A lifestyle change isn’t always easy. If you have taken the first step in your weight-loss journey, know there will be pitfalls, so don’t let them put you down; you aren’t alone. 

Globally, every one to two people in five are trying to lose weight – be it by exercise, supplements, or diet control, and research by Medical Clinics in North America showed that within two years, people regain 50% of their weight, and by five years, 80%.  

However, failure also isn’t always guaranteed; the success of your efforts depends largely on your strategy and perseverance. 

One in five overweight individuals succeed long-term in their weight loss efforts. So what makes their approach better than others? 

Let’s find out. 

1.      Find a workout plan that suits you

It goes without saying that your fitness schedule is incomplete without at least some physical exertion, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be a big challenge. You can make physical activity fun by adopting something you are passionate about; this will make it something you look up to.

Today there is no shortage of fitness options, and you can browse fitness programs to find one that piques your interest. If socialization is your cup of tea, you can join a group program; if not, go solo. 

The ideal workout should include strength training, high-interval training, and cardio at least once a week. Other than this, light activity throughout the day should also help.

The physical part of weight loss and fitness can be challenging, and you may seek help from stimulants like SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) that facilitate recovery from exercise. 

You can find this and more products like High Quality RU-58841 For sale from Sports Technology Labs.

2.      Use the right goal-setting strategy

Setting unattainable, long-term, and non-specific goals can be quite demotivating. These are difficult to follow through on until the end. When outlining your fitness goals, make sure to be realistic.

You may target an intense workout once a week or ten laps of the pool daily; regardless, ensure these goals are realistic and attainable, considering your stamina and motivation. You might start with tremendous dedication, but if your goal is too much to handle, it won’t be long before you lose interest and relapse.

Also, make sure to set specific and measurable goals; with vague and unclear goals, you have no way of knowing when you are close to attaining them. 

For instance, if you aim for simply ‘losing weight’ instead of deciding on the kilograms you intend to lose, you might quickly lose hope and never know when you are close to your ideal weight.

Your goals should also be meaningful to you and not – for instance – imposed on you by others with no personal interest.

3.      Break down your ultimate goal into smaller, more attainable bits

By breaking down your ultimate goal, you break down a big leap into smaller, more practical steps; this approach gives you a roadmap for success in the bigger goal. Also called micro goals, they make for a greater sense of accomplishment with each smaller milestone you attain and increase motivation.

Smaller, short-term targets are more likely to keep you focused on the task at hand, enhance self-esteem, increase productivity, and give greater clarity.

When setting these goals, begin by understanding your starting point and the intensity you are comfortable with, and build upon it at a pace you feel is right. Diving right into it with an intensity you cannot maintain is counterproductive and detrimental to your health.

Also, set a realistic time frame for your micro goals. If your initial milestone is a 1kg loss, give yourself at least 1-2 weeks. After that, as you increase the intensity, you may set tighter deadlines.

4.      Remember to sleep!

You might not realize how important sleep is in giving your body time to recover. When you put your body through more physical exertion than usual, your body will also need more recovery time than expected.

Quality sleep isn’t going to hinder you in any way; it will only protect you against potential burnout if you try to go long without it. In fact, sleep deprivation increases the risk of obesity. 

An analysis of 20 studies revealed people who slept less than 7 hours a night had a 41% increase in risk of obesity. 

Sufficient sleep also controls appetite and prevents unhealthy snacking, especially at night. If you don’t sleep enough, you will likely feel hungrier, have food cravings, consume larger portions, and intake more calories. 

Therefore, going without sleep make it much harder to stick to your plan.

5.      Maintain a realistic pace

You must have heard the adage that ‘don’t try to run before you can walk’; it also holds true for your fitness schedule.

When you first decide to lose some pounds, your motivation is likely skyrocketing; but don’t let this push you beyond your limits because this is the perfect recipe for burnout. As enthusiastic as you might be to take the challenge head-on, start slow. 

Start off slow and monitor the progress you have made. An intense workout once a week – which will likely gradually become more and more infrequent, is not as effective as 15-20 minutes each day. 

Consistency is more important than intensity for your fitness plan to work for you.

6.      Keep reminding yourself ‘why?’

Achieving the ideal weight is a long journey; many don’t make it to the end before they lose the motivation to continue. After all, it requires quite a lot of sacrifices, right? The correct way to go about things is to remember why you set out on this journey.

If this ‘why’ is strong, even a gentle reminder shall suffice and keep you going. There can be two reasons behind any step in life; intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. 

Intrinsic motivation is your inner drive, while extrinsic motivation comes from external rewards. Intrinsic motivation is usually longer-lasting and more effective.

Final words

If you find your weight loss journey more challenging than you would like, rest assured that it is normal. 

With just a few tricks up your sleeve, you can increase the likelihood of success; remember to design your plan with activities that interest you, set appropriate goals, maintain a realistic pace, keep reminding yourself of ‘why,’ and don’t forget to sleep!