B-Fit member Melissa recently reached a big milestone in her weight loss journey: she's down 70 lbs!
It's hard to overstate how big of an accomplishment that is. The path to weight loss for Melissa was nonlinear and had several plateaus along the way. Her success was the result of her being patient, playing the long game, and continuing to move forward.
Anyone who's attempted to lose weight knows how difficult it can be. You may be motivated by the quick results you see in the first few weeks, but it gets harder to stay committed after some time.
Old habits die hard, so it takes some serious willpower to stay on a healthy path long-term. Although most people who try to lose weight end up gaining it back, there are a select few who succeed.
What is it that separates those success stories from the rest of the bunch?
Melissa is a perfect case study to help us answer that question. She didn't resort to any extreme method for losing weight quickly. It's taken her years and plenty of experimentation to get to where she is today.
Despite the ups and downs of her journey, Melissa continues to make incremental progress toward her weight loss goals.
We wanted to dig deeper into the psychology of her lifestyle changes. After picking her brain, we discovered two valuable insights that can help those who are on a similar journey.
1. Your environment shapes your behavior.
Melissa used to hate exercise. The thought of going to a gym and hopping on machines was dreadful for her. Then she found B-Fit. According to her, the community there made her feel comfortable and welcomed. It reduced a lot of the friction associated with going to the gym. After all, it's much easier to exercise when you're having a good time with fun people.
The lesson here is that you've got to find the right environment that allows you to thrive. That may look different for everyone. Maybe it's not that you hate exercise; maybe you just haven't found the style of exercise that feels right for you.
2. Change your perspective = change your life.
Some people view exercise as a difficult chore—a painful endeavor that must be endured as a means to an end. Others see it a little differently. They realize that there's immense value in pushing yourself through the discomfort. Yes, exercise feels hard, but it paradoxically feels really good. Not only are you giving your body the movement it desperately craves, but it serves as mental therapy as well.
Melissa confirms the latter mindset. She mentioned that the main reason she continues exercising consistently is that she considers it therapy. There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment you get after finishing a hard workout. It's empowering to see yourself getting stronger and more fit every month.
When you start seeing the challenge of exercise as a good thing, you'll increase your chances of staying committed.
Losing weight is not easy. The journey will involve many obstacles and setbacks, but the results are worth the effort. By finding the right environment and changing your perspective, you can ensure that you'll be one of the proud few who lose weight and keep it off.