The Mental Battle of Weight Loss.

Weight loss is probably more of a mental battle than it is a physical battle. Firstly we have to make a start and that can be the hardest part. What gym or class do you go to ? What are the people there like ? Are the classes hard ? Is the trainer a drill sergeant ? Will they understand your struggles ? Can they get you results ? These are all mental blocks that stop us even starting.

Once you decide where you want to join you then have to make the time to go. But there’s so much to do at home and work,  you don’t have the time ! You have a hundred reasons or excuses not to go but only one reason to go, YOUR HEALTH !! Do your reasons not to go really trump the reason to go ?

So Eventually you get started. The first class is tough, but you’re buzzing after it. You went from feeling low and apprehensive before the session to feeling incredible after it. Wow you loved it, you did it !!

Next day your still buzzing. You tell your friends you went to class last night. Some of them say well done and commend you for doing it. Some don’t react as you thought they would because they’re envious of you. You are doing what they want to do, but won’t. But you don’t see it like that, Sure they’re your friends. They want the best for you don’t they ?….. Don’t they ? Doubts set into your head as you wonder why your friends/family didn’t support you the way you thought they would.

Two days after the class the soreness kicks in. Your legs ache and your abs are so sore you can’t even sneeze. You think to yourself ‘maybe I’ll skip class tonight, I’m too sore. I’ll go tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and ah sure it’s Friday, there’s no point going to the gym on a Friday. You’ll be drinking wine later so there’s no point going the gym, is there ??!!!

Monday comes, you quit the gym. You fucked it up over the weekend and there’s no point going back. Sure it was too hard anyway. You were aching for days and you’re not able for it. So you decide to quit !!

Or does Monday come and you think I’ll hit the gym tonight. The aches are gone and I’m looking forward to it ? I want to see what weight I lost in the first week. You hit the gym ask to be weighed and oh for feck sake no weight loss !! Why have you no weight off ? You were in the gym last week for one training session and watched what you ate until Friday. Ate all around you Sat and Sun and there’s no weight loss ? So you decide to quit !!

Or Do you say right I need to be better. I’ve just started and I need to allow myself time to get the results I want. One week with no result is fine. I’ve spend 4 years with no results so why is one more week an issue ? I’m making real changes and they take time. Lets do this !!!

You’re becoming a superstar. You have beating three mental battles in your first week. Negative friends, dietary slips and a setback in your weight loss journey.  Bualadh bos for you. You are been positive now, results will happen for you.

Two months into your journey. Your tipping away. You listen to your coach and apply their workout and nutrition principles. You see results but you want more. Your coach tells you to be patient but you’re not really happy with this. You seen a woman lose much more weight than you did in the same amount of time. You ask her what she’s doing and she tells you. You decide to try it but its so hard to stick to. Nothing is getting the results you want in the time you want it. So you decide to quit !!

Or do you listen to your coach and think, OK they have gotten me this far and I am seeing results. I would like more but me coach is saying be patient. Are my goals unrealistic. I’ll carry on doing what I’m advised to do.

Six months later. You’re in the shape of your life. You never thought you could do it. You thank your coach and say you’re happy now. You’ve reached your goal and you are going to take a break for a while. You keep up the nutrition programme for a week or two and then you slip into old habits. Week on week you tell yourself you’ll tidy up the diet again on Monday. Week on week you don’t. You start to gain weight again. You feel low about it so you binge eat to comfort yourself, Just like you did before. Before you know it you’re back where you started. So you decide to quit !!

Or after 6 months and reaching your goal do you sit down with your coach and say I’ve reached my goal now and I look and feel amazing. What is the next step in my journey ? Can we set out a workout and nutrition maintenance plan where I can have a treat a little more often while also maintaining my new weight and shape ?. Of course your trainer is delighted to have you stay on. You invested your time and money in them and they invested their time in you. Your trainer loves helping people get results and they hate to see people let it slip away.

You’ve won !! You have created a mental state that will keep you on track and maintain your weight, health and fitness levels.

Your probably reading this thinking ‘that’s me’. Well it was me too. I’m a personal trainer now but I wasn’t always into health and fitness. I was into beer and takeaway. So much into it I was almost 20 stone at a height  5’6’. I was almost as round as I was tall I had bad days, week, and months but I never quit. Even now I have bad days, weeks and months. Old habits die hard but working on my mental strength helped me achieve a weight loss of 6.5 stone. My advice is keep going, stay strong and never quit. Your health goals are achievable you just have find the reason to do it and not the excuses not to do it.