REFRAME-

The belief that the timing must be right to begin a weight loss journey is an extremely limiting belief that hinders weight loss success, because when it comes to changing your life, there is no such thing as a ‘right’ or ‘perfect’ time to begin, there’s only the realisation that the change is needed.

And you then can’t wait for your calendar to be less busy, your life to be less stressful, or for that often- coveted ‘switch to flip’ to begin, because for most it doesn’t switch until you start, and these are all just forms of procrastination and serve as huge barriers to your progress.

You especially need to break free from the conditioned diet mentality of ‘starting on a specific day’ (usually a Monday), or at the start of a new month, or the 1st of January in a new year as this can become a limiting habit, because the “fresh start effect,” phenomenon convinces you that these symbolic moments are the ideal for leaving past failures behind and pursuing new goals, when in fact any time is the right time, and in waiting for that specific moment in time you can find yourself doing even further damage to your goals, because a common unhealthy habit that tends to accompany ‘waiting for a specific time to start’ is the habit of ‘one last blow out’. Which was a habit I was very familiar with, as it was a long-standing habit throughout my weight loss journey.

Whenever I decided to re-join my slimming club for yet another attempt at weight loss I would always give myself ‘one final blow-out before I was good again’, which was effectively planning and justifying a binge.

And we aren’t just talking about the odd chocolate bar. It would be multiple chocolate bars, crisps, pastries and takeaways.

I’d really go to town like it was my final meal ever, justifying it with, “I’m just getting it out of my system because once I rejoin I’ll be bang on it.”

The biggest issue was that there were times when I had made the decision to go back to my group sessions which were always on a Monday each week, and if it were say a Tuesday that the decision was made that would mean there would be nearly an entire week of ‘getting it out my system’ and eating far more than I’d usually consume.

Then when it came to November each year as my birthday approached I would have a ‘birthday blow-out’, but then justify to myself that it was almost Christmas, so there was no point starting again now, and instead I’d just start again in January. And I repeated this cycle for YEARS before I realised that I was stuck in a cycle that needed to change. And so when I did decide to change my life it didn’t begin on a pre-determined date, it started there and then that decision was made.

You have to learn that there will never be a perfect time to start this journey, life will always present celebrations, commitments, stresses, and unforeseen circumstances that don’t fit your ‘perfect time.’ and waiting for a pre-determined day is a conditioned habit that reinforces old behavioural habits.

Consider this: how many years have you set New Year’s resolutions to lose weight proclaiming: “New Year, New Me” in your lifetime?

How many times have you started over on a Monday?

And how many times have you ended up back at square one?

I’m going to predict- every single time. Which is in no way me judging you, because like I’ve just explained- I’ve been there too.

I’m just trying to help you to recognise a conditioned habit that has been blocking your success in order for you to change it. And it doesn’t even require a huge change to break the habit. Even just the smallest action of changing your fresh-start from a pre-determined day to starting straight away will make a huge impact, as that break in routine/habit will lead to the creation of new neural pathways and the successful formation of new habits.

That one small decision and shift in behaviour literally alters your brain chemistry for good.

Because you do not need a Monday morning or new year to become the person of your dreams. You just need YOU.