Sincerenity

There are so many words and phrases people use when they are losing weight. Some are helpful such as: “Believe in yourself!” and “Don’t give up!” Some are not helpful and very toxic. Just look to diet culture for those examples.

There’s one phrase I hear very often from others on a weight loss journey, and it’s: “Consistency is key”. It really isn’t a cliche.

Consistency really is key.

However, you do have to chose what you’re consistent with. Here’s what I used to be consistent with: sleeping in, never exercising, getting to work late, over-eating daily, not being mindful about food, staying up late, etc.

Whether we know it or not, everyone has a routine. It may not be your ideal routine, but we all have one. Habits make up your routines.

It was not because of one “bad” habit that made me gain all of my weight, but it was an accumulation of many “bad” habits that built my “poor” routine. So, to lose my weight, I’m reversing that by having lots of “good” habits that accumulate to a “good” routine. Just like one “bad” habit did not make me gain all of my weight, neither will one “good” habit make me lose it. It’s a combination of a lot of habits that will add up and create a routine.

Over the last 13 months, I’ve been creating new habits. It takes lots of time, because sadly I cannot just change everything about myself overnight (as much as I would like to). One habit is building upon each other, and slowly, but surely, I am getting a new routine.

How did I do this?

I started with 1-2 habits to work on, such as tracking what I eat and drinking 100 oz of water in a day. After 2-3 weeks, those became habits that naturally became incorporated into my routine. So, time to add the next 1-2 habits, for example: exercise 2 times in a week and be in bed by 10:00pm. After a few weeks, these become a natural part of my routine, so time to add the next 1-2 at a time, rinse and repeat.

It would have been a lot harder for myself to change more than 5 things at a time. Could you imagine if I woke up one day and decided to work out, track everything I ate, drink a gallon of water, and be in bed by 10, and cook a new recipe, and spend 30 minutes on a hobby and…(the list could continue). I might have been able to do that for a day or two, but for me that is not sustainable.

Here is what I’m consistent with now: waking up early (not super early, just enough time to work out, get ready and whatever else I need to do), exercising a few times a week, getting to work early, sticking to a calorie budget, mindfully eating, drinking 100+ oz of water per day, and going to bed at a decent time.

“Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.”

– John C. Maxwell

My current routine certainly isn’t perfect. It has changed a lot and I know it will only continue to change. It takes time and patience, trial and error, but in my opinion, that is the beauty of it. I’ve learned so much about myself and I will continue to learn.
I can chose what I’m consistent with.