You’ve reached your new year weight loss goal… Now what?

January 3, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

Okay, weight loss resolution-ers.

Sure, it’s a bit early, but let’s be ready for this in advance:

At some point, we reach that coveted number on the scale. And we feel elated.

And soon after… we get depressed.

(“I’m finally perfect. Now I have no reason to go on anymore. #FirstWorldProblems”)

Exaggeration though it may be, there is that “Now what?” feeling. I mean, what’s gonna be the flame under your rump from here out? Just… maintaining that number? Pssh… How boring. That wasn’t what sent you out into the cold January morning, driving with your windows still icy so you could make it to Monday morning Orange Theory in time before work. You had an unrealized goal before. And now? Now that’s gone. And you’re not sure what to do with yourself. Well, fear not. Because I’ve dealt with this before. And I’m here to tell you that, when this happens, it’ll be okay. And here’s why.

First, know that you’re lucky. You’ve got habit on your side. They say it takes 30 to 90 days to build a habit. And, if you’ve been working out more days than not in the next month, then your workout habit’s gonna be pretty well ingrained. Same goes for if you’ve been eating pretty healthy. I used to loved disgusting, processed food. Fast-forward several years on a plant based diet, and you couldn’t pay me to eat Dairy Queen. I’m not even a big fan of the vegan confections. With the exception of maybe cheese, I don’t really miss much of the slenderness unfriendly stuff. I legit, No B.S. love eating healthy now. Meanwhile, skipping a workout feels like my soul’s been impaled with a pole. It’s physically and spiritually eviscerating. The point? You’d be amazed what nasty proclivities you can undo – and what fabulous ones you can program – with habit alone. So, spend this month investing in that until it’s just autopilot. That way, when the goal’s reached, you’ll still be motivated to eat clean and train dirty.

Just make sure to pass that habit baton on to avoid boredom. To what? New goals. Don’t wanna drop any more weight? That’s fine. There’re plenty of fitness aspirations that have nada to do with scale numbers. Wanna get stronger? Run a six minute mile? Finally figure out the wizardry that is the pull up? (Yeah, I still haven’t gotten that one myself – not without help.) Those can all be goals. Then again, your new goals can also be unconventional. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try jiu-jitsu – or CrossFit. Last January, that’s exactly what I did. I was already the weight I wanted to be. So, for 30 days, I tried everything from Aerial Yoga to this intense spin class where the heart rate monitor snitched on me to the instructor anytime it dropped below a certain BPM. Some of it I loved. Some of it you’ll never catch me doing again. But, it all served to reignite my perspiration inspiration. Try something new when you hit your weight loss goal, and it might just do the same for you.

(If you really wanna lean down and tone up, try Pure Barre. You’ll hate me – until you peep your rear a few weeks in.)

Then again, let’s say this goal weight was just your first milestone goal.

In other words, you do wanna lose more weight – but you’ve just hit an impasse. And that blasted square in the bathroom won’t budge with the numbers. I get it. It’s easy to hit the weight loss wall and lose hope. We think, “It’s not working anymore, so I won’t”. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The actual truth is, it was working – to get you to this point. But, now, your body’s just adjusted to your regimen. It’s become more efficient at exercising, so it doesn’t burn fat as easily. For that you can be proud. But, with that emotional trophy comes responsibility – to work harder. Which means it’s time for a few things. For example, some cross training might be a good start, if you’ve not already started. (Are you lifting? And doing intensity intervals?) Doing that alone should help. But even when you hit the wall on that new plan, you can still level up again – by either increasing the intensity on those intervals, duration of your workouts, adding weighted vests to cardio time (a real calorie blaster), or increasing reps or weight while lifting. And the biggie for getting small – the one no one wants to do and everyone goes into denial about? Diet. Ask yourself: what can I clean up? What calories can I clip down? How am I balancing my proteins, carbs, and fats? Once we stop fronting on the food front, that alone can make the weight drop.

And, with that, feel free to resume your resolution-ing.

Just remember to revisit these protips if you need inspiration for fitness goal number next!