But what if you didn’t have to sacrifice so much for such a long consecutive period of time? You don’t. Consider, instead, eating this weight-loss-elephant one bite at a time.
If you have 15 pounds you want to lose (or 50 pounds, or 150 pounds), I’d like you to forget about all of the target weight loss but the first two pounds.
Two pounds is likely going to require one to two weeks of dedication to a plan. Take a look at your calendar, and find a two weeks where the odds are most in your favor. Busy social calendar or holidays to celebrate? Don’t use that week. Look for the ones that are more open and less stressful. For those fourteen days, commit to a strong nutrition and workout regimen, and start counting down the days until it’s over. You can do anything for fourteen days!
Now here’s the most important step: once you’ve completed your two weeks and lost your two pounds, don’t go out on a french fry bender to celebrate. Go back to eating for maintenance (likely however you’ve been eating that’s had you stuck at your current weight) and start eyeing up your next two week block. Maybe it’s right away. Maybe you need a breather or to get through a holiday or recharge your willpower before the next one. This method isn’t as fast as a ten week block of nutritional austerity, but for a much more reasonable price, you can still achieve your goals without feeling nearly as deprived.
To your achievable mini-goals,
Ben