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No one doubts that weight loss is a challenging feat to pull off. If you’re wondering what causes this, Verywell Health notes that several factors can explain why it’s so hard to lose weight. For example, you’re less likely to find success if you don’t change how you eat or how consistently you exercise. Similarly, another study found that many struggle to lose weight because of the stigmas they face in their journey.
However, one aspect will affect your chances the most: your attitude. At the end of the day, weight loss is a journey that shouldn’t be rushed. If you don’t put the work in and want to fast-track results, your efforts won’t last in the long term. That makes patience not just a virtue but one of the most important things you need for effective weight loss.
The best way to learn why patience is so crucial is to ask yourself one simple question: how long does it take to lose weight? According to experts, it’s hard to say. Weight loss goes beyond just burning more calories than you consume. Your genetics, medical history, age, sex, and current lifestyle will all dictate how long it’ll be before you see tangible results. That means weight loss timelines vary per person—and there’s no magic recipe or big secret to losing weight faster. Ultimately, the real key to weight loss success is to be patient. By fully committing yourself to the journey and keeping up with best practices—like sticking to a balanced diet and regular exercise—for longer, you’re more likely to hit your goals.
If you’ve set unrealistic weight loss goals for yourself—like wanting to drop too many pounds in just a few short weeks—they’ll be more challenging to attain, and it’ll be even more frustrating when you fail. So don’t rush the process! Break up your goals into smaller, more realistic objectives. Instead of trying to consistently work out for a couple of hours every week right off the bat, for example, consider a more gradual approach. This week, try fitting a 5-minute routine into your daily schedule. Come next week, you can bring that up to 10 minutes. There are even online fitness programmes that let you do 5-day workouts, which are easy to squeeze into a busy schedule. Such strategies can help you make easier wins and avoid frustrations that cause you to give up on waiting for weight loss results.
Weight loss journeys aren’t linear: you’re likely to hit weight loss plateaus or regain some of the weight you’ve lost despite all your efforts. If you’ve already been waiting to establish long-term results, these setbacks can cause you to completely give up on shedding those pounds. You can renew your motivation to lose weight with people who have your back. Apart from family and friends, you can also look for weight loss classes near you. These in-person or virtual classes provide you with an expert-led community of like-minded peers. Through these regular check-ins, you can receive tailored advice and encouragement while also being held accountable for your journey. With a support system, you’ll have people to reassure you that you’ve done so much and come so far—and that can help you get back on track. There’s an additional benefit to seeking support: studies have found that it can help you maintain your goal weight after you’ve achieved it, meaning that the patience you practice will ultimately pay off.
If you’re impatient, you may find yourself compulsively and frequently checking your waistline, stepping on your bathroom scale, or counting how many calories you eat and burn. Doing these things too often can have its drawbacks. WebMD explains it can lead to unhealthy habits, like disordered eating. And if you don’t see results right away, you might lose patience and stop working toward your weight loss goals altogether. So, if you’re micromanaging yourself, think of your journey in terms of visible milestones and not numbers. Instead of weighing yourself daily, take weekly progress photos, check if your clothes fit you better after establishing a healthier diet—or see if your muscles are more defined now than before you started working out.
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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