Breaking Barriers: How to stay motivated on your weight loss journey

We are within shouting distance of a brand new year. It must be time to mark the calendar for a new weight loss program, all set to get underway on January 1! Amirite? 

Ask any gym owner / trainer and they will tell you that January is their busiest month. And after Valentine's day, it is crickets. Ever wondered how or why this is so? Year after year, we are so enamored with the magic of beginnings. But the tough times leading to the endings, with a sticky middle period which is an unrelenting hell hole, get no fans. 

This is why most of these best laid plans fall by the wayside. 

But what if, in the final stages of 2024, we, you, dear reader and I, make a pact. That we will jump off this cycle and welcome 2025, 2026 and beyond, not with a shiny weight loss plan but a solid, healthy approach. One that sails past the heady high of fresh starts and new beginnings, acknowledges the sticky middle and reaches the tough ending, and stays there. 

To that end, let us see what are the common barriers to a successful weight loss journey? And how can we break those barriers? 

Barrier #1: Motivation, or lack thereof

Lack of motivation is often the reason why gyms go empty post Valentine's day, why our shiny new athleisure outfits do not see the light of day and our treadmills and free weights start gathering dust. Once the initial buzz wears off, waking up at unholy hours to sweat for some distant glory seems pointless, especially when your bed is so warm and welcoming. 

How do you counter this? By realising that relying on motivation alone to carry you onwards is setting you up for failure. 

Motivation does not happen in a vacuum. Think of it as a twin entity - think of Motivation as the younger sibling, dutifully following the unflashy older one, Action. Motivation follows Action. Put your head down, and stick to your plan. And when good things start to happen, Motivation will surely follow.  

Put differently, switch your focus to intrinsic motivation and not on extrinsic motivation. Fall in love with the process, not the rewards at the end. Weight loss success will surely follow.

Barrier #2: Getting foxed by unrealistic expectations

When we open the calendars or shiny bullet journals and start planning our holiday in 3 size smaller outfits, we do not pause to check our expectations. Are they workable? Are they too much? By deciding I will be wearing my pre-baby jeans by my birthday in six months time, am I just setting myself a really hard task to follow? 

In other words, do we ever ask if our expectations are a tad unrealistic? Of course we don't! That's what is so enticing about new beginnings - they do not have more than a passing acquaintance with stone cold reality. But unrealistic expectations have this habit of scuppering our weight loss efforts.

Counter this by setting realistic goals. Instead of saying "I want to weigh 25 kilos less by my birthday", which is a classic example of a results-based and unrealistic goal, set an behaviour-based goal. Say "I will workout for an hour at least three times a week" or “I will eat one more serving of vegetables with every meal” and give yourself a set period to nail that habit. Then add another. 

When you define your weight loss goals, think about what is your driving force. No weight loss plan works without working out the underlying motivation behind it. Goal setting is important, if not THE most important part of your weight loss plans. That is what helps to get rid of unrealistic expectations and focus instead on smart goals. 

Break down your big goals into smaller goals that are easily digestible. And smash them one by one!

Barrier #3: Emotional eating 

We all know that the road to weight loss is paved with fewer calories. But it is also the reality that many of us eat when we are bored, stressed, afraid, angry, tense... any strong emotion can trigger a bout of eating. That's why they call it 'emotional eating'. This has the detrimental effect of making us feel worse once we calm down. And, sometimes, trigger self loathing leading to hopelessness. 

The way to stop this is to have a plan. Some nip this in the bud by not having any highly unnatural, ultra processed junk foods in their cupboards, ready to trip them up and ruin their progress. Others go for distraction. If you only store healthy, high protein snacks, that's what you can reach for in times of stress, right? Think cottage cheese instead of flavoured yogurt. But the problem with both these plans is that they do not address the underlying habit of turning to food for comfort. 

Instead, acknowledge the unhealthy habit. And the worse response. Switch to something totally different: go for a walk or a swim, draw or paint, drink some water... teach yourself to eat mindfully. To appreciate and savour the food you eat. And when you eat, you eat for nourishment. Not comfort. 

