The new year is here and so are the new year resolutions.
As obesity rates are the highest in human history, the most popular new year resolution is losing weight.
However, most new year resolutions fail before the end of January. I want you to succeed in your weight loss goals. I successfully lost weight and I keep my excellent shape with relative ease because I approach my diet with the correct mindset.
Your body follows your mind’s orders. Every action starts in the mind. If you don’t decide to lose weight, you will not diet. If you don’t decide to lift weights, you will not go to the gym, and so on.
Therefore, having the correct frame of mind will play an important role in the success of your actions.
Framing is a powerful tool. If your frame is strong enough, you can do anything. One powerful way to have a strong frame is to ask strong questions. We consistently question the world around us. That’s how the human brain works. Instead of questioning your actions with random questions, it’s better to deliberately ask strong questions. Weak questions lead to a weak frame. Strong questions lead to a strong frame.
Unfortunately, most people start losing weight by asking weak questions. Hence, they set a weak frame and a weak mindset. First, we will identify the weak questions that lead to a weak frame. So, you will start losing weight by avoiding the weak frame of mind. Later, we will examine the strong questions to ask. These questions will lead to a strong frame, so, they will allow you to start losing weight from a position of strength.
Let’s begin.
Weak Questions to Avoid When You Decide to Start Losing Weight
Weak Question #1: What Can I Get Away With?
Losing weight is not easy. In order to lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than you burn. When you eat fewer calories than your body needs, you will feel hungry.
When you feel hungry, you will have cravings. This is completely normal. Your body doesn’t want to change, so it’s deliberately trying to trick you into eating calorie dense foods.
For example, I almost never eat chocolate cake. When I was dieting, I would constantly crave chocolate cake. I resisted the cravings and went on with my diet anyway. After I reached my diet goals and went back to maintenance calories, I didn’t want to eat chocolate cake anymore. My cravings magically disappeared. It was not the chocolate cake that my body wanted. It was the calories. If I caved in to my cravings and ate the calories my body wanted me to eat, I would never create a calorie deficit so I would never be able to lose weight.
I see people trying to prepare low-calorie cookies, low-calorie cheesecakes, fake Nutella and so on. This kind of people always fail to lose weight, because the problem wasn’t the cookies, cakes or anything else. It was the calories.
So, when you start your diet, never ask what you can get away with. Suck it up and proceed with your plans.
Weak Question #2: What Supplements Can I Use to Lose Weight?
Weight loss supplements are popular because taking a supplement doesn’t require any effort. You just put it in your mouth and wash it down.
People want to lose weight but they want to avoid the effort, so they are drawn to weight loss supplements.
Wanting to achieve something but trying to avoid the effort is a weak mindset to have.
A weak mindset gets you weak results. There are no supplements to make weight loss easy.
Losing weight is not easy and it will never be. Nothing worth accomplishing is easy. Embrace the process and just do it.
Weak Question #3: How Can I Spot Reduce Fat?
When I look at Google Keyword Planner, I see hundreds of thousands of monthly searches about how to lose face fat, how to lose belly fat, how to lose thigh fat and so on.
Spot reducing fat is not possible. That’s not how the body works. So, stop trying to do it. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will eventually lose fat all over your body.
Weak Question #4: How Often Should I Eat Cheat Meals?
Cheat meals are overrated. Dieting is already tough, so I want to do it as fast as possible. Cheat meals are loaded with calories so they delay my goals. I never eat cheat meals when I’m dieting.
If you start your diet with cheating on your mind, you already lost.
Weak Question #5: Which Foods are Making Me Fat/Which Foods to Eat to Lose Weight?
Weight loss is about calories. There’s no specific food that makes you fat and there’s no specific food that will make you lose weight.
Asking these questions imply that you are looking for a shortcut. There’s no shortcut to losing weight.
Strong Questions to Ask When You Decide to Lose Weight
Strong Question #1: How Will My Life Improve When I Get in Shape?
When you lose weight and get in shape, the quality of your life will dramatically improve. You will be healthier, you will look better, your clothes will fit, you will get more respect from other people, you will be complimented and so on. The benefits of getting in shape are endless.
Ask yourself how will your life improve when you get in shape. This accomplishes 2 things for you.
#1) You will condition your mind to the rewards of losing weight. During weight loss, there will be times when the going gets tough. If you focus on the rewards, you are already setting yourself up for success.
#2) You will assume success from the get-go. Note that there is “when I get in shape” in the wording of the question. In sales, there is a term called “assuming the sale”. When the salesman assumes the sale and acts like it, it’s highly probable that he will actually make the sale. The customer’s mind will be conditioned to buy. When you assume success from the beginning of your diet, your brain will act accordingly and your odds of success will skyrocket.
Strong Question #2: How Can I Keep My Diet Simple?
Simplicity works wonders in all areas of life. According to Pareto Principle, 80% of your success will come from 20% of your practices. Focusing on how to make your diet simple will help you avoid bullshit weight loss advice, and stick to the essentials.
While dieting is not easy, it’s simple: Eat fewer calories than you burn.
When I’m losing weight, I always eat my animal protein first and I stick to my macro goals. That’s it. I’m not even thinking about anything else.
People are making it complicated by useless minutiae like trying to eat six meals a day, deciding whether to eat brown or white rice, which foods have high or low glycemic index and so on. These things don’t matter and they will only confuse you. Confusion will sooner or later lead to failure. Keep it stupid, simple.
Strong Question #3: How Can I Measure My Progress?
What gets measured, gets done. Measuring your progress will benefit you in 3 ways:
#1) You can tweak your diet. If you don’t measure your progress, you will be shooting in the dark. When you are dieting, your body composition will constantly change as you keep losing fat. You will want to tweak your diet according to your body composition. Measuring your progress allows you to do this.
#2) You can repeat your diet in the future. Once you reach your diet goals, maintaining your weight will be easy. But you never know what life will throw at you. If you measure your progress, you will know better how your body responds to your diet. In case you need to lose weight again in the future, you will already have a diet previously worked for you. If you measure and record everything, you can easily repeat the procedure.
#3) Measuring your progress will encourage you to keep going on. There are few things happier in life than watching your efforts paying dividends. Hopping on the bathroom scale and seeing your body weight going down will keep you motivated during your diet. Warning: Remember that weight loss is not linear due to water retention or your metabolism adjusting to newfound conditions. It’s common to see the weight not moving for a couple of days (or even weeks) and then seeing 2-3 pounds down overnight.
Conclusion
Success is the result of a strong mindset. Asking strong questions will lead to a strong mindset.
Starting your diet from a position of strength will increase your odds to succeed.
Getting in shape is a must for every man.
If you need to lose weight, start today with a strong mindset and you will succeed.