Recently, I invited my Instagram followers to ask me cringe-y questions.

It’s been an adventure. 😂

One of the questions I got was something like, “What would your exes say are some of your red flags?”

I took a shot at answering it, but it’s a tough question to answer.

I mean, does ANYONE really think of themselves as having “red flags?” (Usually it’s other people’s red flags we think about.)

Plus, what constitutes a red flag with one person may be a non-issue – or even a must-have – with another.

For example, if a guy wants me to sell my business and raise his young kids, then my unwillingness to do that would be a red flag from HIS perspective. (I’m not opposed to a guy who has kids, but I’m not gonna sell my business to raise them or something.) But if he likes that I have a business or his kids are adults, it’s not a red flag.

If he hates dogs and I love dogs, me being a dog lover is a red flag. But if he loves dogs, too, then it’s not.

If he’s liberal and he hates conservatives, my politics are a red flag from his perspective. If he’s a conservative, then they’re not.

If his life revolves around drinking alcohol and gorging on sugar, and he hates “health nuts,” then me caring about my health would be a red flag. If he cares about his health, then it’s not.

See what I mean?

Most red flags are in the eye of the beholder (not ALL, but most).

When it comes to safe, sustainable weight loss, on the other hand, red flags are a lot easier to spot.

Case in point: Here are three red flags to watch out for when considering what you’ll do for SUSTAINABLE weight loss (aka weight loss that lasts):

1) Is what you do to lose the weight something you want to do to keep it off? 

For example, do you want to have to get shots, further mutilate your insides, drink shakes, eat processed diet foods, take magic pills, or work out for three hours a day every day for the rest of your life?

Having a few differences between what you do to lose the weight and what you do to keep it off isn’t necessarily a problem, but if there’s a drastic difference? Red flag.

2) Does the program or method talk about a lifestyle, or is it all about a magical quick fix? 

Quick fixes don’t work and really don’t exist, so anything that promises a quick fix is a red flag. Even IF it works in the short-term, it won’t work for life.

3) Does the program or method improve your overall wellness, too, or is it ONLY about “weight loss?” 

A sustainable method for losing weight should be good for you. It should improve your body and mind. If it doesn’t – or it makes you sicker, not counting a period of adjustment when you first start doing it – then that’s a red flag.

One reason people race to unsustainable (and even dangerous) gimmicks and quick fixes is because they want the easy route.

I get why. The brain is literally wired to seek out the path of least resistance. It’s a survival mechanism.

The problem is that what’s easiest isn’t always what’s best, and certainly not what’s safest.

That’s why I’ll never “promise” that Code Red is “easy.”

Sure, it’s easier than going to the gym three hours a day.

It’s easier than having to eat dry chicken and slimy lettuce every two hours.

It’s easier than spending half your life in the doctor’s office and gagging down fistfuls of medication twice a day.

It’s easier than not being able to get up off the floor without a neighbor calling an ambulance for a lift assist.

And it’s for sure easier than missing out on the things you want to do this summer because you’re too embarrassed, ashamed, or sick to truly enjoy yourself.

What I WILL say about Code Red is that it’s SIMPLE. Real food, water, sleep, and a few simple rules.

It’s also DELICIOUS, because the food we eat is actually rich and satisfying.

Bottom line: If you can’t see yourself doing it every day for the rest of your life, it’s probably not sustainable.

The key to KEEPING your weight off once you lose it is to find something you enjoy so much, you want to keep doing it even after the weight is gone.

You’re welcome to live the Code Red Lifestyle™ and see if it’s for you. If it’s not, then stop.

If it is, then keep going.

Simple.