I have used this technique with my clients for years with great success. And when I say great success, I don't mean just helping them lose the weight, but keep it off, too.
So, let’s say one of the habits you want to work on is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Currently, you hardly eat any fruits or vegetables. The recommendation is to eat at least 4 servings. I would advise you to start by eating at least 1 serving per day. Until you have a week that you had at least 1 serving of fruits or vegetables every day you stay with that goal. From there, you can make it 2 servings per day and so on. Before you know it, you will be eating at least 4 servings of fruits and vegetables every day out of habit. Then, you move to the next healthy habit you want to develop.
My other advice is not to wait until the New Year to start working on your fitness resolution; I would start right now. Oops, it’s too late; the New Year is already here, so just start!
If you need help to lose weight for life, check out my online weight loss program, The Stavros Method. It will show you step by step how to develop all the right habits that will enable you to lose all the weight you want and keep it off. To learn more, go to: www.TheStavrosMethod.com
Best of health,
Stavros Mastrogiannis
“The best time to start a weight loss program was last year; the second best time is right now”