Every so often I get some version of this same question:
“When I start out each day, I’m ready to follow the program and do everything right. But as the day goes on, I struggle more and more, and end up going off plan. Why does this keep happening, and what can I do about it?”
In the 10 Pound Takedown Challenge, my sister and COO of Code Red, Cari (who lost over 100 pounds on Code Red and has kept it off for 10 years and counting) does a video about having faith in the middle.
“The middle” can be literally the middle of your weight loss journey (as in halfway to goal), or it can be in the middle of a day.
Either way, you will reach a point in your weight loss journey where you don’t feel like it, or you think that because things are better than they were, it’s fine to stop short of your goal.
When that happens, part of you will want to stop following the program.
The “trick” is to keep going even in the moments you don’t feel like it, because if you start to slip back down the weight loss mountain, you have to put a bunch of effort into just getting back to where you were. It’s SO much easier not to slip down in the first place, even though it often requires more effort in the moment.
If you already HAVE slipped down the mountain, a few things to help.
1) Put more measures in place than you have now. More measures might be adding more outside accountability instead of “trying to do it all on your own,” getting your food prepped ahead of time, and/or removing something from your home that’s tempting you.
2) Revisit why you started this journey. It probably involved some pain, and for better or worse, sometimes moving away from pain is the only way we get momentum in improving our lives.
3) Start smaller than you’re trying to start. If you’re completely off the rails, start with getting on the scale and drinking all your water. Do that for a week, then add something else, like omitting the junk food you’re most often eating. If you’re struggling to stay on track, it might work better for you this time to dip your toe in vs. cannonball in.
4) Make a list of what you’re giving up by getting on track, and what you’re giving up by NOT getting on track. Compare them, and decide which is more important.
5) Make a list of what you’re GETTING by not getting on track, and what you get by getting on track. Compare them, and again, decide which is more important.
Ultimately, you’ve gotta want this enough to do it even in the moments when part of you doesn’t “feel like it.”
Part of you DOES feel like it, or you wouldn’t be struggling with the decision, so which part of you are you gonna let lead the way?
Have you created your free Code Red Lifestyle™ network account yet?
If not, here’s how to get your account!
1) On your computer, create your account at www.CodeRedLifestyle.com/App.
2) If you want the network on a mobile device, go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search for Code Red Lifestyle.