The power of simplicity: Why a simple weight loss plan could be the answer

We’d be straight-up lying to you if we said weight loss was easy. I mean come on — we’ve all seen the marketing speak over the years: “Lose 10kg in 10 days!” and “Get the beach body of your dreams with this totally not dangerous thing!” - and how often has that really worked for you promising the long-term results you were really looking for?

Losing weight doesn’t need to be complicated, over the top or something you feel like you have to quit 3 days into a crazy diet or 20 hours a day at the gym.

What if it was something you can relatively easily do, by just making the little things you do every day be part of the solution to faster weight loss? What if I also told you — you didn’t need something dodgy to buy, or an expensive and restrictive gym membership to lose weight faster?

It’s because weight loss isn’t some mythical thing that’s only revealed when you’ve finally outsmarted all the internet “fake gurus” and are allowed access to the “secret society for weight loss”. Sometimes the means to fast effective weight loss is the simplest option.

1. Take Small Sustainable Changes

I’m sorry to say this, but fat loss is not the glamorous party you’ve seen on Instagram. But sticking to a radical change for a short period of time is not that easy. Instead, it’s about making the kind of (nearly invisible) changes that would become a healthy habit. Always staying ahead of the change so that healthy eating becomes as second nature to you as binge eating or drinking does today.

Finding a diet that you can live with forever might mean just eating more vegetables with everything, or (gasp) loving yourself enough to quit eating some of the cupcakes or eating breakfast with enough protein every day. None of these things will really make that much of a difference (well, maybe a little energy and some real weight loss, but you know what I mean).

2. Movement Doesn’t Have to Mean Intense Workouts

Generally speaking, we equate weight loss with long, boring hours at the gym or on a treadmill … but there’s more than one way to toast a croissant! In fact, there are countless ways to move your body and expend calories and not all of them involve getting changed and heading to the gym! Moving throughout the day doing gentle activities (think, walking or riding a bike or taking the stairs, even) will result in considerable calorie burn. A weight loss plan that reasons around this kind of sensible movement (rather than asking that you turn your life upside down and sit on a stationary bike for 50 minutes a day) can be surprisingly effective.

Get outside every evening after dinner and walk around your neighbourhood for 30 minutes a day. Walking is the simplest, most effective thing you can do for weight loss. It doesn’t take a lot of equipment (shoes are recommended) and it’s low-impact on your body. It can also be great for your mind and help improve energy and mood!

3. Mindset Maketh Man!

The biggest piece of the weight loss puzzle is your mind. Eating well and getting plenty of exercise isn’t just about following a set of rules. It’s more about changing mindset around food, fitness and health and having a “plan” that involves weekly check-ins, fueling seminars, a group of people with a like-minded goal, etc. That will help in the mind shift from “I have to lose weight” to “I am getting healthy.” Don't think of weight loss in and of itself but rather the becoming healthier individual piece. You will not see results that last with a quick-fix strategy so it’s time to start thinking about health on more of a long-term basis.

4. Accountability: The Support You Need to Succeed

Accountability is like one of the biggest proven things for successful weight loss. Having ONE person or a group of people who are in your corner motivating, inspiring and generally helping to keep you on track. It’s either hiring a coach who will provide accountability or joining a group for it. But this is one of the things that you will have a really tough time following through with your goals without. Secret: it’s a lot easier to stop following through when you don’t have anyone asking you why.

You will fail at your goal if you try to go on this journey alone. But if you surround yourself with people who also want to improve their health and get some accountability going, it makes it way easier to stick to the plans and follow through on them.

5. Consistency is More Important Than Perfection

I’ve been there. The restrict or bust kind of dieting where if I didn’t hit the mark of what was set for me then that's it, the day is shot. But let me tell you this — this is what I learnt — its about showing up every single day! The days you have perfect “diets” and exercise plans. And the days you don’t. It’s about how well you can stick to the plan on the days you don’t.

When you take it easy, with a simple plan you’ll find it very, very easy to stay disciplined. But when you boggle yourself down with hardcore, ‘The Amazing Race’ type regimens, you’ll surely be tempted to take a day, or two…or three, to recover. Not knowing that you’ve kicked consistency out the door! Small changes add up. Keep the bigger picture in mind and take steps today to build lasting habits that will help you reach your goals now and in the future.

6. Do What Works For You

We are built oh-so differently and that’s the magic that makes us proudly US! Your weight loss plan should also be magically different. You get to pick the best plan for you and your lifestyle. You get to pick what you want to do and how much you want to prepare. Want to do things from scratch? Do it! Want to keep things super quick? Do that! Your weight loss plan should be easy to follow and easy to stick with. When someone hates the food and hates the workouts, there is no way they will want to keep going. And the best way to keep momentum going is to be able to pick and choose what works best for you and feel like you don’t have to follow a ton of rules.

Don’t Complicate It!

At the end of the day, a weight loss plan is really about building healthy habits, NOT joining another fad or doing enough burpees to make you want to stay on the ground forever. In order to do that, you have to be consistent. That’s so much easier to do when you have a weight loss plan that is simple to understand, follow and do for the long run. Everyone is different, so your weight loss plan should be as well! A simple weight loss plan that helps you build healthy habits while providing you the flexibility to pick and choose the recipes and workouts that work best for you all in one place and all without the need for any crazy restrictions or crazy hard workouts!