The Best Approach to Weight Loss

In my experience, there are basically five things you need to change for lasting weight management. Three of them are physical changes. One of them is a mental change. The third item is about emotional intelligence. We’re going to discuss these in reverse order.

It has been said that your subconscious mind is 1,000 times more powerful than your conscious mind. I’m not going to argue the exact math here, because that isn’t my point. My point is that to be successful at anything in life, you need to harness the power of your subconscious.

And what, pray tell, is in charge of the subconscious mind? The answer is shockingly simple: emotions! So the first step towards lasting in the weight management area is to get a grip on your emotions around this issue. This is much easier said than done, yet completely doable. While I don’t have a “magic pill” for developing emotional intelligence as it’s called, I do have one short cut that may help. Develop and maintain a positive attitude.

Having a positive attitude goes a long way towards ultimate success in any life endeavor. Any time that little voice inside says, “I can’t do this,” you need to immediately follow-up with positive affirmations. Things like:

• Yes, I can do this!
• I’m stronger than I look!
• This is the time I’m going to succeed!

Now that you’ve addressed your emotional state (notice I didn’t say you solved anything, you just have a plan to keep it in check), next you need to get your head in the game. This involves making good choices. What do I mean by this? Here are a few illustrations:

I could go on and on, but hopefully I’ve made my point. Start every day with an affirmation that you will make good choices. Having the appropriate resources at your fingertips is also a choice. It doesn’t magically happen. So begin your weight management journey by setting yourself up for success. This might mean restocking your pantry, or staying away from negative influences. Whatever it is that you need, that is what you should do.

The first two areas (emotional and mental) are the most difficult. They make my suggestions for physical changes seem easy by comparison. Within this area, there are three sub-categories that you will need to address:

1. Stay well hydrated. It’s absolutely true that we can confuse thirst and hunger. For this reason I recommend following the 8x8 rule: drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Yes, you can substitute black tea or coffee for some (not all) of that. Some people start the day with a liter container of water and sip on it until it’s gone, then refill and repeat. Then you’re done. Alternatively, pick out four 16-ounce bottles of pure drinking water and number them. I recommend sipping throughout the day, rather than glugging it down.
2. Eat smaller portions. Have you ever felt bloated and uncomfortable after a big meal? It’s not a good feeling. Instead, try eating smaller portions, more frequently. Some experts suggest eating six times a day – or three meals and three snacks. As an illustration (not a requirement), if each meal is limited to 300 calories, and each snack contains 200 calories, your total will be 1,500 for the day. Which means you will probably take off about a pound a week without changing anything else.
3. Move around more. Of course, if you want to take of weight more quickly, then you’re going to need to burn off some stored fat by increasing your activity level. But that doesn’t necessarily mean joining a gym, and sweating for an hour a day. You could do an hour of activity in five minute intervals, twelve times a day. If you are awake for 12 hours in a day (I hope you’re awake for 16, but I’m giving you four hours off), I’m sure you can manage to get up and walk around for five minutes every hour. Or do 10 minutes every two hours. You get the idea.

Here is your cheat sheet for my five point plan:

1. Stay emotionally positive
2. Make good choices
3. Stay well hydrated
4. Eat smaller portions
5. Move around more

Granted, you won’t drop as fast as the Paleo diet, or tone up like you would with the PX 90 workout. You will, however, have a sustainable way of approaching weight management for the long term.

Please let me know what you think in the comments below.