It’s human nature to see how much we can push and get away with before we get in trouble.  From kids at school who cheat on exams to elite athletes getting away with doping at the Olympic games, to those drivers who speed along with suspended licenses, cheating is everywhere. But no matter how common it is, cheating in a negative direction is still a gamble.

I’ve noticed the same phenomenon in the fat loss world.  Those that are in constant battle with the scale or their bodies will always see just how much they can get away with before the results show.  Some people will eat clean all week and ‘pig out’ on the weekends.  Others will exercise for a good three months, start seeing some serious progress and then start going back to their old ways, eating unhealthy foods and exercising less. In no time, they’re back to square one, wondering what happened. 

Just like cheating on a test or driving without insurance, when you’re trying to lose fat
and you choose to cheat, you will eventually get caught and get in to trouble.  What is it that goes off inside our heads that triggers us to eat bad food, skip workouts, go to bed late and drink way too much wine when we know we shouldn’t?  I mean, I’ve been there, where your clothes aren’t fitting, you’re unhappy and unmotivated, and eating ice cream seems like it’s the best thing in the world at the time! 

How far are you willing to push yourself before you realize that you’ve gone too far? And when you do realize you’ve gone too far, it’s seems like it’s the end of the world and it’ll be impossible to regroup.  Surgery, pills, and hardcore diets are often the options to which people in those situations resort.  The more you give into this psyche demon that is slowly taking control of your life and killing you softly, the deeper and darker your hole will be, and the harder it will be to recover.  Each bit of extra fat on your body makes it  easier to gain even more fat.

Before you find yourself in a situation which is going to be really hard to reverse, please stop now and start gaining control over your life. 

Here are some very basic, yet very effective, techniques that you can start applying now to gain control over yourself and your life today.

Identify your Weakest Spots
Most of us know what our weakest links are.  For some it’ll be junk food like cookies, ice cream, and breads, and for others it will be alcohol or only sleeping 5 hours a night.  Figure out what your weakest spots are, and once you’ve done this, attack one weak spot at a time.  Unless you face these issues straight on you’ll never be satisfied with your weight loss progress.  These are very minor things in your life that are holding you back from living your greatest life. 

Here is a list of some very common weakest links that most people neglect and then wonder why they’re not seeing any results:

1.    Living/Work Environment - Unless you’re willing to change your lifestyle, including the environment in which you spend most of your time (home/work), you’re not going to win this battle.  If you expect to improve your health, it doesn’t start with exercise and changing what you eat; it starts with what you stack in your fridge and cupboards, and with the people you surround yourself. If you have temptation foods in your house, you’re setting yourself up for a big crash.  If you’re trying to quit smoking and your partner smokes, it’ll be tough for you to quit.  So if you’re serious about your goals, set up your perimeter for success as you’re going to be facing all the temptation in the outside world ie. parties, work lunches, holidays, etc.  Surround yourself with those people that bring the best out of you and who do not drag you into doing things that get you in to trouble with your weight in the first place.

2.    Skipping Breakfast – Skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do.  When you’re skipping breakfast you’re creating a fat storing environment within your system, and it’s a hard pattern to break once established.  Having a proper breakfast will jump start your metabolism and regulate your insulin and blood sugars for the rest of the day.  Having a good breakfast in the morning will help you manage your food cravings including carbs, avoid energy fluctuations, and most important of all, enhance your fat-burning metabolism.

3.    Skipping Meals – Not eating frequently enough causes your metabolism to slow down and your blood sugar levels to crash, this causes lethargy, muscle loss, fat gain, simple carb cravings and more.  Start eating more frequently to sustain your blood sugars/insulin and to enhance fat loss.  On the other side of the token, you’ll control your cravings for certain foods, and you’ll have more energy for your daily tasks.

4.    Eating Crap – only 25% of the world's population is gifted to handle junk!  If you have a spare tire or a muffin top, then you’re definitely not one of those 'special' people.  Deal with and learn how to live without the junk! 

5.    Going to bed late – Every person that I have done a consultation with and worked with that is struggling with fat goes to bed late!  Simple things like going to bed earlier will make a world of difference to your fat loss efforts. Unfortunately, it’s also one of those things that most people will not do or will not stick to doing for long.   It’s always better to go to bed earlier and get up earlier in the morning, rather then going to bed later and getting up later to get your 7 or even 8 hours of sleep.  When you go to bed at midnight, you disrupt your body's natural sleep/wake cycle, which then alters your hormonal system, which in the end, is one of the reasons why you’re overweight.

6.    Skipping workouts – Psychologists say that a bad habit has to be replaced with a different habit rather than just stopped. You can’t just quit what you’ve been doing for months or years.  Exercising can be a new habit that replaces many bad habits.  Once you start exercising great things start to happen; it’s like a domino effect.  Stop exercising, and everything else goes back to the way it used to be – the bad habits return.   As important as the steps are that I’ve mentioned above,  sometimes a simple exercise routine is all it takes to motivate you to take the other steps toward positive change.  Maybe once you start exercising, you’ll also start having breakfast and regular meals? 

Wrap Up
One of the worst traits to have is to be aware of all these issues but to do absolutely nothing about them until you’ve gone too far!  You probably realize what you’re doing is setting you back, but because you’re in this emotional debt situation, all those poor choices can sometimes seem like the only things that make everything else seem okay. This feeling is very dangerous, and you want to gain control over this feeling as quickly as possible.  The more you allow yourself to be pleased by this illusion, the deeper trouble you’ll get yourself into.  One day you will have to turn around, and trying to improve your quality of life will be very difficult.  Stop gambling with your fat loss goals. As much as you may not want to admit it, you will not get away with cheating and you will eventually have to put in the hard work to succeed!

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