Changing your lifestyle and diet isn’t easy. We know this. That’s why there is a growing number of people in the UK and across the world suffering from overweight and obesity and that is why weight loss services like ours exist.

If it was easy, The Slimming Clinic would be out of a job, but all of us would be healthy, fit and living our best lives.

But sadly, that isn’t the case.

And it is because change is hard, keeping focussed on our goals is hard and knowing what steps to take to help your weight loss is hard.

But what if you could focus on a series of small steps that, over time, could change your life, keep your focus on your health and all without too much effort?

How far are you willing to go to reach your weight loss and health goals?

Taking the first step

The first step is always the most positive one. You’ve decided to lose weight and you are more determined than ever.

What does planning for weight loss look like to you?

For most of us, it’s cracking out your food planner, making a healthy lunch for the next day, setting your alarm for 6am and getting ready to start eating healthily and moving more.

But what happens when that alarm goes off at 6am and you snooze it or you get to lunch time and you’re craving high-calorie foods or you’re too tired to make the dinner you planned so you just order something from the local takeaway?

If your mindset is letting you down with your weight loss journey, try our FREE Little Book of Mindset support booklet to get your head in the right place:

Your FREE Little Book of Mindset Is Here

Taking the next step

So when you are lacking motivation – this is where taking the next step comes in.

When that alarm goes off and you’re groggy and tired and couldn’t think of anything worse than pulling on your gym clothes and jumping around or lunch rolls around and you really aren’t feeling that salad you made last night – this is where you have to focus on the good intentions you set for yourself and now:

Realign those expectations

We are our own worst enemies sometimes when it comes to our weight loss journey, often taking on more steps that we can manage and falling at the first hurdle.

The desperation to lose weight quickly forces us to bite off more than we can chew, and we just can’t keep up with the plans we had set for ourselves and give up.

When you start finding yourself failing – is it time to ask yourself if you are ready to start losing weight?

Take our quiz to see if you’re ready:

Are You Ready To Lose Weight?

Taking it one step at a time

Sadly, as much as we want it to be a speedy process, we didn’t gain all our weight in a week, and we certainly won’t lose it all in one week either.

The need to lose weight quickly sees us partaking in crash diets, often losing weight on unsustainably low calories, or on crazy exercise regimes, which in the long run lead often sees us regaining all the weight we lost, as we can’t keep up such a strict lifestyle.

If the diet you are using to lose weight is unsustainable for the rest of your life, then, sadly, when you stop your weight loss diet and lifestyle, you will more than likely gain back the weight you’ve lost.

The key to successful weight loss is small, sustainable changes you make, over time, that you keep your weight steady when you reach your goals.

It is an overhaul of your unhealthy habits to help you find a healthy balance in your life – not just a lifestyle we adopt for a few months to reach a magic number on the scales.

But importantly, weight loss doesn’t mean giving up everything you love – it is just about finding a balanced lifestyle.

Small steps you can take

If you are ready to keep focussing on your weight loss goals, there are small steps you can take, to prevent failure.

Choosing to swap unhealthy habits to healthier ones, gradually over time, will help you reach your goals and stay there.

Remember – you don’t need to change them all at once either!

Focus on one change at a time, and when you’re ready for the next change, add that too. Soon your healthy lifestyle will be second nature.

Think about your habits that can be changed to help live a healthier life:

Could you spend 15 minutes in the evening making your lunch for tomorrow to stop you buying a sandwich from the shop?
Could you get up 30 minutes earlier and head out for a morning walk to start the day well?
Could you go to bed earlier, get good quality sleep and improve your mindset for the next day?
Could you set the intention to exercise and go through with it?
Can you take 10 minutes on a Sunday to plan your healthy meals for the week and stick to the plan?
Can you overcome your emotions and resist those biscuits, chocolate or takeaway that come calling every time you’re stressed, tired or sad?

Need some more inspiration? Read more with our easy swap blog:

Easy Swaps You Can Make For Healthy Living

The Takeaway

Change is hard and losing weight takes effort. We know. But if you want to live a healthy life, you have to work at it.

A key is to focus, take sustainable steps and to have realistic expectations for your health.

You didn’t gain it all in a day. You won’t lose it all in a day.

But progress is progress, no matter how small, as long as you’re not going backwards, you are winning!

SO – If you are truly honest with yourself – are you ready to focus and take the necessary steps reach your weight loss goals?

If you are ready, we are ready to help you! Our weight loss doctors are waiting for your call to start you on the weight loss journey that will change your life.

Working with our experts in weight loss and healthy living, we design your weight loss programme around you – to ensure you don’t just reach your goals, but know how to maintain them for life too.

It all starts with booking a call back or giving us a ring!