How To Make Your Weight Loss Decisions A Lot Easier

Making decisions and sticking to them is no laughing matter.  Have you ever been trapped weighing the pros and cons ad nauseum about certain decisions that seem to get postponed forever?

I know how frustrating it can be when we get stuck in indecision ruminations and frustrating thought loops.

What’s going on that prevents us from choosing and honoring a decision no matter what?

Why do we keep changing our minds, procrastinating or pulling back at the last minute?

Perhaps you heard that Barack Obama had multiple identical navy blue suits which he wore on rotation as  his daily work “uniform”.  Steve Jobs favored a black cotton T and blue jeans combo.  Mark Zuckerberg wears the same style grey T shirt every day as his wardrobe staple.

I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that these are extraordinary men who eat extraordinary achievements for breakfast.  They all say the same thing about why they wear daily uniforms.  It eliminates a key decision first thing in the morning which, in turn, reduces decision fatigue during the day  One less thing to think about.

And what’s this got to do with weight loss, you might ask?  Stay with me as we take a closer look at decision making in general.

Psychology researchers have studied how people make decisions and concluded there are two basic styles.

Maximizers  are exhaustive researchers.  They prefer to weigh a wide range of options—sometimes every possible one—before choosing.

They may be prone to suffering from analysis paralysis out of the fear that they haven’t completed their thorough enough research.  So they decide nothing at all.  Instead, they procrastinate and ruminate.

Their confidence comes from the thought that they’ve studied all the options and are making the perfect decision.

Satisficers  (a blend of the words “satisfy” and “suffice”) are comfortable with good enough research or preparation.  They are able to choose among the options that fill the most or at least the minimum of the criteria that are important to them.

They may find it easier to make decisions and move on without second-guessing themselves.  Better done then perfect could be their motto.

I definitely fall on the Satisficer end of the continuum

What about you?  It’s a good thing to know your tendency so you can plan with intention to work with it.

Every decision has three parts.

Part 1:  Making the initial decision.  Once you make the decision you may think you’re out of the woods.  But if you don’t address parts 2 and 3, you could be in for a rough ride of second-guessing, arguing with yourself and undermining your desired results.

Part 2:  Committing to accept the decision you made.  This is BIG.  You’re committing to sticking with the decision, no matter what.

Part 3:  Managing your mind to focus on finding the evidence that this was the perfect decision.  Consider this aspect the part where you put blinders on your brain, just as you would put blinders on a race horse.  Your intention is to focus your mind on finding all the ways in which this decision was the best.

This focus prevents distracting thoughts from intruding on your conscious mind in an attempt to override your confidence.

But what if you find evidence that this was not the perfect decision, you might ask?  It’s all in how you frame it.

Even a negative result can be framed as a perfect outcome because you learned something key from that choice to better guide you in future choices.

(Pro tip:  It was the perfect decision because that’s the decision you made. Full stop.  End of story.)  Try that thought on for size.

Let’s apply these steps to making weight loss easier.

Perhaps you’ve been going back and forth about trying again.  Perhaps you’re struggling in the messy middle of the weight loss process.

Here is an example of how to make weight loss easier by making decisions upfront to reduce analysis paralysis and decision fatigue from the get go.

1. First and foremost, decide that you’re all in on the weight loss journey. That you’re in for the good, the bad and the ugly.  All of it.
2. Decide that working with me as your weight loss coach is exactly what you need to learn the skills and tools to make weight loss easier and to manage your mind through the process.
3. Commit to not second guessing yourself.
4. Create a food and drink protocol so you don’t keep arguing with yourself about what you will and won’t eat or drink.
5. Write your daily food plan 24-hours in advance.
6. Plan in EXCEPTIONS every week.
7. Have your own back and follow your food plan each day.
8. Become the WATCHER by observing your brain trying to offer up thoughts that could derail you.
9. Challenge those thoughts.  Ask yourself, “What if the opposite were true?”
10. Find two or three examples every day that reinforce why you made the perfect decision.

There you have it.  Decisions made.  Done and done.

Where does decision-making confidence come from?

It all  hinges on the thoughts you choose to think on purpose.

Thoughts like I’m all in on:

1. Achieving sustainable weight loss however long it takes for me to figure it out.
2. Following my  food protocol and a daily food plan, no matter what.
3. Sticking to my decisions and follow through.
4. Choosing to live in a no second-guessing zone.

Can you think of some more thoughts that sound like your unique voice?  The best ones sound like you and are believable.  But it’s also wonderful to borrow mine or other people’s thoughts that ring true to you.

Working with a coach to lose weight is time and money well invested.

It’s February already.  No need to keep vacillating in indecision.

If you need more evidence that I could be the perfect weight loss coach for you, read some of my other posts and see if my approach resonates.

If you’re feeling a flicker of hopefulness or excitement, let’s talk.  Schedule your free Strategy Call with me by clicking right here. 

It’s go time, my friend!

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