Why You Can’t Lose Weight (And How To Fix It)

If you’re wondering how to lose weight for the long term, the answer isn’t another workout, or diet, or supplement.

The main reason you’re having a hard time because of motivaiton or will power.

It’s the lack of a clear plan.

You might be guessing and guessing leads to inconsistency, frustration, and eventually quitting.

Let’s fix that!

What Actually Makes a Plan Work?

A real plan has 4 parts:

1. Goals
2. A workout plan
3. A nutrition plan
4. A tracking plan

Miss one and things can slow down and get a little shaky. Mis two or more, and you may be in trouble.

Step 1: Set SMART Goals (And Mean Them)

You’ve probably heard the SMART acronym before – specific, measureable, action-oriented, relevant, and time-based.

Example: “I want to lose weight”

Let’s clean this up a little bit.

Specific: instead of, “I want to lose weight,” let’s say, “I want to lose 20lbs.”

Measureable: decide how often you’ll track (weekly, biweekly, monthly) and do it. More is not always better. Sometimes better is simply better.

Action-Oriented: What are you actually going to do? This is what we’ve talked about before in having a Process Goal.
Is it 3x/week for working out for 60 minutes at a time?
Is it 4x per week working out for 30 minutes at a time?
Decide. Then execute.

Relevant: Why does this matter to you? Without a clear “why,” your consistency can be a real struggle.
Are you working on keeping up with your kids?
Is this a long-standing personal goal that you’ve yet to achieve?
Maybe it’s your family health history that’s got you focused?
Or maybe you just want to challenge yourself to be better?

Time-Based: keep things realistic so you can develop momentum.
4 to 8lbs of weight loss per month [depending on your starting point].
.5 to 1% body fat per month [depending on your starting point].
Gaining muscle at a rate of .25 to 1lb per month [again, depending on your starting point].

Step 2: Create a Workout Plan (And Ignore Internet Chaos)

Social media makes it easy for anyone to post workouts. There’s no vetting anything.

This is one way that you can end up burnt out, injured, or spinning your wheels with little to no results.

You also don’t want to do only cardio.

Cardio is great (don’t get me wrong). But it’s one piece of the puzzle. If you’re looking to lose fat, keep [or gain] muscle, and improve your long-term health — you need to strength train.

And no, you won’t get bulky.
I’ve been lifting weights for more than 26 years and no one’s ever said, “wow, that guy accidentally got huge.”

A good starting poitn? 3 workouts per week!

You can always adjust up or down but 3 seems to be where the magic starts.

Step 3: Choose a Nutrition Plan (Not a Diet)

Some people love tracking food.
Some people hate it.
And still others can fixate on it and spiral in a really poor direction.

So, if tracking food helps you? Do it. If not, please know tracking is not the only way (though it is a good way).

Here are some fundamentals you can use:

• Eat protein at every meal
• Drink plenty of water (add a little salt to it if you’re not eating a meal at the same time)
• Eat vegetables and proteins first

As for diets themselves (keto, primal, Mediterranean, vegan, carnivore, and so on), they work great for some people and backfire badly for others. You mainly see the good ones on social media!

Got questions on nutrition? Talk to someone who knows (I know some great ones)!

Step 4: Track What Matters

If you don’t track anything, you’re guessing.

Here’s the minimum I would track if I were new to exercise and nutrition: log your workouts and track your weight.

One important question to ask yourself is, “when does my motivation usually drop off?”

You can use that information to schedule your tracking so you can stay accountable to yourself.

Otherwise, schedule check-ins well before they are supposed to happen, schedule them frequently enough to stay engaged, but not so much that you fixate on it or burn out.

In Short, If You Want This to Work

• Set SMART goals
• Create a workout plan and stick to it
• Follow a nutrition plan (not a diet)
• Track the things that matter so you know what’s working

And lastly, pat yourself on the back along the way.

This matters more than you think. You’re your own worst critic? Don’t forget where you came from. That’s something to feel good about!

Need Help Building Your Plan?

If you’ve got deeper questions, need additional clarity, or want help putting things together ina. way that actually fits your busy life…

Email me at [email protected].

There’s no extra prize for doing this along and going about it the hard way.