Thrive In 2023 And Beyond: 10 Power Habits To Make Lasting Habit Changes For Permanent Weight Loss
Creating lasting change is not easy, but it’s definitely possible with the right habits. If your goal is to lose weight and keep it off, you must make relevant changes in your lifestyle to make sure they stick.
Here are 10 Power Habits you can use to make lasting habit changes that will support permanent weight loss. Implementing these power habits will allow you to transition from trying to modify your current behaviors into a natural practice that leads to long-term success.
1. Tracking Progress And Performance Regularly
Consistently tracking progress and performance is one of the most essential habits to make sustainable lifestyle changes that will last. Working toward any sort of lifestyle shift requires planning, dedication, and accountability; tracking progress is the tangible record of what has been achieved and the reality check that can be used to regulate and evaluate current efforts.
By regularly monitoring physical activity with a fitness tracker or a daily entry into a journal, caloric intake on a food diary, weight loss or gain on a scale, and any other metrics related to weight loss goals in one centralized location, progress becomes more easily sustainable over the course of time. Furthermore, having this visual representation of effort makes it easier to stay motivated when the going gets tough.
2. Stick To A Meal Routine
At its core, this is all about adopting healthy eating habits that last - having regular meals filled with nutritious and balanced foods will give your body the fuel it needs throughout the day, rather than consuming large caloric amounts intermittently which can lead to an unhealthy cycle. This routine should be tailored to your individual lifestyle and preferences, removing any potential causes of temptation or boredom when it comes to your meals.
3. Healthy Fats Are Your Friend
These healthy fats typically come from foods such as avocado, nuts, and even certain oils such as coconut and olive oil. Healthy fats are important for helping your body absorb essential vitamins and minerals. It also helps your body reduce inflammation, hormones stabilization, and improved brain function; all essential to maintaining a balanced diet. Plus, they’re delicious!
4. Build An Accountability System
When it comes to weight loss, creating an accountability system and getting an accountability buddy can help "lock-in" the habits that will lead to lasting changes. Through having a structure and a buddy, you can track your behavior easily and become get the support you need during times of temptation or difficulty.
An accountability system will also keeps you honest and motivated; It's a great feeling when you can look back on all the progress you've made with your goals over the weeks or months with a buddy who has helped you embody those long-term changes.
5. Make Room For Tapping and Positive Self-Talk
Crafting a positive inner dialogue is an important part of sustainable habit change necessary for lasting weight loss. Negative inner talk can really dampen the spirit, making it hard to stay focused and motivated enough to meet the lifestyle changes needed for healthy weight loss.
You can use the powerful practice of EFT Tapping to release the negative self talk and make the space to think positive. Allowing for an exchange between conversations of self-criticism versus talking with compassion and understanding towards ourselves can flow naturally in our favor when we use tapping to reduce the negative power of negative self talk and help us combat fickle emotions arising from a restrictive diet or difficult exercise routine.
Tapping helps us create an open space for acceptance and celebrating our wins as we go. Focusing on reducing the negative and increasing the positive offers an enjoyable path that leads to successful weight loss goals and expands our horizon of possibilities when challenging behavior arises.
For more information on tapping, go to my tapping youtube playlist at www.youtube.com/coachjoemitchell/tapping.(?)
6. Look For Healthy Alternatives
Sometimes it can be difficult to break unhealthy patterns and make healthier decisions, but with some willpower and dedication (and some regular tapping), you can make a real difference. Focusing on healthy meal options, rather than just cutting back on junk food and snacks, is an effective way to create long-term dietary shifts.
Pay attention to what ingredients are in different foods, focusing on those that provide vital nutrients and energy while avoiding those that offer little nutritional value. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats and low-fat dairy products instead of processed items can help improve your overall health while also helping you stay within your desired calorie range.
7. Staying Stagnant Is The Enemy
Taking 10,000 steps a day may seem like a lot, but the rewards you will receive are well worth the effort. Regular walking can help improve heart health, reduce stress and promote metabolism. Those who walk consistently managed to lose more weight than those who did not exercise as much.
Additionally, it is important to understand that making lasting habit changes for permanent weight loss requires consistency and commitment. This means that even if you reach your weight loss goals, it will only last if you are able to incorporate healthy habits and lifestyle into your routine. Staying stagnant and isolated from the world around us can be detrimental on physical, mental and emotional levels.
8. Protein, Protein, Protein
Eating enough protein is an essential habit for sustained weight loss. It helps to build and restore muscle tissue, which helps to burn calories faster, leading to better results on the scale. It also keeps us fuller for longer periods of time, preventing us from snacking between meals and overindulging.
Protein can be found in a variety of sources ranging from high-quality meats like salmon and steak to plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils and quinoa. Incorporating high-protein foods into each meal will help build healthy habits that yield long-term weight loss success.
9. Build Muscle
By focusing on getting stronger rather than the number on the scale, you'll be more likely to stick to a healthy routine that works for you. Getting stronger means building muscle with strength training; weightlifting and resistance exercises are both good options. Muscle growth boosts your metabolic rate and helps break down stored body fat, resulting in reduced body fat over time.
Additionally, increased strength can improve posture which can have a positive effect on how you feel about yourself and your body. Building muscle can also boost energy levels, allowing you to commit more energy to other healthy habits like getting eight hours of sleep or planning nutritious meals ahead of time.
10. Cheat Days Hurt More Than They Help
Cheat days have become an increasingly popular way to stay on track, but sometimes they can actually hurt more than they help. Many people who decide to take a 'cheat day' find that their whole routine has been disrupted and it takes them multiple days to get back into the groove of healthy eating.
Joe Mitchell, Esquire is a High-Performance Coach and EFT (Tapping) Practitioner, who has logged over 35 years of in-depth study of personal and spiritual development. In his studies, he has done hundreds of self-development courses, spiritual retreats, and health-related workshops. Coach Joe is a certified yoga teacher, meditation teacher, NLP Practitioner, and a graduate of three coaching academies. Two years after he graduated from Harvard Law School, he became a monk for five years. In 2016, after over 20 years as a solo criminal and personal injury attorney, he decided to turn his heart’s passion into a career as a Success Coach, Motivational Speaker and Trainer. For information on Coach Joe’s programs, high-performance videos and apply for a Free High-Performance Session click the following link: http://www.activateyourgreatness.com/free-session.