Consistency . . . sucks but it is key to success

In the past I have gained and lost weight and gained and lost weight more than a few times, like many of you who are reading this.  The main difference between those times and this time was consistency.  Although it is not always fun consistency is what will help you lose the weight and keep it off.  Most people have lost weight at some point in their lives only to slowly but surely put that weight back on.  

We fool ourselves into thinking that since we have reached our goal weight now we can have fun, eat whatever we want, skip the gym and drink.  Unfortunately this is not the case our body simply does not work that way.  I am not saying that you can never eat pizza or cake again but even after you have reached your goal you do not have a free ticket to just go crazy.  Over time this will put you right back into square one and you will have to buy new, bigger clothes, feel like a failure all over again and then start climbing back up the hill.  

Consistency is the easiest and hardest thing to maintain while making a lifestyle change.  The majority of people who are trying to lose weight follow their diet during the week and then not only cheat but go completely nuts on the weekend.  Not only are you skipping the gym but you are eating out two, probably three times and most of us are drinking too.  In your mind you think, "I deserve to have some fun, I was good all week".  I agree, you do deserve some fun but not three days worth!  In those two or three days of fun you have honestly completely wasted all of your hard work the previous five days.  

Not only do we constantly over estimate the amount of calories that we are burning but we also under estimate the amount of calories that we are consuming.  This is especially true when in comes to beverages.  Not just alcohol but lattes with all of the milk (even fat free) and syrups, frappuccinos, sodas and juices you could be adding over 500 calories to your day without even realizing it.  Then consider the dressing on your salad, the extra cheese on the sandwich and those birthday treats on Friday at the office.  Then you drive to work, sit at a desk, drive to the gym and probably do not even give 100% when you are working out.  So if you really sit down and our honest with yourself how good were you at this week?  

I strongly recommend using a site or app like myfitnesspal.com and a heart rate monitor to track what you consume each day vs what you expend.  By all means have a cheat MEAL once per week or on your birthday but having a cheat weekend each and every weekend is only going to keep you running in the same uphill spot week after week wondering why you aren't seeing results.  It is not always fun to say no to the cake and ice cream but it is fun to buy smaller jeans!  This doesn't mean you can't go out for lunch sometimes but when you go out make better choices.  Have Chicken Noodle soup instead of Cream of Broccoli, eat a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a deep fried, ranch one.  Take it one day and one week at a time and you'll get there.  Before you know it everyone at the office will be copying you and packing a lunch every day too!