Published on May 6, 2021
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One of the words I use all the time in my weight loss coaching is MOMENTUM. Building a head of steam. Getting the wind behind your sales. Being on a roll. And you can’t possibly do that—with anything you’re trying to achieve—without understanding and putting into practice another all-important word: CONSISTENCY.
Consistency means focusing on the task at hand in the present moment while maintaining a long-term vision.
Consistency is all about repetition. It’s about repeating the same actions (habits and rituals) over and over again; gaining feedback from these actions and adjusting them accordingly to help stay on track as we work towards our goal.
When it comes to weight loss, “be consistent” is the equivalent of “eat your vegetables.” It’s great advice, sure, but it teaches you nothing, and it’s about as helpful as saying out loud to yourself “greens are good!” when you’re staring at an uncooked, grass-tasting pile of kale. Nope — not helpful.
Most diets are temporary and rigid. For some people, that’s a perfect recipe for fat loss. Get in, lose a few pounds, and get out. But for most people, when they “get out” again, they’re not any better off than when they started. And that’s because the “nuclear option” (drop calories extremely low, lose a bunch of weight, and call it quits) that most diets resort to just isn’t consistent: it’s not something you can keep doing, and it doesn’t help you at all when it’s over. And that’s why when most diets end, your progress (if any) starts disappearing because (a) you didn’t learn anything; and (b) left on your own, you start to gradually slip back toward where you started.
What you need is consistency.
In dieting, that means building a plan (or choosing a system) that helps you to keep going. That doesn’t mean restricting your food forever. It just means picking a diet that’s sustainable, that sets you up for success and gives you a plan for what to do on the other side. And, most importantly, it has to be a change you can make for the long haul.
Consistency walks hand-in-hand with Success.
You cannot have one without the other. You just can’t.
Slimcerely yours℠,
