How to Make Weight Loss Simple

The One Thing You Need Bring Focus To

by Joshua Wayne, MA


(PEERtrainer Note: If you are coming to this page from our Tip Of The Day Program, there is a link at the end of this article where you can share your experiences and results with the exercise outlined in the following article)

The Most Important Thing You Should Be Thinking About Right Now:

Hi there-- The ideas I am going to share with you about how to approach weight loss are about how to make it a simple process.  Now I know this may sound like one of those phony sounding headlines we all read on the covers of countless magazines about “How to Lose 20 Pounds in 2 Weeks By Eating This One Vegetable” but I assure you what I’m talking about is different (yes, I shudder too when I read those empty promises).

I want to assure that my word choice is very deliberate. I carefully chose the word “simple” as opposed to “easy”.  My experience is that they are often two very different things, and it’s usually helpful to keep them separate.  But what I want to share with you is an idea I had recently that can give you a simpler way to approach weight loss (and that will hopefully make it easier in the process as well). 

Here’s why I think that at its core weight loss is really a simple process.  There is only one thing you ever really need to pay attention to, and that is what you do next.  That’s it. 

Think about that for a second. We make it so complicated and we overwhelm ourselves with all our non-stop thoughts and worries. 

We stress about what we ate yesterday (or even several days ago!) and how it will show up on the scale; we worry about what we’ll eat tomorrow when we’re out with friends; we drive ourselves crazy worrying about how we’re ever going to successfully lose the 20 or 30 or 50 or 80 pounds to begin with; and all the while we’re terrified of the possibility that we won’t and we’ll be dealing with this frustration the rest of our lives!

Whoa!  That’s a lot of thinking!  But in my experience it’s what most of us do.  Do you see how complicated we make it?  We get so busy in our heads thinking about all the things we need to do and all the things that can go wrong, and in the process we forget the most important thing of all: the present moment, and that single, simple choice in front of us about what to do next. 

Do you get how simple that is?  There is only one decision you actually have to make.  You don’t have to make a decision about what happens 30 minutes from now, or 10 hours from now or 10 days from now.  You just have to decide what to do next. 

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So let’s take it a step further.  What I want you to realize is that every decision you make is going to lead you in either a positive or a negative direction.  Just two choices here (remember, we’re keeping it simple) and it’s definitely one or the other! 

Whether it’s a decision about what to put in your mouth, whether or not to exercise, or even how to think about how your overall weight loss effort is going (make sure you get this last one- it’s very important), you are either moving in a positive direction or a negative direction. 

How do you know the difference?  Well, it may already be obvious to you, but I still think it’s a good thing to expand on.  It’s positive if it makes you:


It’s negative if it makes you:


What I’m getting at here is learning how to engage in positive thinking in a very practical way.  A lot of people believe positive thinking means telling yourself half-serious affirmations, or really hoping or praying that something comes true.  What I’m talking about here is literally understanding positive thinking in the most practical way possible.  It’s present (or the opportunity for it is, I should say) in every single decision you make, and in the way you already think about the circumstances of your life. 

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So we’ve identified that the choices you’re making on an ongoing basis are either moving you in a positive or a negative direction.  Now what do we do with that?  Where do we go from here?

This is a very important part of the equation, so please really take this to heart.  This is where the potential lies to move from just making weight loss “simple” to actually making it “easy” over time. 

A close friend was recently visiting me who is getting his PhD in Philosophy.  He was telling me about a course he recently took in practical approaches to Eastern Philosophy, and he said that the whole thing could be summed up in roughly 2 sentences:


The point is this: you have to keep moving forward staying focused on the positives.  If it’s good and it’s working, then keep moving in that positive direction- follow it.

If you make a bad food choice that brings you down in any way, then acknowledge it and then let it go.  When you let go of a bad choice, you are by definition already moving forward in a positive direction.  Ask yourself, “What is the next thing to do?  How do I move in a positive direction from here?” 

Maybe you drink a couple extra glasses of water to flush your system, maybe you go for a 10-minute walk, maybe you call a friend or write in your journal.  It doesn’t matter so much what you do; what matters is that you make the choice to quickly regroup and move forward in a positive direction.  Simple, huh?

So, the “art” here is actually two fold:

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There’s one final little piece I want to add that I think is really helpful (and by the way, in case you haven’t figured this out by now, these ideas can help you in many ways in your life beyond just weight loss).

When you make a choice in a positive direction, really celebrate it.  It know it sounds a little cheesy, but it’s important.  When you do well, you need to get psyched about it.  It reinforces your positive thinking in a powerful way. 

Remember, you’re building habits here.  The more you feel good and proud of yourself for positive choices, the stronger you build the habit in that direction.  Positive thinking leads to positive habits. It’s just the way things work.  If you doubt it at all, that’s fine.  But I ask that you earnestly practice what I’m talking about here for one week.  Really apply these principles into your life and see how they affect you.

In fact, regardless of how much you “buy-in” to what I’m talking about, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  If you’re doubting what I’m saying here, that’s actually great!  I invite you to go test out these ideas for the next 7 days and get back to me with your results.

We have also created a thread in the community to share your results with this challenge. Go to the link, and literally tell us what you are going to do next. And after 7 days, we will send out a reminder for you to post your results and see what other people have done!

I’d also love to hear from you. You can reach me at joshua (at) peertrainer (dot) com.

Thanks for reading and all the best,

Joshua



Joshua Wayne is a Personal Development Coach and Trainer who focuses on weight loss, fitness and mind/body wellness.  He is the co-creator (with PEERtrainer co-founder Jackie Wicks) of the “Point of No Return” training program that helps people adopt the thinking and behaviors necessary to finally get “un-stuck” and overcome frustration and hopelessness in their weight loss efforts.