Barrier #4: Inconsistency 

Working out three times the first week, twice the second, once the third and taking a break after because you are on holiday and never getting back to it; staying up too late and not getting adequate shut eye; ignoring the meal plans and not eating enough protein - all of these are habits detrimental to your journey. 

Much of the weight loss journey is boring. Putting in the work, doing the same thing repeatedly day after day, whether you feel like it or not. This means, making the same healthy choices and choosing lean proteins, whole foods, healthy fats, strength training 3-4x per week, getting at least 7 hours of sleep and so on. 

Consistency isn't glamorous; consistency isn't cool. Often, it is boring. But that's where magic lives. You beat back inconsistency by showing up, no matter what. Put in the work, even when you don't feel like it is the way towards reaching your goal. 

By taking small steps, making small changes consistently you can reach your goals.

Barrier #5: Getting derailed when things go awry

One aspect we all fail to acknowledge but sadly need to accept is that the weight loss journey is never linear. 

Even with the best will in the world and the best weight loss program, you cannot negate setbacks. Because, life is not linear. There might be external stressors due to family, friends, work, finance, health and what not. There might be tough times at work, issues causing lack of sleep and these might have a knock-on effect on your energy levels, leading to weight loss plateaus and possible weight gain. 

At such times, it is easy to lose faith and let go. 

"Eh, I ate two laddoos, I might as well finish the full dozen!" can never be a winning argument. Eating 1 laddoo or 2 will not derail you. But the "I have messed up, might as well mess up thoroughly" attitude most definitely will. 

So the best way to surmount this barrier is to hold the line. Ate something that, in retrospect, you rather didn't? Brush it off and move on. Don't dwell on it but at the same time, don't dismiss it either. It is perfectly okay to eat the murukku and thattai you grandmother lovingly made for Diwali. Relish one, thank her sweetly and walk away from the container.

Barrier #6: Lack of a good support system

Accountability partner, assemble! Fat loss, much like child rearing, cannot happen in isolation. Even the most meticulous and detailed plans need a good ecosystem to succeed. If you are good about eating your protein and your veggies but every time you hang out with your friends, you keep hearing the 'eh it is fine, one drink/dessert/fried food item won't kill you! Just shut up and eat!' , sooner or later you will buckle. 

What you need is a strong support system. One that is geared to helping you reach your goals. Your support system will be your hype people - they will make sure your food options are met, don't egg you to miss your training which is important to you, do not make you choose between your workout and hanging out with them. Above all, they will be your emotional support and won't ridicule or make fun of you. 

Your workout buddy will not let you turn the alarm off and sleep in; they will train/run right alongside you and cheer you on when you go for those PRs. There's no more powerful motivator than a kickass training partner and a great support system that is full of like-minded people. 

Now that you know what barriers there are and how you can break free of them, you are all set to go forth in the right direction. Don't forget, though:

• Get a great fitness coach or a personal trainer, one who is well-trained and whose ethos aligns with yours.
• ​You need a good exercise routine, one that fits you and your lifestyle. Make sure strength training forms a good chunk of it. 
• ​Have a basic daily routine - and stick to it come rain or shine. Like Coach Dan John puts it, even if the rest of the day goes to pot, if you can knock out your daily routine before it did, the day is still salvageable.
• ​Celebrate the non-scale victories - while it is okay to keep an eye on the goal weight, it is important to acknowledge every win. Celebrate the small victories, not just the big goals. 

There is a difference between successful weight loss and sustainable weight loss. One could be short-lived while the other is long-term. Good health is not just for the summer holiday or the family wedding, it is for life. So take small steps, adapt a healthy lifestyle suited to your specific needs, eat an abundance of nourishing, healthy foods, embrace movement and enjoy sound mental and overall health.

If you think you could do with a bit of professional guidance, The Quad's team of well-trained coaches can support you with anything from offering practical tips to helping you work towards a specific goal.

Get in touch with us today and let us be your hype buddies!