Are you constantly switching diet plans every few weeks because they don’t work? Have you signed up for a gym membership that’s gathering dust? Do you find yourself frequently Googling weight loss supplements and quick fixes? If so, you’re not alone. Many women in midlife face these same struggles, looking for that magic bullet to transform their bodies and health. But here's the truth: there are no quick fixes. Real, lasting change requires effort, consistency, and a shift in behaviour. Most people need some help to make the changes they want to see, so let's look at why many diets fail, and what you can do to make the changes and what I can do to help you.
Why quick fix diets fail you
The diet industry thrives on the promise of quick results. Fad diets lure you in with promises of rapid weight loss and easy solutions. Despite us all knowing the truth about who wins when it comes to the story about the Tortoise and the Hare, we still fall for it!
Quick fix diets fail you in several ways: Firstly, the seismic changes you need to make to how you live can leave you feeling deprived, without a social life, hangry and frustrated, so a few days in you feel you can't keep it up and search for something new. Alternatively, if you are able to keep going for a few weeks and lose the weight you want to, you "come off the diet" and revert back to how you ate before because the "diet" didn't teach you how to eat, move and live in a way that will keep you where you want to be, sound familiar?
The result is you "fail" or yo-yo diet, switching from one diet to another, and you don't have the chance to adapt and make lasting changes. For real lasting progress you need to focus on the basics:
Balanced Nutrition: Incorporating a variety of whole foods into your diet. Think lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Sustainable Eating Habits: Finding a way of eating that you can maintain long-term. Feeling deprived day in day out isn't sustainable; you need a healthy relationship with food.
Mindful Eating: Pay attention to your body's hunger and fullness cues. Eat slowly and enjoy your meals.
Sounds boring and obvious right? We all know that's what we should be doing, the issue is that we live in obesogenic society that is constantly feeding us temptation. We are wired to love a bargain. You'll see Buy 2 Get one Free offer on all the sweets and biscuits, but you don't often see those types offers on fruit or veg right? We are encouraged to super-size everything or add fries to our order, marketing ensures our brains are constantly being tempted with salt, sugar, and fatty foods, it's hard. You are not rubbish at diets, it's just freaking hard to win the battle of healthy eating and moving when the billion-dollar food companies are using psychology to get your brain to want that mega bargain deal or target the human body's natural cravings for fat, salt, and sugar
The Unused Gym Membership
Signing up for a gym is a great first step, but the membership alone won’t get you fit. It’s the consistent effort you put into your workouts that make the difference. You need to turn up for yourself , so many of us have signed up for a gym membership and never used it, you have to find a way to make exercise a habit and that's about finding something that appealing to you and the big thing- STARTING....people often say "I hate exercise, I have no motivation" well truth be told, that is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, because motivation comes in two forms
the motivation that comes with your initial enthusiasm and commitment to make a change, and
from the benefits you feel and see in yourself. Your body is designed to move, it is wired to make you feel good when you do (ever heard of Endorphins?)
So, if you don't have the motivation to get started you have to think positive and know that if you start, the motivation from how you look, and feel will come!
But you do have to start.
For most people this means you need some focus and support to get you off the starting line, and to keep you going so you see the rewards and realise that you can achieve your goal
Changing Your Behaviour
One of the most crucial aspects of achieving lasting health and fitness is changing your behaviour. If you continue to focus on not doing the work, you’ll never get there. Here are some ways to reframe your diet and/or health kick:
Stay Positive: Keep a positive attitude and be kind to yourself. Understand that this is a lifelong journey, not a sprint. You need to look for and celebrate the small wins along the way, those wins along the way help you keep making progress in the right direction.
Focus on Health, Not Just Weight: Shift your focus from solely losing weight to becoming healthier overall. Improved energy levels, better sleep, and enhanced mood are all benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Feeling better makes the process so much easier - why would you want to make this hard?
Build Healthy Habits: Work on creating habits that support your goals, such as regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate sleep. Small, consistent actions lead to big results over time. Yes this does take practice and no you won't be perfect at this from day 1, but the fact is you won't get better unless you put the work in on the stuff that keeps tripping you up - whether for you that is weekend/evening overeating, constantly snacking, spending evenings/weekends on the sofa watching TV , not eating your 5 a day whatever causes you to slip up NEEDS YOUR FOCUS
Introducing "Start With Purpose"
I’m excited to announce the launch of my new group coaching programme, "Start With Purpose," on 8th July. This 6-week programme is designed to start you working on the things you need to focus on for the long term. Whether you want to lose weight or maintain weight loss, this programme is for you. We’ll focus on:
Feeling Better
Focus on building sustainable habits in a positive way to help you get where you want to be and stay there!
Shifting your behaviour for long-term success, this isn't a quick fix you need to put in the work, prioritise yourself and you will see progress.
Here's what you'll get:
Workouts for Home and Gym: Exercises for all abilities that you can do anywhere, making it easier for you to make exercise part of your weekly routine.
Simple Nutrition Advice: No need to overcomplicate things. Easy-to-follow guidelines for a balanced diet and nutritional ranges for you whether you want to lose or maintain weight.
Habit Progress Tracking: The group will have goals for the key habits we all trip up on and you can track your progress.
Support and Guidance: We all need it from time to time and the main reason you probably have given up on a diet in the past, is because you have not had the right support when you needed it. To give you the confidence to keep going, knowing you are doing the right thing, navigate your social life, holidays, the days when you are not sure what's best. I’ll be there for you every step of the way. If you have any issues or are struggling, you can ask for advice and support from me and the rest of the group through our group messaging.
This is your chance to take the first step towards a healthier, happier you.
Taking the First Step
The journey to lasting health and fitness starts with a single step. It’s about making a commitment to yourself and putting in the work, day after day and its entirely normal to need some support when you are doing this.
Remember, only you can change you. No diet plan, gym membership, or supplement can do the work for you. It takes effort, consistency, and a new way of thinking.
Ready to make a real change? If you want more details about my new 6-week group coaching programme, Start With Purpose launching on 8th July 2024 you can find them here https://link.fitforapurpose.co.uk/START
Take the first step towards a healthier you today!
🌟Need more help? I offer support and advice on social media to help with fitness and fat loss, specifically aimed at women over 30 . Click these links and follow me on Instagram @fitforapurposeuk or on facebook fitforapurposeadmin
For those looking for one to one support I offer bespoke coaching services via my Get Fit For a Purpose plan - Click here for details of my services
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