WHEN IT’S TIME TO CHANGE…

At some point the thought enters every person on a weight loss journey’s head, “I should change what I am doing!” For some folk this thought comes too early and for some too late. In part one of a two part piece, I am going to explore when it might be time to make a change to your plans and when it isn’t the time, no matter how much you might want to do so. In the second part, we will explore how to go about approaching making that change. Let’s start first with three times when I believe it is not right to make change.

When NOT To Make Changes

When Your Weight Hasn’t Changed In A Week or Two

This possibly one of the most important lessons to learn on a weight loss journey. Some weeks you will do everything right, and the scale will not move. Your body is healing and adjusting as it goes. There are many reasons to see a dissatisfactory weigh in besides “I screwed up!” It is important to not immediately freak out and make change after a week or two of consistent weigh in’s. Give yourself the time you need to see if this a true stall. For me, if you have weight to lose still, a solid month of no change is a better indication that something might be up. If you jump the gun and make change too soon you might be hurting yourself in the long run. 

You Are Seeing Social Media Trends

Do not fall into the “grass is always greener” trap when you are scrolling social media. Just because you see a new trend pop up that people are raving about does not mean it is time to change what you are doing. Especially if the “awesome success” stories end with a “Buy a 30 Day Supply Now!” tag. It is easy to forget the importance of trusting the process and making sure your you are giving your all to the task at hand. 

You Think, “But I Could Be Doing Better!”

You’re seeing progress but it’s not as fast as you’d like it to be so immediately you think “If I just did more… went harder… added in this… cut out that… I’d be doing BETTER!” Often these thoughts come from a place of impatience not a place of thoughtful improvement. The “I want to lose weight as fast as I can” mentality often leads to a “I gained it back faster than ever” result. Understand that if you are seeing progress, it is indeed progress. The pace will change at times but don’t immediately run to something new. 

When TO Make Change

You’re In A True Weight Loss Stall

So yes, if you’re trying to lose more weight and have reasonably assessed that you are not at a good maintenance weight, and the scale hasn’t moved in a month or more. It can be time to make change to your plan.

You’re Not Making Measurable Progress on Clearly Defined Goals

A weight loss journey is about more than the scale. You should have specific measurable goals that relate to more than that number, and you should be assessing your progress. If you do this and are not seeing movement, it could be time to refocus and make some change. Explore the process to set SMART Goals here. It will help you set the right sort!

You’ve Gained New Knowledge*

I put an asterisk on this one because I think it is important to differentiate between learning that some of your actions may not be moving in you in the right direction and just seeing a post online with a new idea you want to try. We all grow and develop along the way as we make changes to our health and lifestyle, and we may discover things we did not expect about our food choices, exercise plans and more. If you have discovered something that you feel precipitates a change in action, and feel you have thoroughly investigated it, proceed!

Your Process Is Not Sustainable

I am a firm believer that if you are embarking on a weight loss or fitness journey, you need to give your chose plan a solid 30 to 60 days to see if it something that not only does your body respond to but you personally can sustain as a lifestyle. Quick fix extreme diets are not the way to go. You should feel secure in the path you are on and see that it is something you can live with throughout your journey. That is not to say that it must be what you do forever but the closer you can get to making sustained lifestyle changes and less about temporary diet fixes, the better. If you give a new program a month and then feel like it is not right for you, do not be afraid to try a different tool.

And Yes, Boredom… But Let Me Explain!

There will be times, especially if you have a significant amount of weight to lose, that you know what you’re doing is working but mentally it is getting exhausting so you find yourself slacking on important tasks, like skipping a work out, eyeballing portions you know need measuring, etc. Sometimes all it takes in these moments is a good talking to from yourself, but sometimes that doesn’t work you and you just honestly need a new focus to help you keep progressing. When you have exhausted your other options in this case, I would certainly support the choice to make some changes. 

So now you’re in one of two places. All is actually good with your plan and you can get back to it. Or, you have realized you need to make change. How on earth do you best approach that? Don’t fear, I have you covered and will explore the way to do this mindfully and responsibly in the next blog, “… You’ve Got To Rearrange!” Don’t miss it!